Bulga vs Fordwich
Bulga is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 40 in Fordwich. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bulga, most households own their home and most households are couple families. In Fordwich, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Fordwich: a median of $8.14 million, against $1.12 million in Bulga, though rent is higher in Bulga. On these figures, Bulga tends to suit families with children, couples, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Fordwich suits renters, people living alone, and older residents.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Bulga is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 53%)
- Fordwich carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 65/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bulga
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($1,125,000 vs $8,138,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 61%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Fordwich
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (53% vs 41%)
- has cheaper rent ($345/wk vs $423/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Fordwich
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (168.3 km vs 217.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Fordwich
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 13%)
- carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 65/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bulga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.1% vs -2.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bulga and Fordwich drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Bulga has more residents (418 vs 90); Bulga has higher household incomes ($107,224 vs $84,500).
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 418 +78% vs other | 90 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.1% | -2.2% |
| Median age | 37 | 40 |
| Median household income | $107,224/yr +21% vs other | $84,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $423/wk +18% vs other | $345/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,125,000 | $8,138,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Fordwich has more rural and farming land (100% vs 49%); Bulga has more land zoned for conservation (50% vs 0%).
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 49% | 100% |
| Environmental | 50% | 0% |
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 121 across Singleton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +46% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 100% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 53% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 17% of NSW | Higher than 20% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 26% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Bulga carries more crime risk (65 vs 44).
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 87/100 | High 94/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 65/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 11 | 1 |
Mobility
Bulga sits further from the CBD (217.6 km vs 168.3 km).
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 217.6 km +23% vs other | 168.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 155 min | 159 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2330 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 2330 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.1%).
Setting
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 211 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 70 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 132 premises | 0% 47 premises |
Climate
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 804 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 16.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,287/yr same for both | |
| Council | Singleton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hunter same for both | |
| Member | Dan Repacholi same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bulga | Fordwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bulga
Other comparisons with Fordwich
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.