Burren Junction vs Pilliga
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Pilliga, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Burren Junction: a median of $160,000, against $92,000 in Pilliga, though rent is higher in Pilliga. On these figures, Burren Junction tends to suit share households, while Pilliga suits people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Burren Junction
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 97/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (45% vs 33%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Burren Junction leaves households under less mortgage stress (3% vs 20%)
- Pilliga has cheaper houses ($91,500 vs $160,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Burren Junction
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 25%)
- has cheaper rent ($118/wk vs $189/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Pilliga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (608.6 km vs 623.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Burren Junction
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 97/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Burren Junction and Pilliga 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
Pilliga rents higher ($189/wk vs $118/wk); Burren Junction has higher household incomes ($58,448 vs $39,624).
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 225 +22% vs other | 175 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -18.5% | -19.4% |
| Median age | 49 | 51 |
| Median household income | $58,448/yr +32% vs other | $39,624/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $118/wk | $189/wk +60% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).
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 (3.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.6%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $160,000 | $91,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $6,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 91% |
| Environmental | 0% | 9% |
| 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
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 13 across Walgett same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -100% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 18% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 8% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 97% of NSW | Higher than 98% of NSW |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 4% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
Liveability
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Pilliga carries more crime risk (97 vs 36).
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 12/100 | Low 21/100 |
| Crime | Low 36/100 | High 97/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 1 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Burren Junction
- Burren Junction Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Pilliga
- Pilliga Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 same for both | |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 same for both | |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 14 | 77 |
Mobility
Burren Junction sits further from the CBD (623.8 km vs 608.6 km).
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 623.8 km +2% vs other | 608.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 441 min | 439 min |
| Public transport score | 20/100 Bus | 21/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 2.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 3.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 3 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2386 | 0.0% postcode 2388 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 2386 | 80 postcode 2388 |
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 (60.7%).
Setting
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 158 m above sea level, at the suburb centre same for both | |
NBN connectivity
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 35 premises | 0% 49 premises |
Council rates
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $445/yr same for both | |
| Council | Walgett same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Parkes same for both | |
| Member | Jamie Chaffey same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Burren Junction | Pilliga | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Burren Junction
Pilliga
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Burren Junction
Other comparisons with Pilliga
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.