Cabbage Tree Island vs Wardell
Cabbage Tree Island is the younger of the two, with a median age of 21 against 47 in Wardell. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Cabbage Tree Island, the large majority of households rent. In Wardell, most households own their home. On these figures, Cabbage Tree Island tends to suit renters and families with children, while Wardell suits 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 5 things we measure here
- Cabbage Tree Island is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 49%)
- Wardell has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Cabbage Tree Island
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (100% vs 34%)
- has cheaper rent ($210/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Wardell
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (26/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (723 km vs 725.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Wardell
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (26/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 8%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Cabbage Tree Island
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.1% vs -0.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cabbage Tree Island and Wardell 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
Wardell has more residents (830 vs 89); Wardell skews older (47 vs 21).
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 89 | 830 +833% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +14.1% | -0.2% |
| Median age | 21 | 47 |
| Median household income | $44,200/yr | $65,208/yr +48% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $210/wk | $350/wk +67% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (20.1%).
Property market
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $800,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $329,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 77 days from 7 sales |
Zoning mix
Cabbage Tree Island has more rural and farming land (73% vs 38%).
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 73% | 38% |
| Other and special use | 8% | 41% |
| Environmental | 18% | 19% |
| Residential | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 27% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 73% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
Liveability
Wardell is more walkable (26 vs 0).
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 16/100 |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Wardell carries more bushfire risk (49 vs 0).
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 49/100 |
| Crime | — | High 89/100 |
| 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 | 2 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Cabbage Tree Island
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Wardell
- Wardell Public School Government · Primary below peers
- Cabbage Tree Island Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 4 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 8 |
Mobility
Cabbage Tree Island sits further from the CBD (725.7 km vs 723 km).
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 26/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 725.7 km | 723 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 474 min | 471 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2477 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 75 postcode 2477 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre same for both | |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.8 km | 5.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 39/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 43 premises | 13% 420 premises |
Council rates
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cabbage Tree Island | Wardell | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
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.