Cambewarra vs Meroo Meadow
Meroo Meadow is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 55 in Cambewarra. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Meroo Meadow tends to suit people living alone.
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
- Cambewarra is already more of a family suburb (77% vs 68%)
- Meroo Meadow carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 92/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Meroo Meadow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $540/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Meroo Meadow
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (123 min vs 132 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (153.9 km vs 162.4 km)
- But Cambewarra is more walkable (30/100 vs 14/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Cambewarra is more walkable (30/100 vs 14/100)
- Meroo Meadow carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 92/100)
Weighs 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
Cambewarra and Meroo Meadow 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
Meroo Meadow has more residents (474 vs 234); Cambewarra rents higher ($540/wk vs $400/wk).
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 234 | 474 +103% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.7% | +0.4% |
| Median age | 55 | 50 |
| Median household income | $119,340/yr +8% vs other | $110,032/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $540/wk +26% vs other | $400/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).
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 (7.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,031,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Meroo Meadow has more rural and farming land (72% vs 57%); Cambewarra has more land zoned for conservation (32% vs 20%).
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 57% | 72% |
| Environmental | 32% | 20% |
| Residential | 8% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% same for both | |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 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
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 854 across Shoalhaven same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -10% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 53% of NSW | Higher than 89% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 75% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 54% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 93% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
Liveability
Cambewarra is more walkable (30 vs 14).
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Cambewarra carries more bushfire risk (35 vs 0); Cambewarra carries more crime risk (92 vs 31).
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 35/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 92/100 | Low 31/100 |
| 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 | 5 within 5 km |
Schools
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 4 | 11 |
Mobility
Cambewarra sits further from the CBD (162.4 km vs 153.9 km).
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 30/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 162.4 km +5% vs other | 153.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 132 min | 123 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2540 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 2540 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 (76.1%).
Setting
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 90 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 33 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 18.0 km | 13.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 87/100 | 60/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 81% 482 premises | 43% 222 premises |
Climate
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,501/yr same for both | |
| Council | Shoalhaven same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cambewarra | Meroo Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cambewarra
Other comparisons with Meroo Meadow
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.