Carrathool vs Hay South
Carrathool is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 52 in Hay South. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Carrathool, about half of households are couple families. In Hay South, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Carrathool tends to suit couples, while Hay South suits 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
Carrathool
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (61% vs 41%)
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
- Carrathool leaves households under less mortgage stress (11% vs 17%)
- Hay South has cheaper land ($1,575 vs $35,000)
Weighs land prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Hay South
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($165/wk vs $180/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Carrathool
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (670.8 km vs 737.3 km)
- has a shorter drive in (427 min vs 468 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hay South
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (0.0% vs -16.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Carrathool and Hay South 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
Hay South has more residents (357 vs 200); Hay South skews older (52 vs 42).
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 200 | 357 +78% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -16.0% | +0.0% |
| Median age | 42 | 52 |
| Median household income | $79,612/yr +8% vs other | $73,476/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $180/wk +8% vs other | $165/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).
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 (3.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $187,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $35,000 | $1,575 |
Zoning mix
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 91% | 99% |
| Environmental | 9% | 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
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3 across Carrathool | 3 across Hay |
| Approvals change year on year | -100% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 3% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 98% of NSW |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
Liveability
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Carrathool carries more bushfire risk (38 vs 21).
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 38/100 | Low 21/100 |
| Crime | High 89/100 | High 80/100 |
| 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
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 6 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 43 | 52 |
Mobility
Hay South sits further from the CBD (737.3 km vs 670.8 km).
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 670.8 km | 737.3 km +10% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 427 min | 468 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2711 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2711 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 (74.3%).
Setting
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 105 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 90 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 43/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 49 premises | 5% 165 premises |
Council rates
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $510/yr | $588/yr |
| Council | Carrathool | Hay |
Federal electorate
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Farrer same for both | |
| Member | David Farley same for both | |
| Party | One Nation same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Carrathool | Hay South | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Carrathool
Hay South
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Carrathool
Other comparisons with Hay South
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.