Coolatai vs Warialda
Coolatai is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 51 in Warialda. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Coolatai: a median of $570,000, against $325,000 in Warialda, though rent is higher in Warialda. On these figures, Coolatai tends to suit families with children, while Warialda suits 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
Warialda
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 3)
- But Coolatai carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 82/100)
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
- Coolatai leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 24%)
- Warialda has cheaper houses ($325,000 vs $570,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Coolatai
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $230/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Warialda
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (459 min vs 472 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (620.8 km vs 637.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Coolatai carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 82/100)
- Warialda has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 22%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Warialda
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-6.9% vs -18.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Coolatai and Warialda 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
Warialda has more residents (1,480 vs 99); Warialda skews older (51 vs 42).
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 99 | 1,480 +1395% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -18.2% | -6.9% |
| Median age | 42 | 51 |
| Median household income | $53,612/yr +6% vs other | $50,128/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $230/wk +15% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).
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 (15.9%).
Property market
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $570,000 | $325,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $505,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 70 days from 10 sales |
Zoning mix
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 91% | 99% |
| Environmental | 9% | 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
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 15 across Gwydir same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.6% $355/wk on $400K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 4% of NSW | Higher than 7% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 11% of NSW |
| Schools | — | Higher than 71% of NSW |
| Walkability | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 95% of NSW | Higher than 90% of NSW |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 3% of NSW | Higher than 83% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 93% of NSW |
Liveability
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 30/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Warialda carries more crime risk (82 vs 39); Coolatai carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 28).
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 45/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Crime | Low 39/100 | High 82/100 |
| 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
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 3 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 2 |
Schools in Coolatai
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Warialda
- St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Warialda High School Government · Secondary below peers
- Warialda Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 3 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 8 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 3 |
| Waterways | 10 | 19 |
Mobility
Coolatai sits further from the CBD (637.6 km vs 620.8 km).
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 637.6 km +3% vs other | 620.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 472 min | 459 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2402 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 65 postcode 2402 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 (72.5%).
Setting
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 432 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 475 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 75/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 22 premises | 44% 794 premises |
Climate
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 678 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $825/yr same for both | |
| Council | Gwydir same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Coolatai | Warialda | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Warialda
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Coolatai
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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.