Garthowen vs Halls Creek

Garthowen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 46 in Halls Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Halls Creek: a median of $925,000, against $285,000 in Garthowen, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Garthowen tends to suit 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

Garthowen

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 48/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Garthowen

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($285,000 vs $925,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 29%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Garthowen

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (9% vs 14%)
  • has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $200/wk)
  • But Halls Creek has a bigger rental market to choose from (17% vs 7%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Garthowen

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (326 min vs 350 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (435.9 km vs 449.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Garthowen

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 48/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Halls Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (40.6% vs 12.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Garthowen and Halls Creek drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Garthowen Halls Creek
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Garthowen Halls Creek
Walkability 0 / 0
Garthowen — Walkability: 0/100 Halls Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 87 / 52
Garthowen — Safety: 87/100 Halls Creek — Safety: 52/100
Low fire risk 75 / 54
Garthowen — Low fire risk: 75/100 Halls Creek — Low fire risk: 54/100

Demographics

Garthowen has higher household incomes ($108,888 vs $74,724); Halls Creek rents higher ($200/wk vs $180/wk).

Garthowen Halls Creek
Population 169 180
+7% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.7% +40.6%
Median age 42 46
Median household income $108,888/yr
+31% vs other
 $74,724/yr
Median weekly rent $180/wk $200/wk
+11% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Garthowen Halls Creek
0-4 4.1% / 6.7%
Garthowen — 0-4: 4.1% Halls Creek — 0-4: 6.7%
5-14 14.2% / 15.0%
Garthowen — 5-14: 14.2% Halls Creek — 5-14: 15.0%
15-19 6.5% / 5.6%
Garthowen — 15-19: 6.5% Halls Creek — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 2.4% / 2.8%
Garthowen — 20-24: 2.4% Halls Creek — 20-24: 2.8%
25-34 10.7% / 8.3%
Garthowen — 25-34: 10.7% Halls Creek — 25-34: 8.3%
35-44 14.8% / 11.7%
Garthowen — 35-44: 14.8% Halls Creek — 35-44: 11.7%
45-54 17.2% / 16.7%
Garthowen — 45-54: 17.2% Halls Creek — 45-54: 16.7%
55-64 13.6% / 18.3%
Garthowen — 55-64: 13.6% Halls Creek — 55-64: 18.3%
65-74 10.1% / 8.3%
Garthowen — 65-74: 10.1% Halls Creek — 65-74: 8.3%
75-84 3.6% / 5.0%
Garthowen — 75-84: 3.6% Halls Creek — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 1.8% / —
Garthowen — 85+: 1.8% Halls Creek — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Garthowen 64.1% couple families
Garthowen — Couple Families: 64.1% Garthowen — Lone Person: 35.9%
Halls Creek 67.5% couple families
Halls Creek — Couple Families: 67.5% Halls Creek — Lone Person: 32.5%
Couple Families Lone Person

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Garthowen 6.8% renting
Garthowen — Owned Outright: 39.0% Garthowen — Mortgage: 54.2% Garthowen — Renting: 6.8%
Halls Creek 16.9% renting
Halls Creek — Owned Outright: 44.1% Halls Creek — Mortgage: 39.0% Halls Creek — Renting: 16.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Garthowen 98.4% houses
Garthowen — Houses: 98.4% Garthowen — Flats / Apartments: 1.6%
Halls Creek 100.0% houses
Halls Creek — Houses: 100.0% Halls Creek — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Garthowen Halls Creek
Certificate III & IV 21.9% / 15.0%
Garthowen — Certificate III & IV: 21.9% Halls Creek — Certificate III & IV: 15.0%
Bachelor Degree 11.8% / 9.4%
Garthowen — Bachelor Degree: 11.8% Halls Creek — Bachelor Degree: 9.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.5% / 5.0%
Garthowen — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5% Halls Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.6% / 1.7%
Garthowen — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6% Halls Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).

Property market

Garthowen Halls Creek
Median house price $285,000 $925,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $340,000

Zoning mix

Garthowen Halls Creek
Rural and farming 100% 98%
Environmental 0% 2%
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

Garthowen Halls Creek
New dwellings approved 390
across Tamworth
same for both
Approvals change year on year -35%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Garthowen Halls Creek
House price Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
Income Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 24% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 48% of NSW
EV adoption — Higher than 5% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 28% of NSW Higher than 24% of NSW

Liveability

Garthowen Halls Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Halls Creek carries more crime risk (48 vs 13); Halls Creek carries more bushfire risk (46 vs 25).

Garthowen Halls Creek
Bushfire Low
25/100
 Moderate
46/100
Crime Low
13/100
 Moderate
48/100
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
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Garthowen Halls Creek
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

Garthowen Halls Creek
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Halls Creek sits further from the CBD (449.6 km vs 435.9 km).

Garthowen Halls Creek
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 435.9 km 449.6 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 326 min 350 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 2345
 0.1%
postcode 2346
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 2345
 50
postcode 2346

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.

Garthowen Halls Creek
Car (driver) 72.3% / 53.8%
Garthowen — Car (driver): 72.3% Halls Creek — Car (driver): 53.8%
Worked from Home 27.7% / 26.9%
Garthowen — Worked from Home: 27.7% Halls Creek — Worked from Home: 26.9%
Walked Only — / 8.6%
Garthowen — Walked Only: not among its largest Halls Creek — Walked Only: 8.6%
Car (passenger) — / 6.5%
Garthowen — Car (passenger): not among its largest Halls Creek — Car (passenger): 6.5%
Bus — / 4.3%
Garthowen — Bus: not among its largest Halls Creek — Bus: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.3%).

Setting

Garthowen Halls Creek
Elevation 489 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 547 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Garthowen Halls Creek
Connectivity score 18/100 16/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
57 premises
 0%
79 premises

Climate

Garthowen Halls Creek
Annual rainfall 784 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 0.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Garthowen Halls Creek
Average residential rate $1,397/yr
same for both
Council Tamworth
same for both

Federal electorate

Garthowen Halls Creek
Division New England
same for both
Member Barnaby Joyce
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Garthowen Halls Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Garthowen

Affordable Rural

Halls Creek

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Garthowen

Garthowen vs Moonbi Garthowen vs Attunga

Other comparisons with Halls Creek

Halls Creek vs Manilla Halls Creek vs Moonbi Halls Creek vs Attunga Halls Creek vs Bendemeer Halls Creek vs Watsons Creek Halls Creek vs Namoi River
Full data on Garthowen Full data on Halls Creek
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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.

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