Gerroa vs Toolijooa
Toolijooa is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 56 in Gerroa. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Gerroa, about half of households are people living alone. In Toolijooa, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Gerroa: a median of $2.15 million, against $1.93 million in Toolijooa, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Gerroa tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Toolijooa suits couples.
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
Toolijooa
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 62/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (61% vs 42%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 81%)
- But Gerroa has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
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
- Gerroa leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 33%)
- Toolijooa has cheaper houses ($1,925,000 vs $2,150,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Toolijooa
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 25%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $480/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Gerroa has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 24%)
- Toolijooa carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 62/100)
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
Gerroa and Toolijooa 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
Gerroa has more residents (571 vs 103); Gerroa rents higher ($480/wk vs $300/wk).
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 571 +82% vs other | 103 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -15.2% | -18.9% |
| Median age | 56 | 47 |
| Median household income | $99,788/yr | $117,000/yr +17% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $480/wk +38% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).
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 (21.4%).
Property market
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,150,000 | $1,925,000 |
| Median unit price | $1,600,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 58 days from 16 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Toolijooa has more rural and farming land (87% vs 38%); Gerroa has more land zoned for conservation (54% vs 8%).
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 38% | 87% |
| Environmental | 54% | 8% |
| Residential | 4% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 4% |
| Parks and recreation | 2% | 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
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 159 across Kiama same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -35% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 86% of NSW | Higher than 84% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 81% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 84% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 45% of NSW |
Liveability
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 40/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Gerroa carries more bushfire risk (69 vs 0); Gerroa carries more crime risk (62 vs 0).
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 69/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 62/100 | None 0/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 17/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 16/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 137.3 km | 136.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 117 min | 113 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 2534 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 46 postcode 2534 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 (57.1%).
Setting
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 572 m 3.9 km to a named beach | 2.6 km 4.9 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 64/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 36% 529 premises | 0% 41 premises |
Climate
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.37 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,898/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kiama same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Gerroa | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Gerroa
Other comparisons with Toolijooa
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.