Goolmangar vs Koonorigan
Goolmangar is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 48 in Koonorigan. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Goolmangar, most households are couple families. In Koonorigan, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Koonorigan: a median of $1.2 million, against $560,000 in Goolmangar, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Goolmangar tends to suit couples and buyers on a tighter budget, while Koonorigan 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
Goolmangar
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 61%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Goolmangar
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($560,000 vs $1,200,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Goolmangar
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($305/wk vs $345/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Goolmangar sits closer to the CBD (742.5 km vs 745.5 km)
- Koonorigan is more walkable (28/100 vs 16/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Koonorigan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (28/100 vs 16/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Koonorigan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.6% vs -2.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Goolmangar and Koonorigan 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
Koonorigan has more residents (332 vs 183); Goolmangar has higher household incomes ($93,756 vs $67,340).
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 183 | 332 +81% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.7% | +9.6% |
| Median age | 43 | 48 |
| Median household income | $93,756/yr +28% vs other | $67,340/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $305/wk | $345/wk +13% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).
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 (2.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $560,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 63 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 99% |
| Environmental | 2% | 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
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 138 across Lismore same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 18% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 61% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 89% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 45% of NSW |
Liveability
Koonorigan is more walkable (28 vs 16).
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 19/100 | Low 21/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Goolmangar
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Koonorigan
- Goolmangar Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 2 |
Mobility
Koonorigan sits further from the CBD (745.5 km vs 742.5 km).
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 16/100 | 28/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 742.5 km | 745.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 493 min | 492 min |
| Public transport score | 26/100 Bus | 25/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 6.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 6.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 2 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2480 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 69 postcode 2480 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 (79.7%).
Setting
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 43 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 21 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 32.1 km | 35.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 70 premises | 0% 149 premises |
Climate
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,569 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 9.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,487/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lismore same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Goolmangar | Koonorigan | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Goolmangar
Other comparisons with Koonorigan
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.