Gooloogong vs Paytens Bridge
Paytens Bridge is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 47 in Gooloogong. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Paytens Bridge, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Gooloogong tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Paytens Bridge suits families with children and 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Gooloogong carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 85/100)
- Paytens Bridge is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 47%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Paytens Bridge
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (5% vs 21%)
- has cheaper rent ($130/wk vs $208/wk)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 20%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Gooloogong
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (349.4 km vs 363.9 km)
- has a shorter drive in (293 min vs 298 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Gooloogong
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 85/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 11%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Gooloogong and Paytens Bridge 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
Gooloogong has more residents (408 vs 109); Paytens Bridge has higher household incomes ($143,000 vs $51,584).
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 408 +73% vs other | 109 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.3% | +4.8% |
| Median age | 47 | 36 |
| Median household income | $51,584/yr | $143,000/yr +177% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $208/wk +38% vs other | $130/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.5%).
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 (16.2%).
Property market
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $295,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 90% | 100% |
| Environmental | 10% | 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
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 33 across Cowra | 31 across Forbes |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% | +125% |
Ranking within NSW
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 9% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 93% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 35% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 86% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 3% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
Liveability
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Paytens Bridge carries more crime risk (85 vs 29); Gooloogong carries more bushfire risk (25 vs 15).
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 25/100 | Low 15/100 |
| Crime | Low 29/100 | High 85/100 |
| 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
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Gooloogong
- Gooloogong Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Paytens Bridge
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 13 | 7 |
Mobility
Paytens Bridge sits further from the CBD (363.9 km vs 349.4 km).
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 6/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 349.4 km | 363.9 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 293 min | 298 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2805 | 0.1% postcode 2871 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 45 postcode 2805 | 48 postcode 2871 |
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 (70.7%).
Setting
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 290 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 274 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 210 premises | 0% 60 premises |
Climate
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 631 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.3°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.4°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $583/yr | $957/yr |
| Council | Cowra | Forbes |
Federal electorate
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina | Parkes |
| Member | Michael Mccormack | Jamie Chaffey |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Gooloogong | Paytens Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Paytens Bridge
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Gooloogong
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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.