Goonellabah vs Lismore Heights
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lismore Heights, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Goonellabah: a median of $742,000, against $670,000 in Lismore Heights, though rent is higher in Lismore Heights.
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
Goonellabah
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (19 vs 0)
- has more childcare (9 vs 1)
- has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)
- But Lismore Heights carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 80/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Lismore Heights
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($670,000 vs $742,500)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Goonellabah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (83/100 vs 46/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Goonellabah
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (4 vs 0)
- is more walkable (83/100 vs 46/100)
- But Lismore Heights carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 80/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Goonellabah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (3.5% vs -3.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Goonellabah and Lismore Heights 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
Goonellabah has more residents (13,351 vs 2,117); Lismore Heights skews older (43 vs 41).
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 13,351 +84% vs other | 2,117 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.5% | -3.5% |
| Median age | 41 | 43 |
| Median household income | $68,536/yr +2% vs other | $67,288/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk | $338/wk +6% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.5%).
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 (2.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $742,500 | $670,000 |
| Median unit price | $530,000 | $500,000 |
| Median land price | $375,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 30 days from 187 sales | 42 days from 37 sales |
Unit price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
22 vs 11 sales
14 vs 9 sales
House price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
174 vs 59 sales
111 vs 17 sales
17 vs 5 sales
Zoning mix
Goonellabah has more rural and farming land (45% vs 30%).
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 40% | 67% |
| Rural and farming | 45% | 30% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% | 2% |
| Environmental | 4% | 2% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 0% |
| Industrial | 3% | 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
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 138 across Lismore same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.6% $720/wk on $814K | — |
| Units | 3.7% $430/wk on $597K | — |
Ranking within NSW
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 24% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| Schools | Higher than 84% of NSW | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 93% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 58% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 77% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 92% of NSW | — |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 16% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Goonellabah is more walkable (83 vs 46); Goonellabah scores higher overall (55 vs 47).
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | C |
| Score | 55/100 | 47/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Goonellabah carries more crime risk (80 vs 48).
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 80/100 | 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 | 2 within 5 km | 6 within 5 km |
Schools
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 4 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 2 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 2 | 0 |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Lismore, 4.2 km | 1 Lismore, 2.7 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 0.8% | 0.6% |
Schools in Goonellabah
- Goonellabah Public School Government · Primary above peers
- Summerland Christian College Independent · Combined above peers
- Blue Hills College Independent · Combined below peers
- The Rivers Secondary College, Kadina High Campus Government · Secondary below peers
Schools in Lismore Heights
- Lismore Heights Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 4 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 19 | 0 |
| Childcare | 9 | 1 |
| GPs | 4 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 3 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 83/100 | 46/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 727.9 km | 726.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 478 min same for both | |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus | 61/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 175.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 24.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| 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 (79.2%).
Setting
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 145 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 82 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 20.5 km | 23.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 70/100 | 89/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 43% 6,896 premises | 51% 1,070 premises |
Council rates
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,487/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lismore same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Goonellabah | Lismore Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Goonellabah
Lismore Heights
More comparisons
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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.