Grabben Gullen vs Lost River
Lost River is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 52 in Grabben Gullen. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Grabben Gullen, about half of households are people living alone. In Lost River, the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lost River: a median of $1.53 million, against $800,000 in Grabben Gullen, though rent is higher in Grabben Gullen. On these figures, Grabben Gullen tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Lost River 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
Lost River
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 20/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 42%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Grabben Gullen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($800,000 vs $1,535,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Lost River
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 25%)
- has cheaper rent ($215/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Grabben Gullen
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (170 min vs 184 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (241 km vs 256.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Grabben Gullen has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 20%)
- Lost River carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 20/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lost River
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (25.3% vs -2.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Grabben Gullen and Lost River 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
Grabben Gullen has more residents (248 vs 94); Lost River has higher household incomes ($133,224 vs $63,336).
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 248 +62% vs other | 94 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.0% | +25.3% |
| Median age | 52 | 45 |
| Median household income | $63,336/yr | $133,224/yr +110% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +28% vs other | $215/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.5%).
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 (16.5%).
Property market
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $800,000 | $1,535,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $387,500 | — |
Zoning mix
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 44 across Upper Lachlan same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +175% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 26% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 37% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 46% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 7% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 3% of NSW | Higher than 19% of NSW |
Liveability
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Grabben Gullen carries more crime risk (20 vs 0); Grabben Gullen carries more bushfire risk (32 vs 12).
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 32/100 | Low 12/100 |
| Crime | Low 20/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 5 | 15 |
Mobility
Lost River sits further from the CBD (256.7 km vs 241 km).
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 241 km | 256.7 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 170 min | 184 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2583 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2583 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 (62.1%).
Setting
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 877 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 869 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 62 premises | 0% 23 premises |
Climate
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 840 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $636/yr same for both | |
| Council | Upper Lachlan same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Grabben Gullen | Lost River | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Grabben Gullen
Other comparisons with Lost River
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.