Gwabegar vs Pilliga

Pilliga is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 54 in Gwabegar. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Pilliga, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Pilliga: a median of $92,000, against $5,000 in Gwabegar, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Gwabegar tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Pilliga 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Gwabegar is already more of a family suburb (47% vs 33%)
  • Pilliga has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Gwabegar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($5,000 vs $91,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Gwabegar

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (3% vs 25%)
  • has cheaper rent ($23/wk vs $189/wk)
  • But Pilliga has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 14%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Gwabegar

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (413 min vs 439 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (574.1 km vs 608.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Gwabegar and Pilliga drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Gwabegar Pilliga
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Gwabegar Pilliga
Walkability 0 / 0
Gwabegar — Walkability: 0/100 Pilliga — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 5 / 3
Gwabegar — Safety: 5/100 Pilliga — Safety: 3/100
Low fire risk 73 / 79
Gwabegar — Low fire risk: 73/100 Pilliga — Low fire risk: 79/100

Demographics

Pilliga rents higher ($189/wk vs $23/wk); Pilliga has more residents (175 vs 124).

Gwabegar Pilliga
Population 124 175
+41% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -23.5% -19.4%
Median age 54 51
Median household income $44,720/yr
+11% vs other
 $39,624/yr
Median weekly rent $23/wk $189/wk
+722% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gwabegar Pilliga
0-4 2.4% / 3.4%
Gwabegar — 0-4: 2.4% Pilliga — 0-4: 3.4%
5-14 7.3% / 9.1%
Gwabegar — 5-14: 7.3% Pilliga — 5-14: 9.1%
15-19 8.1% / 10.9%
Gwabegar — 15-19: 8.1% Pilliga — 15-19: 10.9%
20-24 — / 5.1%
Gwabegar — 20-24: not among its largest Pilliga — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 4.8% / 2.3%
Gwabegar — 25-34: 4.8% Pilliga — 25-34: 2.3%
35-44 12.1% / 9.7%
Gwabegar — 35-44: 12.1% Pilliga — 35-44: 9.7%
45-54 10.5% / 17.7%
Gwabegar — 45-54: 10.5% Pilliga — 45-54: 17.7%
55-64 18.5% / 21.1%
Gwabegar — 55-64: 18.5% Pilliga — 55-64: 21.1%
65-74 12.1% / 12.6%
Gwabegar — 65-74: 12.1% Pilliga — 65-74: 12.6%
75-84 8.9% / 2.9%
Gwabegar — 75-84: 8.9% Pilliga — 75-84: 2.9%
85+ — / 4.6%
Gwabegar — 85+: not among its largest Pilliga — 85+: 4.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

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.

Gwabegar Pilliga
Philippines — / 3.4%
Gwabegar — Philippines: not among its largest Pilliga — Philippines: 3.4%
New Zealand 2.4% / —
Gwabegar — New Zealand: 2.4% Pilliga — New Zealand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gwabegar 37.8% lone person
Gwabegar — Lone Person: 37.8% Gwabegar — Couple Families: 28.9% Gwabegar — One Parent Families: 17.8% Gwabegar — Group Household: 8.9% Gwabegar — Other Families: 6.7%
Pilliga 60.0% lone person
Pilliga — Lone Person: 60.0% Pilliga — Couple Families: 22.2% Pilliga — One Parent Families: 11.1% Pilliga — Group Household: 6.7% Pilliga — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gwabegar 100.0% houses
Gwabegar — Houses: 100.0% Gwabegar — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Pilliga 95.6% houses
Pilliga — Houses: 95.6% Pilliga — Flats / Apartments: 4.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Gwabegar Pilliga
Certificate III & IV 6.5% / 8.0%
Gwabegar — Certificate III & IV: 6.5% Pilliga — Certificate III & IV: 8.0%
Bachelor Degree 4.8% / 4.6%
Gwabegar — Bachelor Degree: 4.8% Pilliga — Bachelor Degree: 4.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 2.4% / 2.3%
Gwabegar — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.4% Pilliga — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.0%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gwabegar 14.3% renting
Gwabegar — Owned Outright: 66.7% Gwabegar — Mortgage: 19.0% Gwabegar — Renting: 14.3%
Pilliga 25.4% renting
Pilliga — Owned Outright: 61.0% Pilliga — Mortgage: 13.6% Pilliga — Renting: 25.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Property market

Gwabegar Pilliga
Median house price $5,000 $91,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Gwabegar has more land zoned for conservation (39% vs 9%); Pilliga has more rural and farming land (91% vs 61%).

Gwabegar Pilliga
Rural and farming 61% 91%
Environmental 39% 9%
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

Gwabegar Pilliga
New dwellings approved 14
across Narrabri
 13
across Walgett
Approvals change year on year — -100%

Ranking within NSW

Gwabegar Pilliga
House price Higher than 1% of NSW
same for both
Income Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 4% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 4% of NSW Higher than 25% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 100% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 2% of NSW Higher than 13% of NSW

Liveability

Gwabegar Pilliga
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Gwabegar Pilliga
Bushfire Low
27/100
 Low
21/100
Crime High
95/100
 High
97/100
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

Gwabegar Pilliga
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Gwabegar

  • Gwabegar Public School Government · Primary

Schools in Pilliga

  • Pilliga Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Gwabegar Pilliga
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 3 2
Police stations 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Waterways 12 77

Mobility

Pilliga sits further from the CBD (608.6 km vs 574.1 km).

Gwabegar Pilliga
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 574.1 km 608.6 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 413 min 439 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 2356
 0.0%
postcode 2388
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings — 80
postcode 2388

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.

Gwabegar Pilliga
Car (driver) 61.5% / 60.7%
Gwabegar — Car (driver): 61.5% Pilliga — Car (driver): 60.7%
Worked from Home 28.2% / 19.7%
Gwabegar — Worked from Home: 28.2% Pilliga — Worked from Home: 19.7%
Walked Only 10.3% / 13.1%
Gwabegar — Walked Only: 10.3% Pilliga — Walked Only: 13.1%
Car (passenger) — / 6.6%
Gwabegar — Car (passenger): not among its largest Pilliga — Car (passenger): 6.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.5%).

Setting

Gwabegar Pilliga
Elevation 205 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 158 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Gwabegar Pilliga
Connectivity score 15/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
27 premises
 0%
49 premises

Council rates

Gwabegar Pilliga
Average residential rate $1,140/yr $445/yr
Council Narrabri Walgett

Federal electorate

Gwabegar Pilliga
Division Parkes
same for both
Member Jamie Chaffey
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gwabegar Pilliga
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gwabegar

Affordable Rural

Pilliga

Affordable Rural
Full data on Gwabegar Full data on Pilliga
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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