Hillgrove vs Walcha
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Walcha: a median of $435,000, against $228,000 in Hillgrove, though rent is higher in Hillgrove. On these figures, Hillgrove tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Walcha
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 2)
- is already more of a family suburb (47% vs 38%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Hillgrove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($227,500 vs $435,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Walcha
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 23%)
- has cheaper rent ($203/wk vs $238/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Walcha
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (329 min vs 410 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (427.3 km vs 517.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Walcha
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 25%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
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
Hillgrove and Walcha 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
Walcha has more residents (2,475 vs 174); Walcha has higher household incomes ($63,440 vs $53,092).
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 174 | 2,475 +1322% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.1% | -3.1% |
| Median age | 51 | 49 |
| Median household income | $53,092/yr | $63,440/yr +19% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $238/wk +15% vs other | $203/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
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 (2.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $227,500 | $435,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $175,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 103 days from 21 sales |
Zoning mix
Hillgrove has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 17%); Walcha has more rural and farming land (83% vs 70%).
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 70% | 83% |
| Environmental | 30% | 17% |
| 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
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 77 across Armidale | 4 across Walcha |
| Approvals change year on year | -76% | — |
Ranking within NSW
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 93% of NSW | Higher than 89% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 40% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
Liveability
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 21/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Walcha carries more bushfire risk (70 vs 0).
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 70/100 |
| Crime | — | Moderate 57/100 |
| 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
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Hillgrove
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Walcha
- St Patrick's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Walcha Central School Government · Combined at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 2 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 5 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 5 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| GPs | 0 | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 4 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 3 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 39 | 413 |
Mobility
Hillgrove sits further from the CBD (517.6 km vs 427.3 km).
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 517.6 km +17% vs other | 427.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 410 min | 329 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2350 | 0.1% postcode 2354 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2350 | 39 postcode 2354 |
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 (68.1%).
Setting
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 926 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 1,094 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 49/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 44 premises | 12% 1,174 premises |
Climate
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 684 mm | 784 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — | 27.5°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | — | 0.1°C |
Council rates
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,477/yr | $772/yr |
| Council | Armidale | Walcha |
Federal electorate
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hillgrove | Walcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Walcha
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Hillgrove
Other comparisons with Walcha
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.