Kalaru vs Reedy Swamp
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Kalaru tends to suit people living alone, while Reedy Swamp suits share households.
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
Reedy Swamp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 26/100)
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
Reedy Swamp
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $375/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 26%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Reedy Swamp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (516 km vs 520.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Reedy Swamp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 26/100)
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
Kalaru and Reedy Swamp 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
Kalaru has more residents (820 vs 97); Kalaru rents higher ($375/wk vs $240/wk).
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 820 +88% vs other | 97 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +15.8% | +19.8% |
| Median age | 44 | 46 |
| Median household income | $75,816/yr +3% vs other | $73,632/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $375/wk +36% vs other | $240/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.7%).
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 (3.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $967,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $410,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 58 days from 6 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Reedy Swamp has more rural and farming land (31% vs 10%); Kalaru has more land zoned for conservation (88% vs 69%).
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 88% | 69% |
| Rural and farming | 10% | 31% |
| 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
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 109 across Bega Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -32% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 45% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 50% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 69% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 53% of NSW |
Liveability
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 38/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Kalaru carries more crime risk (26 vs 0); Reedy Swamp carries more bushfire risk (75 vs 58).
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 58/100 | High 75/100 |
| Crime | Low 26/100 | 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Kalaru sits further from the CBD (520.4 km vs 516 km).
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 9/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 520.4 km | 516 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 360 min | 364 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2550 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 2550 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 (76.5%).
Setting
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 40 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 21 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.5 km 4.7 km to a named beach | 6.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 40/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 14% 385 premises | 0% 34 premises |
Climate
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 768 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,767/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bega Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Kalaru | Reedy Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Kalaru
Reedy Swamp
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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.