Kelso vs West Bathurst

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kelso, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Kelso: a median of $810,000, against $629,000 in West Bathurst, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Kelso tends to suit couples, while West Bathurst suits people living alone and 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

Kelso

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (6 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (15 vs 4)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
  • But West Bathurst 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

West Bathurst

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($629,000 vs $810,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

West Bathurst

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (39% vs 28%)
  • has cheaper rent ($310/wk vs $360/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Kelso

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (170 min vs 180 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (203.5 km vs 210.8 km)
  • But West Bathurst is more walkable (72/100 vs 42/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

West Bathurst

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (72/100 vs 42/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Kelso is growing faster (11.9% vs -1.0%)
  • West Bathurst returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.6% vs 4.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Kelso West Bathurst
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.

Kelso West Bathurst
Walkability 42 / 72
Kelso — Walkability: 42/100 West Bathurst — Walkability: 72/100
Safety 15 / 18
Kelso — Safety: 15/100 West Bathurst — Safety: 18/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Kelso — Low fire risk: 100/100 West Bathurst — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Kelso has more residents (10,039 vs 3,634); Kelso has higher household incomes ($90,324 vs $67,548).

Kelso West Bathurst
Population 10,039
+64% vs other
 3,634
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.9% -1.0%
Median age 36
same for both
Median household income $90,324/yr
+25% vs other
 $67,548/yr
Median weekly rent $360/wk
+14% vs other
 $310/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Kelso West Bathurst
0-4 6.9% / 6.6%
Kelso — 0-4: 6.9% West Bathurst — 0-4: 6.6%
5-14 15.6% / 12.9%
Kelso — 5-14: 15.6% West Bathurst — 5-14: 12.9%
15-19 7.0% / 6.5%
Kelso — 15-19: 7.0% West Bathurst — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 5.9% / 7.7%
Kelso — 20-24: 5.9% West Bathurst — 20-24: 7.7%
25-34 13.0% / 14.8%
Kelso — 25-34: 13.0% West Bathurst — 25-34: 14.8%
35-44 12.0% / 11.3%
Kelso — 35-44: 12.0% West Bathurst — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 12.3% / 11.1%
Kelso — 45-54: 12.3% West Bathurst — 45-54: 11.1%
55-64 10.6% / 11.9%
Kelso — 55-64: 10.6% West Bathurst — 55-64: 11.9%
65-74 8.9% / 8.4%
Kelso — 65-74: 8.9% West Bathurst — 65-74: 8.4%
75-84 5.5% / 6.3%
Kelso — 75-84: 5.5% West Bathurst — 75-84: 6.3%
85+ 2.4% / 2.3%
Kelso — 85+: 2.4% West Bathurst — 85+: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Kelso 28.1% lone person
Kelso — Lone Person: 28.1% Kelso — Couple Families: 45.0% Kelso — One Parent Families: 22.2% Kelso — Group Household: 3.2% Kelso — Other Families: 1.4%
West Bathurst 44.1% lone person
West Bathurst — Lone Person: 44.1% West Bathurst — Couple Families: 26.2% West Bathurst — One Parent Families: 23.0% West Bathurst — Group Household: 5.3% West Bathurst — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Kelso 28.4% renting
Kelso — Owned Outright: 32.6% Kelso — Mortgage: 39.0% Kelso — Renting: 28.4%
West Bathurst 39.1% renting
West Bathurst — Owned Outright: 32.3% West Bathurst — Mortgage: 28.6% West Bathurst — Renting: 39.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Kelso West Bathurst
Certificate III & IV 18.0% / 15.9%
Kelso — Certificate III & IV: 18.0% West Bathurst — Certificate III & IV: 15.9%
Bachelor Degree 8.9% / 9.1%
Kelso — Bachelor Degree: 8.9% West Bathurst — Bachelor Degree: 9.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.3% / 6.6%
Kelso — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3% West Bathurst — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 2.8%
Kelso — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% West Bathurst — Postgraduate Degree: 2.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 1.4%
Kelso — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% West Bathurst — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).

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.

Kelso West Bathurst
England 1.4% / 1.6%
Kelso — England: 1.4% West Bathurst — England: 1.6%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.0%
Kelso — New Zealand: 0.9% West Bathurst — New Zealand: 1.0%
Philippines 0.5% / 0.8%
Kelso — Philippines: 0.5% West Bathurst — Philippines: 0.8%
India 0.6% / 0.5%
Kelso — India: 0.6% West Bathurst — India: 0.5%
Scotland 0.4% / —
Kelso — Scotland: 0.4% West Bathurst — Scotland: not among its largest
Germany — / 0.4%
Kelso — Germany: not among its largest West Bathurst — Germany: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (1.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Kelso 92.6% houses
Kelso — Houses: 92.6% Kelso — Townhouses: 6.3% Kelso — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
West Bathurst 94.3% houses
West Bathurst — Houses: 94.3% West Bathurst — Townhouses: 4.6% West Bathurst — Flats / Apartments: 1.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Kelso West Bathurst
Median house price $810,000 $629,000
Median unit price $280,000 —
Median land price $410,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 37 days
from 135 sales
 28 days
from 39 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.

Kelso West Bathurst
2 bed $443K / $580K
Kelso — 2 bed: $443K (7 sales) West Bathurst — 2 bed: $580K (7 sales)

7 vs 7 sales

3 bed $685K / $620K
Kelso — 3 bed: $685K (58 sales) West Bathurst — 3 bed: $620K (55 sales)

58 vs 55 sales

4 bed $844K / $700K
Kelso — 4 bed: $844K (148 sales) West Bathurst — 4 bed: $700K (15 sales)

148 vs 15 sales

5 bed $1M / $845K
Kelso — 5 bed: $1M (24 sales) West Bathurst — 5 bed: $845K (6 sales)

24 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Kelso has more rural and farming land (58% vs 9%).

Kelso West Bathurst
Residential 23% 62%
Rural and farming 58% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 15%
Parks and recreation 7% 11%
Industrial 9% 0%
Environmental 1% 3%
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

Kelso West Bathurst
New dwellings approved 177
across Bathurst
same for both
Approvals change year on year -23%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Kelso West Bathurst
Houses 4.0%
$655/wk on $859K
 4.6%
$600/wk on $685K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Kelso West Bathurst
House price Higher than 30% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW
Income Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
Schools Higher than 4% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 43% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW

Liveability

West Bathurst is more walkable (72 vs 42); West Bathurst scores higher overall (41 vs 34).

Kelso West Bathurst
Grade C
same for both
Score 34/100 41/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Kelso West Bathurst
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
85/100
 High
82/100
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 9
within 5 km
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Kelso West Bathurst
Inside the suburb 3 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Kelso

  • Denison College of Secondary Education, Kelso High Campus Government · Secondary at peers
  • Holy Family Catholic Primary School Kelso Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Kelso Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in West Bathurst

  • Bathurst West Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Kelso West Bathurst
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 15 4
Childcare 6 0
GPs 1 3
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Hospitals 0 2
Fuel stations 6 0
Waterways 42 2

Mobility

West Bathurst sits further from the CBD (210.8 km vs 203.5 km).

Kelso West Bathurst
Walkability score 42/100 72/100
Distance to Sydney 203.5 km 210.8 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 170 min 180 min
Public transport score 76/100
Bus
 74/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 123.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 57.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 2795
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 47
postcode 2795
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.

Kelso West Bathurst
Car (driver) 79.8% / 77.8%
Kelso — Car (driver): 79.8% West Bathurst — Car (driver): 77.8%
Worked from Home 11.6% / 10.3%
Kelso — Worked from Home: 11.6% West Bathurst — Worked from Home: 10.3%
Car (passenger) 6.3% / 8.4%
Kelso — Car (passenger): 6.3% West Bathurst — Car (passenger): 8.4%
Walked Only 1.7% / 3.2%
Kelso — Walked Only: 1.7% West Bathurst — Walked Only: 3.2%
Bicycle 0.3% / 0.2%
Kelso — Bicycle: 0.3% West Bathurst — Bicycle: 0.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.8%).

Setting

Kelso West Bathurst
Elevation 683 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 709 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Kelso West Bathurst
Connectivity score 78/100 69/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 61%
4,953 premises
 44%
1,753 premises

Climate

Kelso West Bathurst
Annual rainfall 644 mm 666 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 1.2°C 1.1°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Kelso West Bathurst
PM2.5 5.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Kelso West Bathurst
Average residential rate $1,301/yr
same for both
Council Bathurst
same for both

Federal electorate

Kelso West Bathurst
Division Calare
same for both
Member Andrew Gee
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Kelso West Bathurst
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Kelso

Family Regional Centre River

West Bathurst

Affordable Large Blocks Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Kelso

Kelso vs Bathurst Kelso vs Eglinton Kelso vs Raglan Kelso vs Gormans Hill Kelso vs White Rock Kelso vs Brewongle

Other comparisons with West Bathurst

West Bathurst vs Bathurst West Bathurst vs Windradyne West Bathurst vs Eglinton West Bathurst vs Llanarth West Bathurst vs Mitchell West Bathurst vs Abercrombie
Full data on Kelso Full data on West Bathurst
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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.

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