Kotara vs New Lambton

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kotara, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in New Lambton: a median of $1.3 million, against $1.05 million in Kotara, though rent is higher in Kotara. On these figures, Kotara tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while New Lambton 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

  • Kotara is already more of a family suburb (64% vs 55%)
  • New Lambton has more parks and reserves (15 vs 9)

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

First-home buyers

Kotara

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,050,000 vs $1,300,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

New Lambton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($395/wk vs $460/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

New Lambton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (93/100 vs 66/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

New Lambton

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (22% vs 12%)
  • carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 94/100)

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

Investors

Kotara

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.9% vs 2.9%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Kotara New Lambton
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.

Kotara New Lambton
Walkability 66 / 93
Kotara — Walkability: 66/100 New Lambton — Walkability: 93/100
Safety 6 / 38
Kotara — Safety: 6/100 New Lambton — Safety: 38/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Kotara — Low fire risk: 100/100 New Lambton — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

New Lambton has more residents (10,651 vs 3,980); Kotara rents higher ($460/wk vs $395/wk).

Kotara New Lambton
Population 3,980 10,651
+168% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.3% +6.0%
Median age 39 41
Median household income $108,004/yr
+11% vs other
 $96,356/yr
Median weekly rent $460/wk
+14% vs other
 $395/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Kotara New Lambton
0-4 5.8% / 4.8%
Kotara — 0-4: 5.8% New Lambton — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 13.4% / 13.7%
Kotara — 5-14: 13.4% New Lambton — 5-14: 13.7%
15-19 6.9% / 6.5%
Kotara — 15-19: 6.9% New Lambton — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 6.2% / 5.9%
Kotara — 20-24: 6.2% New Lambton — 20-24: 5.9%
25-34 12.5% / 11.0%
Kotara — 25-34: 12.5% New Lambton — 25-34: 11.0%
35-44 14.2% / 13.2%
Kotara — 35-44: 14.2% New Lambton — 35-44: 13.2%
45-54 14.4% / 14.3%
Kotara — 45-54: 14.4% New Lambton — 45-54: 14.3%
55-64 10.5% / 12.7%
Kotara — 55-64: 10.5% New Lambton — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 6.9% / 9.9%
Kotara — 65-74: 6.9% New Lambton — 65-74: 9.9%
75-84 6.3% / 5.3%
Kotara — 75-84: 6.3% New Lambton — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 2.8% / 2.6%
Kotara — 85+: 2.8% New Lambton — 85+: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Kotara 47.1% couple families
Kotara — Couple Families: 47.1% Kotara — Lone Person: 29.3% Kotara — One Parent Families: 17.0% Kotara — Group Household: 5.4% Kotara — Other Families: 1.2%
New Lambton 38.9% couple families
New Lambton — Couple Families: 38.9% New Lambton — Lone Person: 38.2% New Lambton — One Parent Families: 16.0% New Lambton — Group Household: 5.3% New Lambton — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Kotara 21.6% renting
Kotara — Owned Outright: 36.2% Kotara — Mortgage: 42.3% Kotara — Renting: 21.6%
New Lambton 30.9% renting
New Lambton — Owned Outright: 35.4% New Lambton — Mortgage: 33.7% New Lambton — Renting: 30.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Kotara New Lambton
Bachelor Degree 17.0% / 17.2%
Kotara — Bachelor Degree: 17.0% New Lambton — Bachelor Degree: 17.2%
Certificate III & IV 14.5% / 13.5%
Kotara — Certificate III & IV: 14.5% New Lambton — Certificate III & IV: 13.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 8.0%
Kotara — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% New Lambton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Postgraduate Degree 5.3% / 6.0%
Kotara — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3% New Lambton — Postgraduate Degree: 6.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 2.5%
Kotara — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% New Lambton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

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.

Kotara New Lambton
England 2.8% / 2.2%
Kotara — England: 2.8% New Lambton — England: 2.2%
New Zealand 0.9% / 0.9%
Kotara — New Zealand: 0.9% New Lambton — New Zealand: 0.9%
China 0.7% / 0.5%
Kotara — China: 0.7% New Lambton — China: 0.5%
India 0.5% / 0.7%
Kotara — India: 0.5% New Lambton — India: 0.7%
South Africa 0.5% / 0.3%
Kotara — South Africa: 0.5% New Lambton — South Africa: 0.3%
Philippines — / 0.6%
Kotara — Philippines: not among its largest New Lambton — Philippines: 0.6%
Nepal 0.5% / —
Kotara — Nepal: 0.5% New Lambton — Nepal: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Kotara 88.1% houses
Kotara — Houses: 88.1% Kotara — Townhouses: 11.4% Kotara — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
New Lambton 77.9% houses
New Lambton — Houses: 77.9% New Lambton — Townhouses: 13.7% New Lambton — Flats / Apartments: 8.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Kotara New Lambton
Median house price $1,050,000 $1,300,000
Median unit price $745,000 $722,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 33 sales
 25 days
from 100 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.

Kotara New Lambton
2 bed $1.1M / $1M
Kotara — 2 bed: $1.1M (6 sales) New Lambton — 2 bed: $1M (30 sales)

6 vs 30 sales

3 bed $1M / $1.22M
Kotara — 3 bed: $1M (54 sales) New Lambton — 3 bed: $1.22M (95 sales)

54 vs 95 sales

4 bed $1.4M / $1.59M
Kotara — 4 bed: $1.4M (12 sales) New Lambton — 4 bed: $1.59M (38 sales)

12 vs 38 sales

5 bed $1.57M / $2.54M
Kotara — 5 bed: $1.57M (8 sales) New Lambton — 5 bed: $2.54M (10 sales)

8 vs 10 sales

Zoning mix

New Lambton has more land zoned for conservation (27% vs 9%).

Kotara New Lambton
Residential 56% 52%
Environmental 9% 27%
Parks and recreation 12% 15%
Commercial 8% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 8% 4%
Industrial 5% 1%
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

Kotara New Lambton
New dwellings approved 912
across Newcastle
same for both
Approvals change year on year +77%
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.

Kotara New Lambton
Houses 3.9%
$760/wk on $1.02M
 2.9%
$800/wk on $1.45M
Units — 4.8%
$550/wk on $598K

Ranking within NSW

Kotara New Lambton
House price Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Income Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Schools Higher than 21% of NSW Higher than 17% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 17% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 56% of NSW

Liveability

New Lambton is more walkable (93 vs 66); New Lambton scores higher overall (55 vs 45).

Kotara New Lambton
Grade C B
Score 45/100 55/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Kotara carries more crime risk (94 vs 62).

Kotara New Lambton
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
94/100
 Moderate
62/100
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 3
within 5 km
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Kotara New Lambton
Inside the suburb 3
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 1
Rated below peers 0 2
Universities within 10 km 2
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 5.7 km
 2
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 4.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.4% 2.5%

Schools in Kotara

  • Kotara South Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St James' Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Kotara School Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in New Lambton

  • New Lambton Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • New Lambton South Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • St Therese's Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Kotara New Lambton
Supermarkets 3 2
Cafes & restaurants 17 10
Parks & reserves 9 15
Childcare 7 8
GPs 0 5
Pharmacies 3
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 5 4
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 4 12

Mobility

Kotara New Lambton
Walkability score 66/100 93/100
Distance to Sydney 157.2 km 156.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 120 min 119 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 136.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 238.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 2289
 1.4%
postcode 2305
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 36
postcode 2289
 38
postcode 2305

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.

Kotara New Lambton
Car (driver) 60.3% / 60.1%
Kotara — Car (driver): 60.3% New Lambton — Car (driver): 60.1%
Worked from Home 33.8% / 30.5%
Kotara — Worked from Home: 33.8% New Lambton — Worked from Home: 30.5%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / 4.1%
Kotara — Car (passenger): 3.7% New Lambton — Car (passenger): 4.1%
Walked Only 1.0% / 2.7%
Kotara — Walked Only: 1.0% New Lambton — Walked Only: 2.7%
Bicycle 0.8% / 1.3%
Kotara — Bicycle: 0.8% New Lambton — Bicycle: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.3%).

Setting

Kotara New Lambton
Elevation 54 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 26 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.3 km 4.6 km

NBN connectivity

Kotara New Lambton
Connectivity score 65/100 67/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 30%
2,216 premises
 40%
5,022 premises

Climate

Kotara New Lambton
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Kotara New Lambton
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 21.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.64 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Kotara New Lambton
Average residential rate $1,783/yr
same for both
Council Newcastle
same for both

Federal electorate

Kotara New Lambton
Division Newcastle
same for both
Member Sharon Claydon
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Kotara New Lambton
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Kotara

Large Blocks Parks Quiet River

New Lambton

Parks Professionals Regional Centre River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Kotara

Kotara vs Adamstown Kotara vs Adamstown Heights Kotara vs New Lambton Heights Kotara vs Garden Suburb Kotara vs Kotara South

Other comparisons with New Lambton

New Lambton vs Adamstown New Lambton vs Lambton New Lambton vs New Lambton Heights New Lambton vs Broadmeadow
Full data on Kotara Full data on New Lambton
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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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