Lost River vs Narrawa
Lost River is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 53 in Narrawa. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lost River, the large majority of households are couple families. In Narrawa, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Narrawa: a median of $3.84 million, against $1.53 million in Lost River, though rent is higher in Lost River. On these figures, Lost River tends to suit families with children, couples, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Narrawa 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
Lost River
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 54%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Lost River has cheaper houses ($1,535,000 vs $3,840,000)
- Narrawa leaves households under less mortgage stress (3% vs 18%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Narrawa
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $215/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Lost River
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (256.7 km vs 275.4 km)
- has a shorter drive in (184 min vs 195 min)
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
Lost River and Narrawa 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
Lost River rents higher ($215/wk vs $150/wk); Lost River has higher household incomes ($133,224 vs $112,632).
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 94 | 112 +19% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +25.3% | +30.2% |
| Median age | 45 | 53 |
| Median household income | $133,224/yr +15% vs other | $112,632/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $215/wk +30% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
Property market
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,535,000 | $3,840,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 44 across Upper Lachlan same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +175% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 97% of NSW |
| Income | — | Higher than 78% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 37% of NSW | Higher than 11% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 19% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
Liveability
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Lost River carries more bushfire risk (12 vs 0).
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 12/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 15 | 17 |
Mobility
Narrawa sits further from the CBD (275.4 km vs 256.7 km).
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 256.7 km | 275.4 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 184 min | 195 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2583 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2583 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 (52.0%).
Setting
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 869 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 625 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 23 premises | 0% 37 premises |
Climate
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 840 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $636/yr same for both | |
| Council | Upper Lachlan same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lost River | Narrawa | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Lost River
Other comparisons with Narrawa
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.