North Star vs Boonal
Boonal is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 38 in North Star. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North Star, about half of households are couple families. In Boonal, most households are couple families. On these figures, Boonal tends to suit families with children and couples.
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
Boonal
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 61/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
North Star
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($140/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
North Star
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (504 min vs 533 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (680.9 km vs 712.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Boonal
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 61/100)
Weighs GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Boonal
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.6% vs -7.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
North Star and Boonal 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
North Star has more residents (214 vs 51); Boonal rents higher ($200/wk vs $140/wk).
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 214 +76% vs other | 51 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -7.0% | +18.6% |
| Median age | 38 | 33 |
| Median household income | $92,872/yr +4% vs other | $88,816/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $140/wk | $200/wk +43% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.5%).
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 (17.6%).
Property market
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $240,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 15 across Gwydir same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 5% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 98% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
Liveability
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
North Star carries more bushfire risk (15 vs 0); North Star carries more crime risk (61 vs 31).
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 15/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 61/100 | Low 31/100 |
| 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
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in North Star
- North Star Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Boonal
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 7 | 6 |
Mobility
Boonal sits further from the CBD (712.5 km vs 680.9 km).
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 680.9 km | 712.5 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 504 min | 533 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2408 | 0.0% postcode 2409 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 42 postcode 2408 | 64 postcode 2409 |
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 (70.8%).
Setting
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 280 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 242 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 17/100 | 23/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 45 premises | 0% 11 premises |
Council rates
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $825/yr same for both | |
| Council | Gwydir same for both | |
Federal electorate
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| North Star | Boonal | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
North Star
Boonal
More comparisons
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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.