Penrose vs Wingello
Wingello is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 55 in Penrose. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Wingello, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Wingello: a median of $1 million, against $815,000 in Penrose, though rent is higher in Penrose. On these figures, Penrose tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Wingello suits 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
Wingello
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 72/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 57%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Penrose
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($815,000 vs $1,000,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Wingello
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 36%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $390/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Penrose
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (148.6 km vs 161 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Penrose
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 23%)
- But Wingello carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 72/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Wingello
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.9% vs 6.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Penrose and Wingello 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
Wingello has more residents (647 vs 263); Wingello has higher household incomes ($80,184 vs $56,732).
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 263 | 647 +146% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.5% | +12.9% |
| Median age | 55 | 43 |
| Median household income | $56,732/yr | $80,184/yr +41% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $390/wk +23% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).
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 (7.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $815,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $500,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 91 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Penrose has more rural and farming land (54% vs 43%).
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 54% | 43% |
| Environmental | 44% | 53% |
| Residential | 0% | 4% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 0% |
| 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
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 335 across Wingecarribee same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +6% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 40% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 17% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 81% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 48% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
Liveability
Penrose is more walkable (27 vs 0).
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 33/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Penrose carries more crime risk (72 vs 12).
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 | High 79/100 |
| Crime | High 72/100 | Low 12/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Penrose
- Penrose Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Wingello
- Wingello Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 2 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 6 | 22 |
Mobility
Wingello sits further from the CBD (161 km vs 148.6 km).
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 27/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 148.6 km | 161 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 114 min | 118 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 2579 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 65 postcode 2579 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 (64.6%).
Setting
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 638 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 606 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 135 premises | 0% 310 premises |
Climate
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,072/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wingecarribee same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Whitlam same for both | |
| Member | Carol Berry same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Penrose | Wingello | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Penrose
Other comparisons with Wingello
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.