Sofala vs Turondale
Turondale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 60 in Sofala. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sofala, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Sofala tends to suit people living alone and older residents.
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
Turondale
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 72/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 31%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 88%)
- But Sofala has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Turondale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 45%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Sofala
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($194/wk vs $418/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sofala
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (205 min vs 212 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (243.8 km vs 247.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Sofala has more residents already 65 and over (41% vs 22%)
- Turondale carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 72/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Turondale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (21.2% vs -15.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Sofala and Turondale 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
Turondale rents higher ($418/wk vs $194/wk); Turondale has higher household incomes ($74,724 vs $34,736).
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 111 +7% vs other | 103 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -15.3% | +21.2% |
| Median age | 60 | 52 |
| Median household income | $34,736/yr | $74,724/yr +115% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $194/wk | $418/wk +115% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (7.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $462,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 31 days from 6 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 100% |
| 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
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 131 across Mid-Western | 177 across Bathurst |
| Approvals change year on year | -4% | -23% |
Ranking within NSW
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 28% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 15% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 44% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
Liveability
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Sofala carries more bushfire risk (14 vs 0); Sofala carries more crime risk (72 vs 31).
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 14/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 72/100 | 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
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Sofala
- Sofala Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Turondale
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 0 |
| Waterways | 19 | 28 |
Mobility
Turondale sits further from the CBD (247.2 km vs 243.8 km).
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 243.8 km | 247.2 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 205 min | 212 min |
| 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.4%).
Setting
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 674 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 809 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 54 premises | 0% 27 premises |
Climate
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 644 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.2°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,083/yr | $1,301/yr |
| Council | Mid-Western | Bathurst |
Federal electorate
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sofala | Turondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Turondale
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Sofala
Other comparisons with Turondale
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.