South Gundagai vs Coolac
Coolac is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 45 in South Gundagai. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Coolac, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Coolac 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
South Gundagai
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 76/100)
- But Coolac is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 55%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Coolac
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 24%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Coolac
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($125/wk vs $225/wk)
- But South Gundagai has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 8%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Coolac
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (220 min vs 240 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (353.4 km vs 384.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
South Gundagai
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Coolac
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.0% vs -3.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
South Gundagai and Coolac 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
South Gundagai has more residents (781 vs 244); South Gundagai rents higher ($225/wk vs $125/wk).
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 781 +69% vs other | 244 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.7% | +13.0% |
| Median age | 45 | 37 |
| Median household income | $66,508/yr | $84,500/yr +27% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $225/wk +44% vs other | $125/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).
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 (16.9%).
Property market
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $387,000 | $397,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% 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
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 26 across Cootamundra-Gundagai same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +167% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 11% of NSW same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 88% of NSW | Higher than 93% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 19% of NSW | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
Liveability
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 24/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Coolac carries more crime risk (76 vs 42); South Gundagai carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 26).
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 45/100 | Low 26/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 42/100 | High 76/100 |
| 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
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in South Gundagai
- Gundagai South Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Coolac
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 2 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 40 | 31 |
Mobility
South Gundagai sits further from the CBD (384.1 km vs 353.4 km).
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 384.1 km +8% vs other | 353.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 240 min | 220 min |
| Public transport score | 38/100 Bus | 22/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 17.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 4.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 3 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2722 | 0.0% postcode 2727 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 57 postcode 2722 | 49 postcode 2727 |
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 (78.3%).
Setting
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 426 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 423 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 50/100 | 26/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 21% 388 premises | 0% 59 premises |
Climate
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 889 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $974/yr same for both | |
| Council | Cootamundra-Gundagai same for both | |
Federal electorate
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| South Gundagai | Coolac | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
South Gundagai
Coolac
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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.