Thirroul vs Bulli

Bulli is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 43 in Thirroul. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Thirroul, about half of households are couple families. In Bulli, most households are couple families.

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

Bulli

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (7 vs 4)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Bulli

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($895,000 vs $1,090,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bulli

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 24%)
  • has cheaper rent ($370/wk vs $540/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Thirroul

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (83/100 vs 53/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (72 min vs 77 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Thirroul

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (83/100 vs 53/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Bulli

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (11.4% vs 4.4%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.8% vs 2.9%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Thirroul and Bulli drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Thirroul Bulli
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Thirroul Bulli
Walkability 83 / 53
Thirroul — Walkability: 83/100 Bulli — Walkability: 53/100
Safety 41 / 37
Thirroul — Safety: 41/100 Bulli — Safety: 37/100
Low fire risk 10 / 11
Thirroul — Low fire risk: 10/100 Bulli — Low fire risk: 11/100

Demographics

Thirroul rents higher ($540/wk vs $370/wk); Thirroul skews older (43 vs 40).

Thirroul Bulli
Population 6,348 6,798
+7% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.4% +11.4%
Median age 43 40
Median household income $118,612/yr $121,212/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $540/wk
+31% vs other
 $370/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Thirroul Bulli
0-4 6.1% / 6.4%
Thirroul — 0-4: 6.1% Bulli — 0-4: 6.4%
5-14 13.8% / 15.6%
Thirroul — 5-14: 13.8% Bulli — 5-14: 15.6%
15-19 5.9% / 6.8%
Thirroul — 15-19: 5.9% Bulli — 15-19: 6.8%
20-24 4.6% / 5.1%
Thirroul — 20-24: 4.6% Bulli — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 8.9% / 8.8%
Thirroul — 25-34: 8.9% Bulli — 25-34: 8.8%
35-44 13.4% / 14.7%
Thirroul — 35-44: 13.4% Bulli — 35-44: 14.7%
45-54 14.2% / 15.0%
Thirroul — 45-54: 14.2% Bulli — 45-54: 15.0%
55-64 14.5% / 12.8%
Thirroul — 55-64: 14.5% Bulli — 55-64: 12.8%
65-74 11.4% / 9.1%
Thirroul — 65-74: 11.4% Bulli — 65-74: 9.1%
75-84 5.3% / 4.1%
Thirroul — 75-84: 5.3% Bulli — 75-84: 4.1%
85+ 2.2% / 1.6%
Thirroul — 85+: 2.2% Bulli — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Thirroul 54.4% couple families
Thirroul — Couple Families: 54.4% Thirroul — Lone Person: 30.1% Thirroul — One Parent Families: 11.5% Thirroul — Group Household: 3.3% Thirroul — Other Families: 0.7%
Bulli 56.6% couple families
Bulli — Couple Families: 56.6% Bulli — Lone Person: 27.5% Bulli — One Parent Families: 12.8% Bulli — Group Household: 2.1% Bulli — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Thirroul 20.4% renting
Thirroul — Owned Outright: 41.9% Thirroul — Mortgage: 37.7% Thirroul — Renting: 20.4%
Bulli 21.4% renting
Bulli — Owned Outright: 35.4% Bulli — Mortgage: 43.1% Bulli — Renting: 21.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Thirroul Bulli
Bachelor Degree 18.9% / 15.2%
Thirroul — Bachelor Degree: 18.9% Bulli — Bachelor Degree: 15.2%
Certificate III & IV 12.8% / 14.2%
Thirroul — Certificate III & IV: 12.8% Bulli — Certificate III & IV: 14.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 8.4%
Thirroul — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Bulli — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Postgraduate Degree 9.0% / 7.2%
Thirroul — Postgraduate Degree: 9.0% Bulli — Postgraduate Degree: 7.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.2% / 2.5%
Thirroul — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2% Bulli — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

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.

Thirroul Bulli
England 6.0% / 4.1%
Thirroul — England: 6.0% Bulli — England: 4.1%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.1%
Thirroul — New Zealand: 1.7% Bulli — New Zealand: 1.1%
Scotland 0.8% / 0.6%
Thirroul — Scotland: 0.8% Bulli — Scotland: 0.6%
South Africa 0.6% / 0.7%
Thirroul — South Africa: 0.6% Bulli — South Africa: 0.7%
Germany 0.7% / 0.4%
Thirroul — Germany: 0.7% Bulli — Germany: 0.4%
Ireland 0.4% / 0.4%
Thirroul — Ireland: 0.4% Bulli — Ireland: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Thirroul 75.5% houses
Thirroul — Houses: 75.5% Thirroul — Flats / Apartments: 11.7% Thirroul — Townhouses: 12.8%
Bulli 80.4% houses
Bulli — Houses: 80.4% Bulli — Flats / Apartments: 10.5% Bulli — Townhouses: 9.2%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Thirroul Bulli
Median house price $1,850,000 $1,730,000
Median unit price $1,090,000 $895,000
Median land price — $3,500,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 58 sales
 29 days
from 51 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Thirroul Bulli
2 bed $1.53M / $1.09M
Thirroul — 2 bed: $1.53M (8 sales) Bulli — 2 bed: $1.09M (12 sales)

8 vs 12 sales

3 bed $1.68M / $1.58M
Thirroul — 3 bed: $1.68M (55 sales) Bulli — 3 bed: $1.58M (50 sales)

55 vs 50 sales

4 bed $1.95M / $1.95M
Thirroul — 4 bed: $1.95M (51 sales) Bulli — 4 bed: $1.95M (45 sales)

51 vs 45 sales

5 bed $2.51M / $2.25M
Thirroul — 5 bed: $2.51M (16 sales) Bulli — 5 bed: $2.25M (11 sales)

16 vs 11 sales

Zoning mix

Thirroul Bulli
Environmental 49% 57%
Residential 38% 25%
Parks and recreation 5% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 7%
Commercial 2% 0%
Rural and farming 0% 1%
Planning zones cover 99% of Thirroul and 99% of Bulli. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Thirroul Bulli
New dwellings approved 1,476
across Wollongong
same for both
Approvals change year on year -31%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Thirroul Bulli
Houses 2.9%
$1,085/wk on $1.96M
 3.8%
$1,100/wk on $1.5M
Units 3.3%
$655/wk on $1.03M
 —

Ranking within NSW

Thirroul Bulli
House price Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Income Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 57% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 8% of NSW —

Liveability

Thirroul is more walkable (83 vs 53); Thirroul scores higher overall (54 vs 47).

Thirroul Bulli
Grade B C
Score 54/100 47/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Thirroul Bulli
Bushfire High
90/100
 High
89/100
Crime Moderate
59/100
 Moderate
63/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
49/100
 Moderate
62/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Thirroul Bulli
Inside the suburb 2 4
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 1 2

Schools in Thirroul

  • St Michael's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Thirroul Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Bulli

  • Bulli Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Bulli High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Waniora Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Thirroul Bulli
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 6 4
Parks & reserves 9 7
Childcare 4 7
GPs 2 1
Pharmacies 2 1
Hospitals 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 1 2
EV chargers 1 0
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 13 20

Mobility

Thirroul Bulli
Walkability score 83/100 53/100
Distance to Sydney 71.9 km 72.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 72 min 77 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 139.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 95.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.8%
postcode 2515
 2.2%
postcode 2516
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 47
postcode 2515
 44
postcode 2516

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.

Thirroul Bulli
Car (driver) 44.3% / 50.8%
Thirroul — Car (driver): 44.3% Bulli — Car (driver): 50.8%
Worked from Home 49.0% / 43.1%
Thirroul — Worked from Home: 49.0% Bulli — Worked from Home: 43.1%
Walked Only 2.2% / 1.5%
Thirroul — Walked Only: 2.2% Bulli — Walked Only: 1.5%
Train 2.2% / 1.4%
Thirroul — Train: 2.2% Bulli — Train: 1.4%
Car (passenger) 1.4% / 2.0%
Thirroul — Car (passenger): 1.4% Bulli — Car (passenger): 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.8%).

Setting

Thirroul Bulli
Elevation 57 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 68 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.3 km
1.4 km to a named beach
 1.9 km
2.0 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Thirroul Bulli
Connectivity score 70/100 99/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 46%
2,836 premises
 99%
2,735 premises

Climate

Thirroul Bulli
Annual rainfall 1,038 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Thirroul Bulli
PM2.5 6.2 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.66 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Thirroul Bulli
Average residential rate $1,751/yr
same for both
Council Wollongong
same for both

Federal electorate

Thirroul Bulli
Division Cunningham
same for both
Member Alison Byrnes
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Thirroul Bulli
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Thirroul

Beach Coastal Parks Premium Professionals River

Bulli

Coastal Parks Professionals

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Bulli vs Woonona
Full data on Thirroul Full data on Bulli
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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.

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