Tomago vs Woodberry

Woodberry is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 60 in Tomago. In both, most households own their home. In Tomago, about half of homes are flats or apartments and most households are people living alone. In Woodberry, the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Tomago: a median of $2 million, against $645,000 in Woodberry, though rent is higher in Woodberry. On these figures, Tomago tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Woodberry suits families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Woodberry

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (61% vs 26%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (96% vs 52%)

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

First-home buyers

Woodberry

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($645,000 vs $2,000,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 67%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Tomago

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $320/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Woodberry

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (35/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (158.8 km vs 164.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Tomago has more units and townhouses to downsize into (48% vs 4%)
  • Woodberry is more walkable (35/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Tomago Woodberry
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.

Tomago Woodberry
Walkability 0 / 35
Tomago — Walkability: 0/100 Woodberry — Walkability: 35/100
Safety 3 / 18
Tomago — Safety: 3/100 Woodberry — Safety: 18/100
Low fire risk 32 / 100
Tomago — Low fire risk: 32/100 Woodberry — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Woodberry has more residents (3,024 vs 269); Tomago skews older (60 vs 36).

Tomago Woodberry
Population 269 3,024
+1024% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.9% +1.0%
Median age 60 36
Median household income $40,976/yr $61,724/yr
+51% vs other
Median weekly rent $250/wk $320/wk
+28% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Tomago Woodberry
0-4 4.1% / 6.9%
Tomago — 0-4: 4.1% Woodberry — 0-4: 6.9%
5-14 6.7% / 14.9%
Tomago — 5-14: 6.7% Woodberry — 5-14: 14.9%
15-19 1.1% / 6.9%
Tomago — 15-19: 1.1% Woodberry — 15-19: 6.9%
20-24 3.0% / 5.7%
Tomago — 20-24: 3.0% Woodberry — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 4.1% / 14.4%
Tomago — 25-34: 4.1% Woodberry — 25-34: 14.4%
35-44 4.1% / 10.4%
Tomago — 35-44: 4.1% Woodberry — 35-44: 10.4%
45-54 18.2% / 12.0%
Tomago — 45-54: 18.2% Woodberry — 45-54: 12.0%
55-64 17.8% / 13.1%
Tomago — 55-64: 17.8% Woodberry — 55-64: 13.1%
65-74 25.3% / 9.7%
Tomago — 65-74: 25.3% Woodberry — 65-74: 9.7%
75-84 12.3% / 4.6%
Tomago — 75-84: 12.3% Woodberry — 75-84: 4.6%
85+ 1.9% / 1.1%
Tomago — 85+: 1.9% Woodberry — 85+: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Tomago 71.2% lone person
Tomago — Lone Person: 71.2% Tomago — One Parent Families: 18.3% Tomago — Couple Families: 7.7% Tomago — Group Household: 2.9% Tomago — Other Families: 0.0%
Woodberry 30.6% lone person
Woodberry — Lone Person: 30.6% Woodberry — One Parent Families: 30.3% Woodberry — Couple Families: 31.0% Woodberry — Group Household: 4.7% Woodberry — Other Families: 3.5%
Lone Person One Parent Families Couple Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Tomago 32.5% renting
Tomago — Owned Outright: 58.5% Tomago — Mortgage: 8.9% Tomago — Renting: 32.5%
Woodberry 34.3% renting
Woodberry — Owned Outright: 27.4% Woodberry — Mortgage: 38.2% Woodberry — Renting: 34.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Tomago Woodberry
Certificate III & IV 13.4% / 17.8%
Tomago — Certificate III & IV: 13.4% Woodberry — Certificate III & IV: 17.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.8% / 4.9%
Tomago — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.8% Woodberry — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.9%
Bachelor Degree 1.9% / 3.7%
Tomago — Bachelor Degree: 1.9% Woodberry — Bachelor Degree: 3.7%
Postgraduate Degree 1.1% / 0.3%
Tomago — Postgraduate Degree: 1.1% Woodberry — Postgraduate Degree: 0.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.1% / 0.3%
Tomago — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1% Woodberry — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).

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.

Tomago Woodberry
England 1.5% / 1.9%
Tomago — England: 1.5% Woodberry — England: 1.9%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.0%
Tomago — New Zealand: 1.5% Woodberry — New Zealand: 1.0%
Germany 1.9% / —
Tomago — Germany: 1.9% Woodberry — Germany: not among its largest
Philippines — / 1.0%
Tomago — Philippines: not among its largest Woodberry — Philippines: 1.0%
Scotland — / 0.4%
Tomago — Scotland: not among its largest Woodberry — Scotland: 0.4%
India — / 0.3%
Tomago — India: not among its largest Woodberry — India: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (1.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Tomago 52.0% houses
Tomago — Houses: 52.0% Tomago — Flats / Apartments: 48.0% Tomago — Townhouses: 0.0%
Woodberry 96.2% houses
Woodberry — Houses: 96.2% Woodberry — Flats / Apartments: 0.2% Woodberry — Townhouses: 3.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Tomago Woodberry
Median house price $2,000,000 $645,000
Median unit price $385,000 —
Median land price $1,895,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) — 24 days
from 4 sales

Zoning mix

Woodberry has more rural and farming land (47% vs 7%); Tomago has more industrially zoned land (33% vs 0%).

Tomago Woodberry
Rural and farming 7% 47%
Environmental 29% 35%
Industrial 33% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 32% 0%
Residential 0% 14%
Parks and recreation 0% 3%
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

Tomago Woodberry
New dwellings approved 495
across Port Stephens
 1,413
across Maitland
Approvals change year on year -72% +20%

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.

Tomago Woodberry
Houses — 4.8%
$670/wk on $720K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Tomago Woodberry
House price Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW
Income Higher than 5% of NSW Higher than 24% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 5% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 44% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 1% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 95% of NSW

Liveability

Woodberry is more walkable (35 vs 0).

Tomago Woodberry
Grade — D
Score — 28/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

Tomago carries more bushfire risk (68 vs 0); Tomago carries more crime risk (97 vs 82).

Tomago Woodberry
Bushfire Moderate
68/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
97/100
 High
82/100
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 6
within 5 km
 8
within 5 km

Schools

Tomago Woodberry
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 2
Universities within 10 km 1
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 8.4 km
 None

Schools in Tomago

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Woodberry

  • Francis Greenway High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Woodberry Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Woodberry Learning Centre Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Tomago Woodberry
Parks & reserves 1 3
Childcare 0 2
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Tomago sits further from the CBD (164.6 km vs 158.8 km).

Tomago Woodberry
Walkability score 0/100 35/100
Distance to Sydney 164.6 km
+4% vs other
 158.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 122 min 119 min
Public transport score 43/100
Bus
 76/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 12.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 29.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 2 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 2322
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 64
postcode 2322
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.

Tomago Woodberry
Car (driver) 85.7% / 80.6%
Tomago — Car (driver): 85.7% Woodberry — Car (driver): 80.6%
Worked from Home 14.3% / 10.0%
Tomago — Worked from Home: 14.3% Woodberry — Worked from Home: 10.0%
Car (passenger) — / 6.0%
Tomago — Car (passenger): not among its largest Woodberry — Car (passenger): 6.0%
Train — / 1.6%
Tomago — Train: not among its largest Woodberry — Train: 1.6%
Walked Only — / 1.4%
Tomago — Walked Only: not among its largest Woodberry — Walked Only: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (85.7%).

Setting

Tomago Woodberry
Elevation 8 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 0 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.7 km 10.4 km

NBN connectivity

Tomago Woodberry
Connectivity score 67/100 66/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 40%
553 premises
 38%
1,247 premises

Climate

Tomago Woodberry
Annual rainfall 1,181 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Tomago Woodberry
PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³ 6.3 µg/m³
PM10 21.1 µg/m³ 17.5 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.75 pphm 0.72 pphm

Council rates

Tomago Woodberry
Average residential rate $1,359/yr $1,908/yr
Council Port Stephens Maitland

Federal electorate

Tomago Woodberry
Division Paterson
same for both
Member Meryl Swanson
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Tomago Woodberry
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Tomago

Retirees Rural

Woodberry

Acreage Affordable

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Tomago

Tomago vs Raymond Terrace Tomago vs Tarro Tomago vs Williamtown Tomago vs Fullerton Cove Tomago vs Heatherbrae

Other comparisons with Woodberry

Woodberry vs Thornton Woodberry vs Beresfield Woodberry vs Tarro Woodberry vs Heatherbrae Woodberry vs Millers Forest
Full data on Tomago Full data on Woodberry
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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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