Toolijooa vs Berry

Toolijooa is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 57 in Berry. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Toolijooa, most households are couple families. In Berry, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Toolijooa: a median of $1.93 million, against $1.61 million in Berry, though rent is higher in Berry. On these figures, Toolijooa tends to suit couples, while Berry suits older residents 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

Toolijooa

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 51/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 85%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (61% vs 52%)
  • But Berry has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Berry

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,607,500 vs $1,925,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Toolijooa

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 35%)
  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $520/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Toolijooa

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (113 min vs 123 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (136.1 km vs 147.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Berry

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (39% vs 24%)
  • But Toolijooa carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 51/100)

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

Investors

Berry

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.2% vs -18.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Toolijooa Berry
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.

Toolijooa Berry
Walkability 16 / 19
Toolijooa — Walkability: 16/100 Berry — Walkability: 19/100
Safety 100 / 49
Toolijooa — Safety: 100/100 Berry — Safety: 49/100
Low fire risk 100 / 47
Toolijooa — Low fire risk: 100/100 Berry — Low fire risk: 47/100

Demographics

Berry has more residents (3,098 vs 103); Berry rents higher ($520/wk vs $300/wk).

Toolijooa Berry
Population 103 3,098
+2908% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -18.9% +16.2%
Median age 47 57
Median household income $117,000/yr
+34% vs other
 $77,740/yr
Median weekly rent $300/wk $520/wk
+73% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Toolijooa Berry
0-4 4.9% / 3.7%
Toolijooa — 0-4: 4.9% Berry — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 11.7% / 10.7%
Toolijooa — 5-14: 11.7% Berry — 5-14: 10.7%
15-19 6.8% / 4.0%
Toolijooa — 15-19: 6.8% Berry — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 12.6% / 2.5%
Toolijooa — 20-24: 12.6% Berry — 20-24: 2.5%
25-34 3.9% / 6.7%
Toolijooa — 25-34: 3.9% Berry — 25-34: 6.7%
35-44 11.7% / 9.3%
Toolijooa — 35-44: 11.7% Berry — 35-44: 9.3%
45-54 11.7% / 10.2%
Toolijooa — 45-54: 11.7% Berry — 45-54: 10.2%
55-64 21.4% / 14.3%
Toolijooa — 55-64: 21.4% Berry — 55-64: 14.3%
65-74 16.5% / 17.8%
Toolijooa — 65-74: 16.5% Berry — 65-74: 17.8%
75-84 2.9% / 13.4%
Toolijooa — 75-84: 2.9% Berry — 75-84: 13.4%
85+ 4.9% / 7.7%
Toolijooa — 85+: 4.9% Berry — 85+: 7.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Toolijooa 60.9% couple families
Toolijooa — Couple Families: 60.9% Toolijooa — Lone Person: 39.1% Toolijooa — One Parent Families: 0.0% Toolijooa — Group Household: 0.0% Toolijooa — Other Families: 0.0%
Berry 41.2% couple families
Berry — Couple Families: 41.2% Berry — Lone Person: 45.3% Berry — One Parent Families: 11.0% Berry — Group Household: 2.1% Berry — Other Families: 0.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Toolijooa 19.1% renting
Toolijooa — Owned Outright: 55.3% Toolijooa — Mortgage: 25.5% Toolijooa — Renting: 19.1%
Berry 14.0% renting
Berry — Owned Outright: 58.6% Berry — Mortgage: 27.4% Berry — Renting: 14.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Toolijooa 100.0% houses
Toolijooa — Houses: 100.0% Toolijooa — Townhouses: 0.0% Toolijooa — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Berry 84.8% houses
Berry — Houses: 84.8% Berry — Townhouses: 14.0% Berry — Flats / Apartments: 1.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Toolijooa Berry
Bachelor Degree 19.4% / 15.8%
Toolijooa — Bachelor Degree: 19.4% Berry — Bachelor Degree: 15.8%
Certificate III & IV 14.6% / 12.2%
Toolijooa — Certificate III & IV: 14.6% Berry — Certificate III & IV: 12.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 10.7%
Toolijooa — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Berry — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.7%
Postgraduate Degree 3.9% / 5.8%
Toolijooa — Postgraduate Degree: 3.9% Berry — Postgraduate Degree: 5.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.9% / 2.2%
Toolijooa — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9% Berry — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).

Property market

Toolijooa Berry
Median house price $1,925,000 $1,607,500
Median unit price — $1,000,000
Median land price — $887,500
Typical days to sell (houses) — 64 days
from 53 sales

Zoning mix

Toolijooa has more rural and farming land (87% vs 60%); Berry has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 8%).

Toolijooa Berry
Rural and farming 87% 60%
Environmental 8% 30%
Residential 0% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 3%
Planning zones cover 100% of Toolijooa and 99% of Berry. 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

Toolijooa Berry
New dwellings approved 159
across Kiama
 854
across Shoalhaven
Approvals change year on year -35% -10%

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.

Toolijooa Berry
Houses — 2.4%
$855/wk on $1.82M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Toolijooa Berry
House price Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Income Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 28% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 6% of NSW

Liveability

Toolijooa Berry
Grade — C
Score — 46/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Berry carries more bushfire risk (53 vs 0); Berry carries more crime risk (51 vs 0).

Toolijooa Berry
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
53/100
Crime None
0/100
 Moderate
51/100
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
same for both

Schools

Toolijooa Berry
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Toolijooa

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

Schools in Berry

  • Berry Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Toolijooa Berry
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 19
Parks & reserves 0 8
Childcare 0 4
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 1
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 21

Mobility

Berry sits further from the CBD (147.3 km vs 136.1 km).

Toolijooa Berry
Walkability score 16/100 19/100
Distance to Sydney 136.1 km 147.3 km
+8% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 113 min 123 min
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 2534
 1.4%
postcode 2535
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 46
postcode 2534
 56
postcode 2535

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.

Toolijooa Berry
Car (driver) 48.9% / 57.6%
Toolijooa — Car (driver): 48.9% Berry — Car (driver): 57.6%
Worked from Home 44.7% / 33.8%
Toolijooa — Worked from Home: 44.7% Berry — Worked from Home: 33.8%
Car (passenger) 6.4% / 3.2%
Toolijooa — Car (passenger): 6.4% Berry — Car (passenger): 3.2%
Walked Only — / 5.0%
Toolijooa — Walked Only: not among its largest Berry — Walked Only: 5.0%
Bicycle — / 0.4%
Toolijooa — Bicycle: not among its largest Berry — Bicycle: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (57.6%).

Setting

Toolijooa Berry
Elevation 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 50 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.6 km
4.9 km to a named beach
 4.2 km

NBN connectivity

Toolijooa Berry
Connectivity score 29/100 73/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
41 premises
 38%
1,794 premises

Climate

Toolijooa Berry
Annual rainfall 974 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Toolijooa Berry
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.37 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Toolijooa Berry
Average residential rate $1,898/yr $1,501/yr
Council Kiama Shoalhaven

Federal electorate

Toolijooa Berry
Division Gilmore
same for both
Member Fiona Phillips
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Toolijooa Berry
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Toolijooa

Coastal Premium Rural

Berry

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Toolijooa

Toolijooa vs Gerringong Toolijooa vs Gerroa Toolijooa vs Broughton Village Toolijooa vs Willow Vale

Other comparisons with Berry

Berry vs Shoalhaven Heads Berry vs Gerroa Berry vs Jaspers Brush Berry vs Coolangatta Berry vs Far Meadow Berry vs Broughton Vale
Full data on Toolijooa Full data on Berry
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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