Waratah West vs Callaghan
Callaghan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 20 against 31 in Waratah West. In Waratah West, about half of households rent and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Callaghan tends to suit young adults.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Waratah West has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- Callaghan has more parks and reserves (9 vs 6)
Weighs schools, crime, parks, and childcare.
Renters
Callaghan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $390/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs 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
Waratah West and Callaghan 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
Waratah West rents higher ($390/wk vs $0/wk); Waratah West has more residents (3,142 vs 1,358).
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,142 +57% vs other | 1,358 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.2% | +2.4% |
| Median age | 31 | 20 |
| Median household income | $78,936/yr | — |
| Median weekly rent | $390/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.4%).
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 (1.9%).
Property market
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $930,000 | — |
| Median unit price | $621,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 20 days from 19 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Waratah West has more land zoned for conservation (23% vs 0%).
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure and transport | 10% | 96% |
| Residential | 62% | 0% |
| Environmental | 23% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 5% | 4% |
| 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
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 912 across Newcastle same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +77% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.1% $735/wk on $932K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 42% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 46% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 88% of NSW | Higher than 86% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 55% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 100% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 87% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 78% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Callaghan scores higher overall (60 vs 54).
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B same for both | |
| Score | 54/100 | 60/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | — |
Risk profile
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 71/100 | Moderate 64/100 |
| 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 | 13 within 5 km | 10 within 5 km |
Schools
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 2 The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 1.2 km | 2 The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 0.0 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 7.8% | 69.4% |
Schools in Waratah West
- Waratah West Public School Government · Primary at peers
- Aspect Hunter School, Waratah West Satellite Independent · Primary · Special school
Schools in Callaghan
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 9 |
| Parks & reserves | 6 | 9 |
| Childcare | 1 | 2 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 0 | 4 |
Mobility
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 70/100 | 63/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 155.4 km | 154.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 117 min | 118 min |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 64.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 87.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 0 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2298 | 5.8% postcode 2308 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 26 postcode 2298 | — |
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 (70.3%).
Setting
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 25 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 36 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.5 km | 5.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 77/100 | 68/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the building |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 58% 1,472 premises | 14% 22 premises |
Climate
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,025 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 10.2°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 21.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.75 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,783/yr same for both | |
| Council | Newcastle same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Newcastle same for both | |
| Member | Sharon Claydon same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Waratah West | Callaghan | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Waratah West
Other comparisons with Callaghan
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.