Wardell vs Coolgardie
Coolgardie is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 47 in Wardell. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Coolgardie, most households are couple families. On these figures, Coolgardie tends to suit share households 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
Coolgardie
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 89/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 49%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 78%)
- But Wardell has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Coolgardie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 29%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Wardell
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 9%)
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $420/wk)
- But Coolgardie leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 28%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Coolgardie
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (461 min vs 471 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (718.5 km vs 723 km)
- But Wardell is more walkable (26/100 vs 5/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Wardell is more walkable (26/100 vs 5/100)
- Coolgardie carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 89/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Coolgardie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.5% vs -0.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Wardell and Coolgardie 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
Wardell has more residents (830 vs 132); Coolgardie has higher household incomes ($117,000 vs $65,208).
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 830 +84% vs other | 132 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.2% | +6.5% |
| Median age | 47 | 44 |
| Median household income | $65,208/yr | $117,000/yr +79% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk | $420/wk +20% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (3.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $800,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $329,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 77 days from 7 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Coolgardie has more rural and farming land (49% vs 38%).
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 38% | 49% |
| Other and special use | 41% | 31% |
| Environmental | 19% same for both | |
| Residential | 1% | 0% |
| 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
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 32% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 27% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 49% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 50% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 49% of NSW |
Liveability
Wardell is more walkable (26 vs 5).
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 16/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Wardell carries more crime risk (89 vs 39); Wardell carries more bushfire risk (49 vs 38).
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 49/100 | Low 38/100 |
| Crime | High 89/100 | Low 39/100 |
| 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
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Wardell
- Wardell Public School Government · Primary below peers
- Cabbage Tree Island Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Coolgardie
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 8 | 2 |
Mobility
Wardell sits further from the CBD (723 km vs 718.5 km).
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 26/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 723 km | 718.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 471 min | 461 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2477 | 1.1% postcode 2478 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 75 postcode 2477 | 66 postcode 2478 |
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 (78.8%).
Setting
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 122 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.0 km | 6.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 39/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 13% 420 premises | 0% 53 premises |
Council rates
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Wardell | Coolgardie | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Wardell
Other comparisons with Coolgardie
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.