Woolbrook vs Bendemeer
Woolbrook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 52 in Bendemeer. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Woolbrook, about half of households are couple families. In Bendemeer, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Woolbrook tends to suit couples, while Bendemeer suits people living alone and older residents.
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 6 things we measure here
- Woolbrook is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 46%)
- Bendemeer has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Woolbrook
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 24%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Woolbrook
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 29%)
- has cheaper rent ($170/wk vs $300/wk)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 16%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Woolbrook sits closer to the CBD (439.8 km vs 454.7 km)
- Bendemeer has a shorter drive in (338 min vs 343 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bendemeer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 17%)
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
Woolbrook and Bendemeer 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
Bendemeer has more residents (486 vs 183); Bendemeer rents higher ($300/wk vs $170/wk).
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 183 | 486 +166% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.1% | -1.2% |
| Median age | 44 | 52 |
| Median household income | $66,248/yr +20% vs other | $53,092/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $170/wk | $300/wk +76% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).
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 (3.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $492,500 | $500,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $250,000 |
Zoning mix
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 390 across Tamworth same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -35% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 8% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 82% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
Liveability
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Bendemeer carries more bushfire risk (46 vs 14).
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 14/100 | Moderate 46/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 64/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Woolbrook
- Woolbrook Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Bendemeer
- Bendemeer Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 5 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 11 | 23 |
Mobility
Bendemeer sits further from the CBD (454.7 km vs 439.8 km).
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 439.8 km | 454.7 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 343 min | 338 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2354 | 0.6% postcode 2355 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 39 postcode 2354 | 40 postcode 2355 |
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 (64.3%).
Setting
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,012 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 820 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 37 premises | 0% 228 premises |
Climate
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 784 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 0.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,397/yr same for both | |
| Council | Tamworth same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Woolbrook | Bendemeer | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Woolbrook
Bendemeer
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Woolbrook
Other comparisons with Bendemeer
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.