Bolwarra NSW 2320
Bolwarra is a suburb in New South Wales, 167 km from Sydney CBD, around 2 hours 5 minutes by car. Population is 1,350; the median age is 41 and the median household income is $115,284 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb grew 36.5% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $440 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,000. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Bolwarra a good suburb?
Bolwarra scores a B (59/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices, safety, and community.
Mixed results
1 school
Some car dependence
Walkability 42/100 · 167 km · 124 min drive to Sydney
More affordable than most
Median $950K · More affordable than 77% of NSW
Low all-round risk
Fire 28/100 · Crime 30/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 9/10 · median age 41 · 1,350 residents
Liveability Rating
59 / 100 · Ranked #540 in NSWEach bar is Bolwarra's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in Bolwarra?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
59 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataBolwarra's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $950,000, about 8% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$950,000
5% below its 3 neighbours (median $995,000)
Based on 48 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 30 days — median across 13 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 7 sales $870K
- 4 bed 25 sales $950K
- 5 bed 6 sales $1.41M
Land
$550,000
Based on only 8 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Bolwarra are currently listed at around $1.1 million on average. Based on 3 houses listed in the past six months.
$1.1M
3 houses listed in the last 6 months.
3 of the suburb's 467 dwellings (0.6%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Bolwarra rent for around $850 a week on average, based on 7 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$850/wk
7 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
7 rentals advertised against an estimated 62 rented homes (11.3%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $610/wk
- 143 bonds
- +38% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $500/wk
- 14 bonds
- +37% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2320 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202590 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 33% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2320.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$850/week ($44,000 a year) on a $1.1 million median
Based on a small sample (3 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Bolwarra safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Bolwarra sits in the low band, with 26 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 10% on the prior year.
26 offences
10.3% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20251 crash
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Maitland City Council has published 6 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
One school serve Bolwarra, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 390 students in one school (avg 390)
Primary
Walkability
Bolwarra is car-dependent on foot — at 42/100, most errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Bolwarra.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 31.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 10.6 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 4.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 11.3 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Bolwarra.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 56%
- Premises covered
- 566
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Maitland: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Bolwarra is home to about 1,400 residents, with a median age of 41, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $115,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.9%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,350
Median Age
41
Median Household Income
$115,284/yr
Census Median Rent
$440/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,000/mo
Avg Household Size
2.8
Median Personal Income
$49,192/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.9%
Unoccupied Dwellings
4.1%
Total Dwellings
467
Owner-Occupier Rate
86.7%
Houses
96.4%
Rental Stress
19.8%
Mortgage Stress
20.8%
Work From Home
26.6%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 86.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 91.6%
- Employment Rate
- 63.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 41.4%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
17 residents (1.3%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,264 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,908 a year through Maitland based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 67%
- Residential 21%
- Environmental 10%
- Parks and recreation 2%
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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Maitland
In the year to August 2026, 1,413 new dwellings were approved across Maitland. That mix is 773 houses and 640 units. Approvals are up 19.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 17.5 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.72 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Beresfield monitoring station, 12.5 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Paterson (Tocal AWS), 9.2 kmHigh rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 6 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 23.2 km
- Annual rainfall
- 996 mm
- 89 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.0°C
- 20 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 7.1°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 2320, 187 of 34,368 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.4% (1,176 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.0%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2320, 8,346 rooftop-solar systems totalling 69.7 MW have been installed since 2001, against 14,845 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 625 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.
Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).
Mortgage repayments
16 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2320.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.
At $950,000 this is $350,000 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Alison Penfold The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alison Penfold | 40.2% | 59.8% | +4.0 |
| 2022 | David Gillespie | 36.2% | 63.8% | -1.4 |
| 2019 | David Gillespie | 34.8% | 65.2% | +3.5 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Dave Layzell The Nationals
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dave Layzell NP | 53.8% |
| 2019 | Michael Johnsen NP | 52.6% |
| 2015 | Michael Johnsen NP | 52.2% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Bolwarra?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 1,350 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
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Common questions about Bolwarra
Is Bolwarra a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Bolwarra is low (30/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Bolwarra?
Bolwarra has a low recorded bushfire history (28/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Bolwarra a good place to live?
Bolwarra has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (59/100), ranked against other NSW suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Bolwarra?
Bolwarra, NSW had a population of 1,350 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Bolwarra, NSW?
The postcode for Bolwarra, NSW is 2320.
How far is Bolwarra from Sydney?
Bolwarra is 167 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 124 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Bolwarra?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bolwarra was $115,284 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Bolwarra?
The median advertised rent in Bolwarra is $850 a week for houses (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Bolwarra?
The median age of residents in Bolwarra was 41 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Bolwarra at risk of bushfire?
Bolwarra has a low recorded bushfire history (28/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Bolwarra?
There is 1 school inside the Bolwarra boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Bolwarra walkable?
Bolwarra scores 42/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Bolwarra?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Bolwarra (Beresfield) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.5 µg/m³. That puts Bolwarra below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Bolwarra?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Bolwarra, Paterson (Tocal AWS) (9.2 km away), summer days average 30°C, winter nights 7.1°C, 996 mm of rain a year over 89 rainy days, and 20 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Bolwarra?
First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Bolwarra belong to?
Bolwarra sits within the Maitland local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Bolwarra?
The average residential rates bill through Maitland is $1,908 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Bolwarra?
Across Maitland, 1,413 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 19.7% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Bolwarra in?
Bolwarra sits within the federal Division of Lyne, currently held by Alison Penfold (The Nationals).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.