Bombala NSW 2632

Bombala sits 480 km from Sydney CBD in New South Wales, around 5 hours 20 minutes by car. Census data records 1,372 residents with a median age of 47 and a median household income of $66,404 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The town fell 1.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $215 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,083. Of 3 schools within the town boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is low.

Is Bombala a good town?

Bombala scores a C (39/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices, weaker on transit and community.

Schools

Mixed results

3 schools · 1 above peer schools

Transit

Car-dependent

Walkability 15/100 · 479.7 km · 320 min drive to Sydney

Prices

More affordable than most

Median $402K · More affordable than 88% of NSW

Safety

Moderate crime risk

Fire 26/100 · Crime 59/100

Community

Highly disadvantaged

SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 47 · 1,372 residents

C

Liveability Rating

39 / 100 · Ranked #1038 in NSW

Each bar is Bombala's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).

Schools quality
69
Some above similar
Safety
52
Bushfire Low · Crime Moderate

No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.

Socio-economic
19
Disadvantaged
Walkability
21
Very car-dependent
CBD access
14
479.7 km · 320 min drive to Sydney
How it's calculated: Schools rank 69 × 25% + Safety rank 52 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 19 × 25% + Walkability rank 21 × 15% + CBD access rank 14 × 10% = 39 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Bombala?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

39 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

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Median House Price

Public listings data

Bombala's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $402,000, roughly 20% above where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$402,500

last 5 quarters
Cheaper than 88% of NSW
↑ +19.7% year-on-year

Based on 50 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 112 days — median across 20 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 2 bed 10 sales $342K
  • 3 bed 21 sales $405K
  • 4 bed 12 sales $465K

Land

$88,000

Based on only 5 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Currently for Sale

Last 6 months

Houses in Bombala are currently listed at around $440,000 on average. Based on 15 houses listed in the past six months.

$440K

↓ −10.2% vs previous 6 months from $490K

15 houses listed in the last 6 months.

15 of the suburb's 555 dwellings (2.7%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.

Is Bombala safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Bombala sits in the moderate band, with 58 incidents recorded in 2025 — up about 6% on the prior year.

58 offences

5.5% since 2024
Theft 21 (36.2%)
Disorderly Conduct 9 (15.5%)
Sexual Offences 8 (13.8%)
Assault 7 (12.1%)
Property Damage 6 (10.3%)
Harassment & Stalking 4 (6.9%)
Weapons Offences 2 (3.4%)
Other Offences Against Person 1 (1.7%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

3 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Where they happened

Monaro Highway 3 (100.0%)

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town 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

Snowy Monaro Regional 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.

All 6 on the portal

Schools

Three schools serve Bombala, and performance is broadly at peer-suburb levels with one standout. Bombala Public School leads the pack.

58
out of 100
Average
3 schools in this town
1 above similar · 2 at similar
  • • 323 students across 3 schools (avg 108)
  • • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Catholic
  • • ICSEA 899-991, median 946 (below the national baseline of 1000)
  • • Largest: Bombala High School (148 students)

Primary

Government · K-6 · 104 students
ICSEA 899 (higher than 10% of Australian schools) · 4% top-SEA students
Above similar
Catholic · K-6 · 71 students
ICSEA 991 (higher than 43% of Australian schools) · 11% top-SEA students
At similar

Secondary

Government · 7-12 · 148 students
ICSEA 946 (higher than 23% of Australian schools) · 5% top-SEA students
At similar

Walkability

Bombala is very car-dependent on foot — at 15/100, nearly all errands require a car.

15
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km 41
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 60

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Bombala.

39
out of 100
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
14.0 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
5.6 arrivals/hr
Saturday
0.0 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
1 min
Span of service
13.3 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 Bombala.

46
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
14%
Premises covered
762
Technology mix
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 45%
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 39%
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 14%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 2%

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

Supermarkets
1 in town
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
2 in town
Parks & Reserves
4 in town
Sport & Recreation
2 in town
Beaches
None
Waterways
11 in town
Childcare
2 in town
GPs
1 in town
Pharmacies
1 in town
Hospitals
1 in town
Police Stations
1 in town
Banks & Bank@Post
1 in town
Fuel Stations
1 in town
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
2 in town
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
4 in town

Snowy Monaro: council population

The whole council area, not just Bombala · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
22,396
+0.4% in a year
Change
+91
people since 2024
Density
1.5
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+31
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
-67
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+127
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
2/10
2/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
2/10
2/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
2/10
2/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 5 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.

Bombala is home to about 1,400 residents, with a median age of 47, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $66,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.9%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

1,372

1.1% since 2016

Median Age

47

4.4% since 2016

Median Household Income

$66,404/yr

17.2% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$215/wk

22.9% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,083/mo

3.2% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.1

4.5% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$37,700/yr

21.2% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

3.9%

14.7% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

15.7%

24.5% since 2016

Total Dwellings

555

1.1% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

78.2%

6.0% since 2016

Houses

94.6%

0.1% since 2016

Rental Stress

16.8%

4.3% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

19.6%

11.7% since 2016

Work From Home

7.9%

49.1% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 525 (94.6%)
Townhouses 18 (3.2%)
Flats / Apartments 12 (2.2%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 250 (47.0%)
Mortgage 166 (31.2%)
Renting 116 (21.8%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
82.3%
English Spoken at Home
88.6%
Employment Rate
54.4%
0.5% since 2016
Completed Year 12
26.5%

Occupations

Machinery Operators & Drivers 107 (17.3%)
Labourers 98 (15.8%)
Managers 88 (14.2%)
Technicians & Trades 76 (12.3%)
Community & Personal Service 66 (10.7%)
Professionals 60 (9.7%)
Clerical & Administrative 60 (9.7%)
Sales 51 (8.2%)

Religion

Christianity 819 (59.7%)
No Religion 385 (28.1%)
Buddhism 11 (0.8%)
Other Religions 8 (0.6%)
Islam 5 (0.4%)
Hinduism 3 (0.2%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 26 (1.9%)
New Zealand 10 (0.7%)
Germany 10 (0.7%)
Ireland 9 (0.7%)
Vietnam 5 (0.4%)
Nepal 5 (0.4%)
Thailand 5 (0.4%)
India 4 (0.3%)

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.

2016-2021 21 (1.5%)
2011-2015 10 (0.7%)
2001-2010 8 (0.6%)
1991-2000 7 (0.5%)
1981-1990 10 (0.7%)
Before 1981 51 (3.7%)

21 residents (1.5%) 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.

2.7% of residents (35) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Canberra (15).

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,316 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.

Vietnamese 6 (0.4%)
German 5 (0.4%)
Russian 4 (0.3%)
Greek 3 (0.2%)

Age Distribution

0-4 56 (4.1%)
5-14 181 (13.2%)
15-19 60 (4.4%)
20-24 65 (4.7%)
25-34 138 (10.1%)
35-44 146 (10.6%)
45-54 160 (11.7%)
55-64 184 (13.4%)
65-74 212 (15.5%)
75-84 127 (9.3%)
85+ 49 (3.6%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 196 (51.2%)
Couple Families 115 (30.0%)
One Parent Families 55 (14.4%)
Group Household 14 (3.7%)
Other Families 3 (0.8%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 440 (82.2%)
Worked from Home 42 (7.9%)
Walked Only 36 (6.7%)
Car (passenger) 17 (3.2%)

1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (5 of 619).

City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.

Local Jobs

People who work in this town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.

About 573 people work here; 619 employed residents live here.

Roughly as many jobs as working residents (0.9 per resident). At least 3% of employed residents must work outside the town.

Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.

Education

Certificate III & IV 227 (16.5%)
Bachelor Degree 81 (5.9%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 66 (4.8%)
Postgraduate Degree 19 (1.4%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 18 (1.3%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 34 (6.2%)
1 car 196 (35.6%)
2 cars 193 (35.0%)
3 cars 92 (16.7%)
4+ cars 38 (6.9%)

Council Rates

Snowy Monaro
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,253 a year through Snowy Monaro based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,253/yr
About the NSW average ($1,230) · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Bombala's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 89%
  • Residential 9%
  • 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 town around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Snowy Monaro

The whole council area, not just Bombala · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 72 new dwellings were approved across Snowy Monaro. That mix is 45 houses and 27 units. Approvals are up 28.6% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
72dwellings
+28.6% YoY
Houses
45
detached dwellings
Units
27
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Eden 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.

Climate & Setting

from Bombala (Therry Street), 2.9 km

Moderate rainfall — warm summers, frosty winters.

Elevation
757 m
above sea level, at the town centre
Annual rainfall
670 mm
88 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
25.5°C
5 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
-0.2°C
75 frost days ≤ 0°C

Elevation is the ground at the town 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.

Industrial Emissions Nearby

1 facility within 5 km

EV adoption

0.2%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.1 points this year
Bottom 21% in NSW

In postcode 2632, 4 of 1,809 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.1% (19 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.3%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.17%
2023
0.17%
2024
0.17%
2025
0.22%

Rooftop solar

40
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 5.8 kW each

In postcode 2632, 370 rooftop-solar systems totalling 2.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 923 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 24 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
15
2020
33
2021
39
2022
28
2023
16
2024
15
2025
17
2026
15

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).

Verify eligibility with Revenue NSW

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$2,099
Loan amount
$322,000
Total interest over 30 years
$433,712
Deposit
$80,500
Stamp duty
$12,300
Cash needed at settlement
$92,800

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.

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

Division of Eden-monaro

Currently held by Kristy Mcbain Australian Labor Party

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Kristy Mcbain 57.2% 42.8% +1.1
2022 Kristy Mcbain 58.2% 41.8% -7.3
2019 Mike Kelly 50.9% 49.1% +2.1

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.

State Electorate

Monaro District

Currently held by Steven Whan Labor

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Steven Whan ALP 52.3%
2019 John Barilaro NP 61.6%
2015 John Barilaro NP 52.5%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.

Looking at a specific address in Bombala?

Every figure above is a town 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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Bombala to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.

Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:

Common questions about Bombala

Is Bombala a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Bombala is moderate (59/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Bombala?

Bombala has a low recorded bushfire history (26/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Bombala a good place to live?

Bombala has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (39/100), 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 Bombala?

Bombala, NSW had a population of 1,372 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Bombala, NSW?

The postcode for Bombala, NSW is 2632.

How far is Bombala from Sydney?

Bombala is 480 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 320 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Bombala?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bombala was $66,404 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 Bombala?

There are too few current rental listings in Bombala for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $215, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Bombala?

The median age of residents in Bombala was 47 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Bombala at risk of bushfire?

Bombala has a low recorded bushfire history (26/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the town 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 Bombala?

There are 3 schools inside the Bombala boundary: 1 above and 2 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

Is Bombala walkable?

Bombala scores 15/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very 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 weather like in Bombala?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Bombala, Bombala (Therry Street) (2.9 km away), summer days average 25.5°C, winter nights -0.2°C, 670 mm of rain a year over 88 rainy days, and 5 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Bombala?

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 Bombala belong to?

Bombala sits within the Snowy Monaro local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Bombala?

The average residential rates bill through Snowy Monaro is $1,253 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Bombala?

Across Snowy Monaro, 72 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 28.6% 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 Bombala in?

Bombala sits within the federal Division of Eden-monaro, currently held by Kristy Mcbain (Australian Labor Party).

Search another suburb or address

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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.

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