Located in New South Wales, Cargo sits 303 km from Sydney CBD, around 4 hours 20 minutes by car. The locality has 562 residents, a median age of 38, and a median household income of $104,468 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population fell 5.7% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $260 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,602. 1 school sits within the locality boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Cargo a good place to live?
Cargo scores a C (48/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices and safety, weaker on transit.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 302.6 km · 260 min drive to Sydney
More affordable than most
Median $570K · More affordable than 95% of NSW
Low all-round risk
Fire 16/100 · Crime 21/100
Mid-range socio-economic
SEIFA decile 6/10 · median age 38 · 562 residents
Liveability Rating
48 / 100 · Ranked #809 in NSWEach bar is Cargo'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 Cargo?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
48 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataCargo's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $570,000, roughly 13% above where it sat a year earlier. That said, only seven sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.
$570,000
Based on only 7 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Typically sold in 43 days — median across 3 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 5 sales $386K
Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $580/wk
- 176 bonds
- +27% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $445/wk
- 35 bonds
- +38% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2800 (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 2025101 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 30% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2800.
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.
Is Cargo safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Cargo sits in the low band, with 9 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 12% on the prior year.
9 offences
12.5% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20255 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality 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
Cabonne Shire Council has published 8 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
One school serves Cargo, but none have published comparable ratings yet.
- • 12 students in one school (avg 12)
Primary
Walkability
Cargo is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Cargo.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 7.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 0.8 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 0.0 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 9.5 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 Cargo.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 258
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
Cabonne: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Cargo is home to 562 residents, with a median age of 38, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $104,000 a year, with unemployment at 1.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
562
Median Age
38
Median Household Income
$104,468/yr
Census Median Rent
$260/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,602/mo
Avg Household Size
2.8
Median Personal Income
$44,772/yr
Unemployment Rate
1.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.8%
Total Dwellings
186
Owner-Occupier Rate
90.1%
Houses
98.4%
Rental Stress
12.9%
Mortgage Stress
18.4%
Work From Home
15.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 89.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 92.9%
- Employment Rate
- 65%
- Completed Year 12
- 27.9%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
2% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (5 of 274).
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.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $750 a year through Cabonne based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 95%
- Environmental 4%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Cabonne
In the year to August 2026, 29 new dwellings were approved across Cabonne. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are down 42.9% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Orange 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 Orange Agricultural Institute, 27.5 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 665 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Annual rainfall
- 894 mm
- 79 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.3°C
- 1 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 2.2°C
- 23 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the locality 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 2800, 233 of 39,606 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.2% (1,259 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2800, 9,312 rooftop-solar systems totalling 71.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 19,355 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 654 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
22 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2800.
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 $570,000 this is under 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 Andrew Gee Independent
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Andrew Gee | 37.7% | 62.3% | +3.2 |
| 2022 | Andrew Gee | 34.5% | 65.5% | +2.2 |
| 2019 | Andrew Gee | 36.7% | 63.3% | +1.5 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Philip Donato Independent
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Philip Donato IND | 71.9% |
| 2019 | Philip Donato | 65.2% |
| 2015 | Andrew Gee NP | 71.7% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Cargo?
Every figure above is a locality 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 562 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.
Nearby suburbs
Canowindra NSW 2804
Cudal NSW 2864
Mandurama NSW 2792
Lidster NSW 2800
Bowan Park NSW 2864
Panuara NSW 2800
Compare Cargo 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 Cargo
Is Cargo a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Cargo is low (21/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Cargo?
Cargo has a low recorded bushfire history (16/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Cargo a good place to live?
Cargo has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (48/100), 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 Cargo?
Cargo, NSW had a population of 562 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Cargo, NSW?
The postcode for Cargo, NSW is 2800.
How far is Cargo from Sydney?
Cargo is 303 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 260 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Cargo?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Cargo was $104,468 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 Cargo?
There are too few current rental listings in Cargo for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $260, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Cargo?
The median age of residents in Cargo was 38 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Cargo at risk of bushfire?
Cargo has a low recorded bushfire history (16/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality 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 Cargo?
There is 1 school inside the Cargo boundary, none of which has enough NAPLAN and ICSEA data for a quality band.
What is the weather like in Cargo?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Cargo, Orange Agricultural Institute (27.5 km away), summer days average 26.3°C, winter nights 2.2°C, 894 mm of rain a year over 79 rainy days, and 1 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Cargo?
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 Cargo belong to?
Cargo sits within the Cabonne local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Cargo?
The average residential rates bill through Cabonne is $750 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Cargo?
Across Cabonne, 29 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 42.9% 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 Cargo in?
Cargo sits within the federal Division of Calare, currently held by Andrew Gee (Independent).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · 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
- 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.