Cooks Gap NSW 2850
Located in New South Wales, Cooks Gap sits 305 km from Sydney CBD, around 4 hours 10 minutes by car. The locality has 549 residents, a median age of 43, and a median household income of $85,124 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 1.7% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,700. Walkability is low.
Is Cooks Gap a good place to live?
Cooks Gap scores a D (28/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices, weaker on transit and community.
Car-dependent
Walkability 8/100 · 305 km · 251 min drive to Sydney
More affordable than most
Median $722K
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 42/100 · Crime 37/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 43 · 549 residents
Liveability Rating
28 / 100 · Ranked #1302 in NSWEach bar is Cooks Gap'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 Cooks Gap?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
28 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataThe median house sale price in Cooks Gap sits at $722,000, broadly flat year-on-year. That said, only eight sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.
$722,500
Based on only 8 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $600/wk
- 84 bonds
- +29% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $450/wk
- 11 bonds
- +26% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2850 (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 202594 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 32% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2850.
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 Cooks Gap safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Cooks Gap sits in the low band, with 19 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 171% on the prior year.
19 offences
171.4% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20252 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
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
Mid-Western Regional Council has published 3 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
Walkability
Cooks Gap is very car-dependent on foot — at 8/100, nearly all errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Cooks Gap.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 7.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 0.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 0.0 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 8.6 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 Cooks Gap.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 263
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
Mid-Western: 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
Cooks Gap is home to 549 residents, with a median age of 43, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $85,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
549
Median Age
43
Median Household Income
$85,124/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,700/mo
Avg Household Size
2.6
Median Personal Income
$32,864/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
16.8%
Total Dwellings
190
Owner-Occupier Rate
86.3%
Houses
97.4%
Rental Stress
18.3%
Mortgage Stress
24.0%
Work From Home
9.3%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 81.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 87.4%
- Employment Rate
- 54.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 25.3%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
12.4% of residents (65) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (61).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 523 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
2% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (5 of 248).
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 $1,083 a year through Mid-Western based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 67%
- Rural and farming 24%
- Environmental 8%
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: Mid-Western
In the year to August 2026, 131 new dwellings were approved across Mid-Western. That mix is 111 houses and 20 units. Approvals are down 3.8% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Mudgee 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 Gulgong Post Office, 16.8 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 587 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Annual rainfall
- 669 mm
- 64 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 31.0°C
- 24 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 3.4°C
- 19 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 2850, 43 of 17,966 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.4% (426 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2850, 4,223 rooftop-solar systems totalling 32.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 8,411 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 284 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
8 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2850.
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 $722,500 this is $122,500 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 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 Dugald Saunders The Nationals
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dugald Saunders NP | 68.6% |
| 2019 | Dugald Saunders NP | 52.0% |
| 2015 | Troy Grant NP | 70.4% |
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 Cooks Gap?
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 549 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
Compare Cooks Gap to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Cooks Gap
Is Cooks Gap a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Cooks Gap is low (37/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Cooks Gap?
Cooks Gap has a moderate recorded bushfire history (42/100, 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 Cooks Gap a good place to live?
Cooks Gap has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (28/100), 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 Cooks Gap?
Cooks Gap, NSW had a population of 549 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Cooks Gap, NSW?
The postcode for Cooks Gap, NSW is 2850.
How far is Cooks Gap from Sydney?
Cooks Gap is 305 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 251 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Cooks Gap?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Cooks Gap was $85,124 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 Cooks Gap?
There are too few current rental listings in Cooks Gap for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $300, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Cooks Gap?
The median age of residents in Cooks Gap was 43 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Cooks Gap at risk of bushfire?
Cooks Gap has a moderate recorded bushfire history (42/100). 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.
Is Cooks Gap walkable?
Cooks Gap scores 8/100 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 Cooks Gap?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Cooks Gap, Gulgong Post Office (16.8 km away), summer days average 31°C, winter nights 3.4°C, 669 mm of rain a year over 64 rainy days, and 24 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Cooks Gap?
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 Cooks Gap belong to?
Cooks Gap sits within the Mid-Western local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Cooks Gap?
The average residential rates bill through Mid-Western is $1,083 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Cooks Gap?
Across Mid-Western, 131 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 3.8% 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 Cooks Gap in?
Cooks Gap 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.