Pilliga NSW 2388

Pilliga sits 609 km from Sydney CBD in New South Wales, around 7 hours 20 minutes by car. Census data records 175 residents with a median age of 51 and a median household income of $39,624 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The locality fell 19.4% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $189 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $650. Pilliga is characterised by high crime risk. All 1 school within the locality boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is low.

This locality is too small to rate.

The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 175. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.

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Median House Price

Q4 2025

Pilliga's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $92,000 in the December 2025 quarter, about 4% below where it sat a year earlier. That said, only two sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level. Zoom out: prices have climbed roughly 144% over the past decade — 9.3% per year on average.

$91,500

last 4 quarters
Cheaper than 99% of NSW
↓ −3.7% year-on-year
↑ +144.0% over 2015–2025 (+9.3%/yr compound)

Based on only 2 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Rental Market

Rent agreed on new leases

Jul–Sep 2026
All rentals
$355/wk
10 bonds
+58% since 2021

Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2388 (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.

Is Pilliga safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Pilliga sits in the high band, with 48 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 85% on the prior year.

48 offences

84.6% since 2024
Theft 21 (43.8%)
Disorderly Conduct 9 (18.8%)
Property Damage 5 (10.4%)
Assault 4 (8.3%)
Harassment & Stalking 3 (6.2%)
Arson 2 (4.2%)
Weapons Offences 2 (4.2%)
Sexual Offences 2 (4.2%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

No crash in Pilliga killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.

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

Walgett Shire Council has published 2 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 Pilliga, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Pilliga Public School leads the pack.

62
out of 100
Average
1 school in this locality
1 above similar
  • • 18 students in one school (avg 18)

Primary

Government · K-6 · 18 students
ICSEA 747 (higher than 2% of Australian schools) · 0% top-SEA students
Above similar

Walkability

Pilliga is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Bottom 25% in NSW
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
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 0

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 Pilliga.

21
out of 100
Bottom 7% in NSW
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
3.8 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
1.1 arrivals/hr
Saturday
0.0 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
2 min
Span of service
9.0 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 Pilliga.

15
connectivity score / 100
Bottom 13% in NSW
Most common
Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
49
Technology mix
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 100%

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

Walgett: council population

The whole council area, not just Pilliga · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
5,437
-1.5% in a year
Change
-80
people since 2024
Density
0.2
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+23
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
-112
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+9
arrivals minus departures

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

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
3/10
3/10 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
3/10
3/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Pilliga is home to 175 residents, with a median age of 51 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $40,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.1%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

175

19.4% since 2016

Median Age

51

24.4% since 2016

Median Household Income

$39,624/yr

32.5% since 2016
Bottom 4% in NSW

Census Median Rent

$189/wk

18.1% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$650/mo

Avg Household Size

2.0

20.0% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$20,644/yr

8.8% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

4.1%

78.3% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

32.4%

1.5% since 2016

Total Dwellings

68

6.8% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

74.6%

2.8% since 2016

Houses

95.6%

9.0% since 2016

Rental Stress

24.8%

10.8% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

19.7%

Work From Home

19.7%

40.8% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 65 (95.6%)
Flats / Apartments 3 (4.4%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 36 (61.0%)
Renting 15 (25.4%)
Mortgage 8 (13.6%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
72.6%
English Spoken at Home
77.1%
Employment Rate
43.9%
11.7% since 2016
Completed Year 12
17.7%

Occupations

Managers 34 (49.3%)
Labourers 15 (21.7%)
Clerical & Administrative 5 (7.2%)
Technicians & Trades 4 (5.8%)
Professionals 3 (4.3%)
Community & Personal Service 3 (4.3%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 3 (4.3%)

Religion

Christianity 92 (52.6%)
No Religion 47 (26.9%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

Philippines 6 (3.4%)

Age Distribution

0-4 6 (3.4%)
5-14 16 (9.1%)
15-19 19 (10.9%)
20-24 9 (5.1%)
25-34 4 (2.3%)
35-44 17 (9.7%)
45-54 31 (17.7%)
55-64 37 (21.1%)
65-74 22 (12.6%)
75-84 5 (2.9%)
85+ 8 (4.6%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 27 (60.0%)
Couple Families 10 (22.2%)
One Parent Families 5 (11.1%)
Group Household 3 (6.7%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 37 (60.7%)
Worked from Home 12 (19.7%)
Walked Only 8 (13.1%)
Car (passenger) 4 (6.6%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 14 (8.0%)
Bachelor Degree 8 (4.6%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4 (2.3%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 7 (10.8%)
1 car 25 (38.5%)
2 cars 17 (26.2%)
3 cars 11 (16.9%)
4+ cars 11 (16.9%)

Council Rates

Walgett
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $445 a year through Walgett based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$445/yr
64% below the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Pilliga's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 91%
  • Environmental 9%

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: Walgett

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

In the year to August 2026, 13 new dwellings were approved across Walgett. That mix is 5 houses and 8 units. Approvals are down 100.0% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
13dwellings
-100.0% YoY
Houses
5
detached dwellings
Units
8
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Walgett 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.

Setting

Elevation
158 m
above sea level, at the locality centre

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

0.0%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021

In postcode 2388, 0 of 2,388 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.4% (34 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.4%.

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

Rooftop solar

80
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 5.6 kW each

In postcode 2388, 838 rooftop-solar systems totalling 4.7 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,047 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 13 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
62
2020
40
2021
60
2022
38
2023
28
2024
39
2025
16
2026
5

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

Q4-2025 median
I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$477
Loan amount
$73,200
Total interest over 30 years
$98,595
Deposit
$18,300
Stamp duty
$1,461
Cash needed at settlement
$19,761

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 Parkes

Currently held by Jamie Chaffey The Nationals

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Jamie Chaffey 37.0% 63.0% +5.2
2022 Mark Coulton 32.2% 67.8% +0.9
2019 Mark Coulton 33.1% 66.9% +1.8

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

Barwon District

Currently held by Roy Butler Independent

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Roy Butler IND 66.0%
2019 Roy Butler 56.6%
2015 Kevin Humphries NP 62.9%

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 Pilliga?

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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Pilliga 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 Pilliga

Is Pilliga a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Pilliga is high (97/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.

What natural hazards affect Pilliga?

Pilliga has a low recorded bushfire history (21/100, 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.

What is the population of Pilliga?

Pilliga, NSW had a population of 175 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Pilliga, NSW?

The postcode for Pilliga, NSW is 2388.

How far is Pilliga from Sydney?

Pilliga is 609 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 439 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Pilliga?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Pilliga was $39,624 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 Pilliga?

There are too few current rental listings in Pilliga for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $189, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Pilliga?

The median age of residents in Pilliga was 51 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Pilliga at risk of bushfire?

Pilliga has a low recorded bushfire history (21/100). 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 Pilliga?

There is 1 school inside the Pilliga boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

What is the median house price in Pilliga?

The median sale price for houses in Pilliga was $91,500 in the Q4 2025 quarter, based on a small sample of 2 sales — take as indicative.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Pilliga?

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 Pilliga belong to?

Pilliga sits within the Walgett local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Pilliga?

The average residential rates bill through Walgett is $445 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Pilliga?

Across Walgett, 13 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 100.0% 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 Pilliga in?

Pilliga sits within the federal Division of Parkes, currently held by Jamie Chaffey (The Nationals).

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Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
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