Median house price
$523k
+25% change
NSW · Armidale Regional Council
Backwater, 2365
Est. population · Jun 2025
19
Growth (1 yr)
0.0%
Growth (5 yr)
0.0%
Median age
64
Median income
$900/wk
Employment rate
60%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$523,000
Languages at home
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
- Excellent transport
Suburb profile
Backwater offers a slower smaller community life in Armidale Regional Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing.
With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice. Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area.
The local market is more attainable than many surrounding suburbs. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
At a glance
Backwater snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$420/wk
Population (ERP)
19
0.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
58.8%
Census unoccupied dwellings
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Safety
32nd
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
9th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
6/10
national SEIFA decile
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Housing
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $440
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $523,000
- Median price change
- +25%
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent and sales tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January to March 2026; October to December 2025 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
19(June 2025)
0.0% annual · 0.0% over 5 years · 9th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- 0.0%
- 5-year growth
- 0.0%
- Change in 1 year
- 0
- Change in 5 years
- 0
- Growth rank in NSW
- 9th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~0), extrapolated at +0.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 19
- Median age
- 64
- Median household income / week
- $900
- Dwelling vacancy
- 58.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 10 of 17
- Median monthly mortgage
- $0
- Employment rate
- 60%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 8 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
- Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences are unchanged compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 1
- Against the person
- 0
- Against property
- 0
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 52.6
- State safety percentile
- 32.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +0.3%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order20
- Breach Bail Conditions16
- Domestic Violence Related Assault25
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment30
- Malicious Damage To Property28
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Rolling 12-month windows
Family & Lifestyle
Public transport
6 public transport stops in this suburb
- 1543A Mount Mitchell Rd
- 1543A Mount Mitchell Rd
- Mount Mitchell Rd Opp 1543A
- Mount Mitchell Rd Opp Pinkett Rd
- Mount Mitchell Rd Opp Pinkett Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · current · Updated · Nightly GTFS feed
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Guyra Multi-Purpose Service (29.4 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
Weather
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 397 mm · ~50 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 20° / 9°
- Rainfall
- 221 mm · ~28 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 13° / 3°
- Rainfall
- 116 mm · ~14 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 20° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 214 mm · ~27 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
1 planning-related records
2021· 1 proposal
August 2021
- DwellingMOUNT MITCHELL ROAD BACKWATER 2365Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · 2020–2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- New England
- Member of Parliament
- Barnaby JOYCE (The Nationals)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 131,238
- Turnout (2025)
- 91.6%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- -1.9 pp toward Coalition
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 67.1%Labor 32.9%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 56.4 km away).
Coalition 71.0%Labor 29.0%
3.9 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +1.1 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- Ben LomondLabor 14.0% · Coalition 86.0% TPP (2025)24.4 km away
- GuyraLabor 22.0% · Coalition 78.0% TPP (2025)29.0 km away
- Black MountainLabor 33.7% · Coalition 66.3% TPP (2025)37.3 km away
- Glen InnesLabor 35.5% · Coalition 64.5% TPP (2025)38.9 km away
- Glen Innes WestLabor 29.6% · Coalition 70.4% TPP (2025)39.0 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
Data sources & freshness
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Armidale Regional Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.