NSW · Richmond Valley Council

Doonbah, 2473

Est. population · Jun 2025

331

Growth (1 yr)

+2.5%

Growth (5 yr)

+8.9%

Median age

68

Median income

$876/wk

Employment rate

29.9%

University qualified

12.7%

Work from home

14.5%

Languages at home

3.6%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

40.6/100
Average

1459th in NSW

Verified 85% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Golf
  • Rural living
What Doonbah is known for: Golf, Rural living

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Doonbah, NSW suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Doonbah, NSW Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nsw/doonbah

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Suburb profile

Doonbah is a rural locality in New South Wales, in Richmond Valley Council.

Local amenities is an exceptional strength, well above typical levels for rural localities. Everyday destinations are relatively walkable. Population has been growing faster than in comparable places, and recorded road crashes are a relative strength, with recorded road crashes 70% below the peer median. Employment is a relative weakness, with employment 48% below the peer median.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising local amenities and walkability over employment.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Rural locality · compared with rural localities in New South Wales (2685)

Strengths

  • Local amenity access is stronger than in most comparable places
  • Everyday destinations are relatively walkable
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places
  • Recorded road crashes are a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Employment is a relative weakness

What stands out

Nothing distinctive beyond the usual profile.

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Doonbah compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$535/wk

Population (ERP)

331

+2.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

9.6%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#336

among Country & regional · Mature

Crime rate

38th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

92nd

percentile in NSW

Rented dwellings

5%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

2/10

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

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
40.6/100 — Average
National rank
4262nd in Australia
State rank
1459th in NSW
Peer rank
#336 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#590 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
85%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

Houses (January to March 2026)
$600

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 (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

331(June 2025)

+2.5% annual · +8.9% over 5 years · 92th percentile in NSW

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+2.5%
5-year growth
+8.9%
Change in 1 year
+8
Change in 5 years
+27
Growth rank in NSW
92th 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 (~350), extrapolated at +1.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
298
Median age
68
Median household income / week
$876
Dwelling vacancy
9.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
15 of 156
Median monthly mortgage
$1,538
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$216
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
78.5% / 16.9% / 4.6%
Employment rate
29.9%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
14.5% / 0% / 62.7%
Walked or cycled to work
10.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
141 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted 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

Qualifications

12.7% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 16% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified12.7% · 27.8% NSW
  • Diploma qualified10.1% · 9.3% NSW
  • Trade / vocational16% · 15% NSW
  • Year 12 or below61.2% · 47.9% NSW

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Management and commerce23%
  • Engineering and related technologies22.1%
  • Health19.7%
  • Architecture and building9%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services8.2%
  • Society and culture4.9%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$48,668

24th percentile in NSW · -17% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$54,894

23rd percentile in NSW · -16% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
16.0%

64th percentile in NSW · +16% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$92,972

77th percentile in NSW · +47% vs Australia

Residents with business income
10.0%

43rd percentile in NSW · -4% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2473 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
1,748
Taxpayers reporting net rent
273
Median net rent
$1,500
Taxpayers reporting business income
169
Taxable income vs state median
-13%
Salary / wages vs state median
-12%
Rental investment vs state median
+14%
Super vs state median
+32%
Business income vs state median
0%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NSW, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

3.6% speak a language other than English at home; 14.4% born overseas

Language at home
270 English only · 10 other
Non-English at home
3.6%
Born overseas
40 (14.4%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
27 (9.1%)
Australian citizens
280

Religion

56.4%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 56.4%, while 34.6% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion34.6%32.8%
Christianity56.4%47.6%
Other / not stated9.1%19.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Anglican23.2%11.9%
Catholic17.1%22.4%
Presbyterian and Reformed4.7%1.9%
Uniting Church4.4%2.1%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 2473, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
19
Against the person
6
Against property
8
Rate per 1,000 residents
57.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 50 residents
State crime-rate percentile
38.4th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-9.3%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
2
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
6.04

Most common offence types

  • Breach Apprehended Violence Order2
  • Domestic Violence Related Assault2
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment2
  • Malicious Damage To Property3
  • Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault2

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

School list
School catchments
  • Evans River CSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Woodburn PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

  • NSW government school intake zones — NSW Department of Education · current · Updated · Open catchment polygons where published

Public transport

20 public transport stops in this suburb

  • 345 Woodburn Evans Head Rd
  • 385 Woodburn Evans Head Rd
  • 485 Woodburn Evans Head Rd
  • Woodburn Evans Head Rd After Golf Links Rd
  • Woodburn Evans Head Rd Opp Golf Links Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

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

5 mapped amenities

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
  • Well connected by public transport — 20 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
30/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Sport & outdoors(1)
  • Woodburn-Evans Head Golf ClubGolf course
Transport(4)

4 bus stops

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Sporting clubs

1 named sporting club in this suburb

  • Woodburn-Evans Head Golf Club

    Golf · +61 2 6682 2385

Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
0%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
0
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
28°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Ballina District Hospital (30.9 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
10
Participants per 1,000 residents
30.2

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

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
28° / 19°
Rainfall
370 mm · ~46 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
25° / 15°
Rainfall
330 mm · ~41 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
20° / 8°
Rainfall
140 mm · ~18 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
25° / 14°
Rainfall
202 mm · ~25 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from NSW Planning Portal.

2026· 2 proposals
  • September 2026

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    360 WOODBURN EVANS HEAD ROAD DOONBAH 2473Under Assessment
  • February 2026

  • Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure
    7 WALLUM DRIVE DOONBAH 2473Determined
2023· 2 proposals
  • April 2023

  • Shed
    9 WALLUM DRIVE DOONBAH 2473Determined
  • January 2023

  • Pools / decks / fencing
    3 WALLUM DRIVE DOONBAH 2473Determined
2022· 7 proposals
  • November 2022

  • Other
    2 WALLUM DRIVE DOONBAH 2473Determined
  • September 2022

  • Alterations and additions to residential development
    528 WOODBURN EVANS HEAD ROAD DOONBAH 2473Determined
  • August 2022

  • Other
    2 WALLUM DRIVE DOONBAH 2473Determined
  • Alterations and additions to residential development
    370 WOODBURN EVANS HEAD ROAD DOONBAH 2473Withdrawn
  • Pools / decks / fencing
    3 WALLUM DRIVE DOONBAH 2473Determined
  • March 2022

  • Pools / decks / fencing
    8 WALLUM DRIVE DOONBAH 2473Determined
  • January 2022

  • Pools / decks / fencing
    355 WOODBURN EVANS HEAD ROAD DOONBAH 2473Determined
2021· 2 proposals
  • August 2021

  • Signage
    570 WOODBURN EVANS HEAD ROAD DOONBAH 2473Withdrawn
  • April 2021

  • Dwelling
    2 WALLUM DRIVE DOONBAH 2473Determined

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping. Flood cover uses NSW flood planning polygons against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Page
Member of Parliament
Kevin HOGAN (The Nationals)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
129,373
Turnout (2025)
91.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+1.4 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 59.3%Labor 40.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 23.9 km away).

Coalition 59.2%Labor 40.8%

Similar Labor lean to the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +2.7 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • WoodburnLabor 43.0% · Coalition 57.0% TPP (2025)4.2 km away
  • Evans HeadLabor 38.1% · Coalition 61.9% TPP (2025)5.6 km away
  • BroadwaterLabor 37.8% · Coalition 62.2% TPP (2025)9.5 km away
  • CorakiLabor 39.0% · Coalition 61.0% TPP (2025)13.9 km away
  • WardellLabor 44.1% · Coalition 55.9% TPP (2025)17.0 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

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
2/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Richmond Valley Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.