Goonellabah is a major regional centre in New South Wales, in Lismore Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development.
Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. Health access is an exceptional strength, well above typical levels for major regional centres. University qualifications are a relative strength, with university qualifications 31% above the peer median, and recorded road crashes are a relative strength, with recorded road crashes 27% below the peer median. Trade-offs centre on lower school ICSEA scores and higher crime.
Goonellabah is a better fit for people who value daily services and health access more than school quality.
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
Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in New South Wales (276)
Strengths
Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places
Health-facility access is stronger than in comparable places
University qualifications are a relative strength
Recorded road crashes are a relative strength
Weaknesses
School ICSEA scores are a relative weakness
Reported crime in the wider postcode 2480 is elevated relative to comparable places
What stands out
Nothing distinctive beyond the usual profile.
Who it suits
Stars are audience-fit ratings derived from Suburb.Guide data, not demographic counts or user reviews.
Families★☆☆☆☆
Professionals★☆☆☆☆
Retirees★★☆☆☆
Students★☆☆☆☆
Budget buyers★★★☆☆
Housing, growth and risk
How Goonellabah compares
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median house price
$730k
+11% change
Median rent
$550/wk
Houses $620 · Units $425
Population (ERP)
14,029
+1.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
5.2%
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
#41
among Country & regional · Established
Crime rate
74th
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
65th
percentile in NSW
Rented dwellings
30%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
3/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
7th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
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
46.2/100 — Average
State standing
Top 45% of New South Wales' suburbs
National rank
2834th in Australia
State rank
964th in NSW
Peer rank
#41 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#307 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
99%
Data sources & freshness
Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
Flats / units (January to March 2026)
$425
Houses (January to March 2026)
$620
All types (January to March 2026)
$550
Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
252
Median house price (October to December 2025)
$730,000
Median price change
+11.4%
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
+1.0% annual · +4.5% over 5 years · 65th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.0%
5-year growth
+4.5%
Change in 1 year
+134
Change in 5 years
+605
Growth rank in NSW
65th 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 (~14,400), extrapolated at +0.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
Population
13,351
Median age
41
Median household income / week
$1,318
Dwelling vacancy
5.2%
Unoccupied private dwellings
291 of 5,564
Median monthly mortgage
$1,560
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$320
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
37.1% / 33.1% / 29.8%
Employment rate
54.5%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
10.8% / 0.4% / 73.2%
Walked or cycled to work
1.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
4,095 / 949 / 219
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.
18.4% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 20.2% have a trade or vocational qualification.
University qualified18.4% · 27.8% NSW
Diploma qualified8.6% · 9.3% NSW
Trade / vocational20.2% · 15% NSW
Year 12 or below52.9% · 47.9% NSW
Highest qualification field
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
Management and commerce20.9%
Health15.2%
Society and culture14.1%
Engineering and related technologies12.4%
Education12.2%
Food, hospitality and personal services6.1%
How these groups are defined
Measure
Definition
University qualified
Bachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualified
Advanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocational
Certificate III + IV
Year 12
Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12
Year 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)
$50,499
30th percentile in NSW · -14% vs Australia
Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$55,981
27th percentile in NSW · -14% vs Australia
Residents with rental investments
13.0%
42nd percentile in NSW · -6% vs Australia
Median super balance (2023–24)
$64,649
40th percentile in NSW · +2% vs Australia
Residents with business income
15.0%
91st percentile in NSW · +44% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2480 — 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
26,413
Taxpayers reporting net rent
3,502
Median net rent
$3,061
Taxpayers reporting business income
3,876
Taxable income vs state median
-10%
Salary / wages vs state median
-11%
Rental investment vs state median
-7%
Super vs state median
-8%
Business income vs state median
+50%
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
6.5% speak a language other than English at home; 10.2% born overseas
Language at home
11,821 English only · 819 other
Non-English at home
6.5%
Born overseas
1,292 (10.2%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
996 (7.5%)
Australian citizens
12,196
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
26
Top languages other than English
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
Punjabi33 · 11.1%
Italian30 · 10.1%
Australian Indigenous languages22 · 7.4%
Mandarin19 · 6.4%
Vietnamese18 · 6.1%
Spanish17 · 5.7%
German16 · 5.4%
Arabic15 · 5.1%
Religion
51.1%Most common religion · Christianity
Christianity is the most common response at 51.1%, while 38.3% reported no religion.
Measure
Suburb
State
No religion
38.3%
32.8%
Christianity
51.1%
47.6%
Other / not stated
10.6%
19.6%
Christian denominations
Denomination
Suburb
State
Catholic
20.6%
22.4%
Anglican
12.9%
11.9%
Presbyterian and Reformed
4.3%
1.9%
Christian (not further defined)
3.9%
2.4%
Uniting Church
3.8%
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 2480, which is shared with other suburbs.
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
1,428
Against the person
382
Against property
542
Rate per 1,000 residents
101.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 35 residents
State crime-rate percentile
74.3th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-7.5%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
99
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
7.06
Most common offence types
Breach Bail Conditions159
Fraud88
Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment112
Malicious Damage To Property111
Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault96
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
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
Schools & preschools
Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
865.5
Median ICSEA percentile
7th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
7
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
3
School list
Goonellabah Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 847 · 5th percentile · LBOTE 6% · 226 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
The Rivers Secondary College, Kadina High CampusSecondary · Government · ICSEA 884 · 8th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 262 students · Top SEA quarter 4% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
Bexhill PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Goonellabah PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Lismore Hts PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Lismore PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Tregeagle PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
TRSC KadinaGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
TRSC LismoreGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
TRSC Richmond RiverGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Wyrallah PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Wyrallah Rd 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
Great for outdoor family life — 17 parks mapped in suburb, 13 playgrounds nearby
Well connected by public transport — 599 public transport stops
Good everyday shopping nearby — 7 shops and services
Strong local sport and recreation — 27 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
76/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.22
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.27
Food & drink(3)
Rous Road BakeryBakery
McDonald'sFast food
Goonellabah TavernPub
Shopping(11)
Goonellabah Quality MeatsButcher
EG AustraliaConvenience store
The Smashed AvoGreengrocer
Goonellabah Shopping VillageShopping centre
1 Simeoni Drive, Goonellabah
Shopping centre
2 Simeoni Drive, Goonellabah
AldiSupermarket
15 Simeoni Drive
ColesSupermarket
IGASupermarket
WoolworthsSupermarket
Everyday services(3)
EG AmpolPetrol station
2 Simeoni Drive, Goonellabah
ShellPetrol station
Goonellabah Post OfficePost office
Community(6)
Goonellabah LibraryLibrary
Goonellabah Public SchoolSchool
Goonellabah Public SchoolSchool
595 Ballina Road, Goonellabah
The Rivers Secondary Collage (Kadina Campus)School
Goonellabah
Lismore City CouncilTownhall
Lismore City CouncilTownhall
Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah
Health & services(4)
Goonellabah Medical CentreClinic
616 Ballina Road, Goonellabah
Goonellabah Dental PracticeDentist
25 Rous Road, Goonellabah
Discount Drug StoresPharmacy
Unit 1 33-35 Rous Road, Goonellabah
Goonellabah PharmacyPharmacy
Sport & outdoors(43)
Kadina StreetCycling route
Holland Park Dog Play AreaDog park
Fitness station
Kadina ParkFitness station
Goonellabah Sports & Aquatic CentreGym
Birdwing Butterfly GullyPark
Bottom OvalPark
Elders Memorial ParkPark
Hepburn ParkPark
Holmes ParkPark
Kadina ParkPark
Platypus ParkPark
Top OvalPark
Tucki Tucki Creek Recreation ParkPark
Weston ParkPark
Winchester ParkPark
Picnic area
B Block QuadPlayground
Canteen QuadPlayground
CAPA QuadPlayground
English CourtyardPlayground
Holmes ParkPlayground
Kadina ParkPlayground
Lismore City CouncilPlayground
MPC QuadPlayground
Playground (4)
Staff QuadPlayground
Public toilets
Bottom Basketball CourtSports field
Cricket PitchSports field
Goonellabah Skate ParkSports field
Hepburn Park Hockey PitchSports field
Hepburn Park OvalSports field
Jim Kelly FieldSports field
Junior Soccer FieldsSports field
Kadina ParkSports field
Sports field
Spring Street Tennis CourtsSports field
Top Basketball CourtSports field
Weston ParkSports field
Entertainment(1)
Rochdale TheatreTheatre
Transport(42)
42 bus stops
Other(24)
Richard Birdwing Butterfly GullyAttraction
Bench (15)
Car wash
Climbing Web
Goonellabah Fire Station (316)Fire station
13 Taylor Avenue, Goonellabah
AldiParking
Goonellabah Football ClubParking
Goonellabah Medical CentreParking
Goonellabah Medical Centre Staff OnlyParking
Goonellabah Sports & Aquatic ClubParking
Lismore City CouncilParking
Lismore WorkersParking
Parking (8)
Rous Road shopsParking
Goonellabah PhysiotherapyPhysiotherapist
Place of worship
BBQ AreaShelter
Bus BayShelter
Holmes ParkShelter
Kadina ParkShelter
Platypus ParkShelter
Shelter (7)
Simeoni DriveShelter
TelstraTelephone
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
Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.
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
Places of worship
1 places of worship within ~1.5 km
Place of worship
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
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.
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%)
Commercial development; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
793 BALLINA ROAD GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Erection of a new structure; Carport; Supporting Development
9 HIGHLAND CRESCENT GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Shed; Erection of a new structure
4 HILLTOP CLOSE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)
9 JOHN O'NEILL CIRCUIT GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
June 2026
Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home
5A SPRING AVENUE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
126 INVERCAULD ROAD GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Dwelling house; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support
24 SCHURR DRIVE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support
67 HILLCREST AVENUE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached); Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support
33 ACACIA AVENUE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation
36 CALLUNE TERRACE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
May 2026
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation
20 PINECREST DRIVE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Multi-dwelling housing (terraces)
30 HILLTOP CLOSE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
46 JUST STREET GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Manufactured home
67 HILLCREST AVENUE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
50 MAHOGANY PARADE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
118 INVERCAULD ROAD GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah
7 KINGFISHER PLACE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Shed; Erection of a new structure
19 HIGHFIELD TERRACE GOONELLABAH 2480Determined
Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached); Residential Accommodation
7 tulipwood ave Goonellabah, NSWDetermined
April 2026
Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Heritage listings as established streetscape
Data sources & freshness
State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated
Hazards
Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
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 6.7 km away).
Coalition 54.1%Labor 45.9%
5.2 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +0.3 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
Goonellabah SouthLabor 43.3% · Coalition 56.7% TPP (2025)0.8 km away
GoonellabahLabor 46.5% · Coalition 53.5% TPP (2025)1.2 km away
Lismore EastLabor 53.5% · Coalition 46.5% TPP (2025)2.5 km away
Lismore HeightsLabor 57.8% · Coalition 42.2% TPP (2025)3.1 km away
LismoreLabor 62.3% · Coalition 37.7% TPP (2025)3.3 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.
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%)