Median house price
$1.05M
-5.8% change
NSW · Bellingen Council
Thora, 2454
Est. population · Jun 2025
311
Growth (1 yr)
+0.3%
Growth (5 yr)
+1.3%
Median age
49
Median income
$1,271/wk
Employment rate
55%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$1,050,000
Languages at home
7.2%non-English
Most common: Spanish
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- Education hub
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Thora is a quieter smaller community in Bellingen Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name.
Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. Buses are a genuine asset, linking residents to work, study and nearby neighbourhoods.
Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
The desirability picture is below average, weighed down by softer growth momentum, plus local dining and lifestyle amenities relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Thora snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$600/wk
Population (ERP)
311
+0.3% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
15.0%
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
#228
among Country & regional · Mature
Safety
32nd
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
44th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
7/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
50th
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
- 36.9/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4310th in Australia
- State rank
- 1362nd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #228 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #491 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 89%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $630
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 39
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $1,050,000
- Median price change
- -5.8%
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
311(June 2025)
+0.3% annual · +1.3% over 5 years · 44th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.3%
- 5-year growth
- +1.3%
- Change in 1 year
- +1
- Change in 5 years
- +4
- Growth rank in NSW
- 44th 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 (~300), extrapolated at +0.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 311
- Median age
- 49
- Median household income / week
- $1,271
- Dwelling vacancy
- 15%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 19 of 127
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,344
- Employment rate
- 55%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 109 / 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 decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 16
- Against the person
- 5
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 51.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 62 residents
- State safety percentile
- 31.8th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -5.6%
Most common offence types
- Domestic Violence Related Assault39
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment53
- Malicious Damage To Property66
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault42
- Other Offences62
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
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 2
- Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
- 1,007.5
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 50th
School list
- Chrysalis School for Rudolf Steiner EducationCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1032 · 61th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 188 students · Top SEA quarter 20%View on My School →
- Orama Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 983 · 39th percentile · LBOTE 6% · 32 students · Top SEA quarter 8%View on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Public transport
48 public transport stops in this suburb
- 2211 Waterfall Way
- 2230 Waterfall Way
- 2345 Waterfall Way
- 2345 Waterfall Way
- 2379 Waterfall Way
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
14 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 petrol stations · 1 post offices
Local character & venue list
Local character
- A car helps for daily errands
- Great for outdoor family life — 1 parks mapped in suburb
- Well connected by public transport — 48 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
- 3.22
Shopping(1)
- Thora General StoreConvenience store
2656 Waterfall Way, Thora
Community(1)
- Thora HallCommunity centre
2 Darkwood Road, Thora
Sport & outdoors(2)
- Roses ParkPark
- Thora Picnic AreaPicnic area
Other(10)
- Thora - Roses Park Rest AreaCamp Site
- Thora Rural Fire StationFire station
11 Darkwood Road, Thora
- Thora Access FuelsGas
- Roses Park Rest AreaParking
- Thora Access FuelsPetrol station
- Australia PostPost Box
- Australia PostPost office
- Roses Park Rest AreaPublic toilets
- Shelter
- 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.
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
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Roses ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Bellinger River District Hospital (11.6 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Public 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
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 10
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 32.2
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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
- 26° / 19°
- Rainfall
- 504 mm · ~63 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 23° / 15°
- Rainfall
- 522 mm · ~65 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 18° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 199 mm · ~25 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 23° / 13°
- Rainfall
- 270 mm · ~34 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.
2026· 3 proposals
July 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure315 BOGGY CREEK ROAD THORA 2454Under Assessment
May 2026
- Secondary dwelling; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia2791 WATERFALL WAY THORA 2454Under Assessment
April 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure484 SUMMERVILLES ROAD THORA 2454Determined
2025· 6 proposals
November 2025
- Subdivision420 SUMMERVILLES ROAD THORA 2454Determined
September 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure2086 WATERFALL WAY THORA 2454Determined
April 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah2481 WATERFALL WAY THORA 2454Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure30 MCGRATHS ROAD THORA 2454Determined
March 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation2727 WATERFALL WAY THORA 2454Determined
January 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Farm stay accommodation484 SUMMERVILLES ROAD THORA 2454Determined
2024· 1 proposal
May 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure538 DARKWOOD ROAD THORA 2454Withdrawn
2023· 8 proposals
December 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure10 DARKWOOD ROAD THORA 2454Determined
August 2023
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Demolition77 MCGRATHS ROAD THORA 2454Under Assessment
July 2023
- Dwelling; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Earthworks / change in levels; Garages, carports and car parking spaces755 SUMMERVILLES ROAD THORA 2454Determined
May 2023
- Dwelling755 SUMMERVILLES ROAD THORA 2454Withdrawn
April 2023
- Secondary dwelling; Shed219 SUMMERVILLES ROAD THORA 2454Determined
March 2023
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces538 DARKWOOD ROAD THORA 2454Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development484 SUMMERVILLES ROAD THORA 2454Operational consent issued
February 2023
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development10 DARKWOOD ROAD THORA 2454Determined
2022· 3 proposals
August 2022
- Dwelling755 SUMMERVILLES ROAD THORA 2454Determined
February 2022
- Dwelling; Demolition2481 WATERFALL WAY THORA 2454Determined
January 2022
- Dwelling; Secondary dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing77 MCGRATHS ROAD THORA 2454Determined
2021· 1 proposal
August 2021
- Other315 BOGGY CREEK ROAD THORA 2454Withdrawn
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 · 2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
Roadworks & transport
2 active roadworks / incidents
- Use an alternative route.Summervilles Road, Summervilles Creek Bridge30 Oct 2024 – 06 Jul 2027
- Use an alternative route. <strong>All Vehicles over 10T gross use alternate route.</strong>Summervilles Road, Summervilles Road Bridge19 Jan 2026 – 06 Jul 2027
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
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
- Cowper
- Member of Parliament
- Pat CONAGHAN (The Nationals)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 131,639
- Turnout (2025)
- 90.8%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +0.5 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 59.1%Labor 40.9%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 23.8 km away).
Coalition 37.9%Labor 62.1%
21.2 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +4.5 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- ThoraLabor 62.4% · Coalition 37.6% TPP (2025)1.3 km away
- BellingenLabor 68.5% · Coalition 31.5% TPP (2025)11.1 km away
- GlenifferLabor 57.1% · Coalition 42.9% TPP (2025)11.3 km away
- Bellingen NorthLabor 69.1% · Coalition 30.9% TPP (2025)12.4 km away
- DorrigoLabor 45.0% · Coalition 55.0% TPP (2025)12.7 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)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
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 Bellingen Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.