Carwoola
Household income in the 98.1st percentile nationally tells you almost everything about Carwoola before you look at anything else. The suburb sits 84.5 square kilometres southeast of Canberra, with a population of just 1,602, and every single dwelling is a separate house. The median house price reached $1,740,000 in 2025, up 13.7% from $1,530,000 in 2024, a pace that outstrips most NSW markets. With 65.9% of dwellings having four or more bedrooms and 93.1% of workers driving to work, this is a low-density, high-income rural residential enclave that draws professionals commuting to the ACT rather than a typical suburb with local employment.
Population
1,602
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,205/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
15
Median House
$1.6M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The median house price in Carwoola was $1,740,000 in 2025, which is well above the NSW state median. Prices rose 13.7% from $1,530,000 in 2024, a sharp one-year move. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,839, and at a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.5%, buyers here are not in financial stress compared to most high-priced markets nationally. The stock is exclusively separate houses, with 65.9% having four or more bedrooms, making it a genuine family-home market rather than an investor unit play. Only 6.5% of residents rent, so competition among owner-occupiers dominates the purchase market. Outright owners at 43.7% outnumber mortgage holders at 49.8%, which points to an established, wealth-holding community rather than recent first-home buyers.
For Buyers
The median house price in Carwoola was $1,740,000 in 2025, which is well above the NSW state median. Prices rose 13.7% from $1,530,000 in 2024, a sharp one-year move. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,839, and at a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.5%, buyers here are not in financial stress compared to most high-priced markets nationally. The stock is exclusively separate houses, with 65.9% having four or more bedrooms, making it a genuine family-home market rather than an investor unit play. Only 6.5% of residents rent, so competition among owner-occupiers dominates the purchase market. Outright owners at 43.7% outnumber mortgage holders at 49.8%, which points to an established, wealth-holding community rather than recent first-home buyers.
For Investors
Carwoola is not a typical rental market. The renter share of 6.5% is far lower than the national average and reflects the owner-occupier character of the suburb. Weekly rent of $450 against a $1,740,000 median implies a gross yield well below 2%, making this a capital-growth story rather than an income play. The vacancy rate stands at 4.4%, elevated for such a thin rental market, suggesting limited competition among tenants. Development activity is modest at 14 applications in the past 12 months, mostly alterations and additions, with no new dwelling supply pressure. The 13.7% price growth over one year supports the capital-growth case, though the small market size means price swings can be amplified by just a handful of transactions.
Development Activity
Total DAs
124
Last 12 Months
15
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-44.4%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
Carwoola's median age of 44 is 4.0 years above the national figure, reflecting a mature professional cohort. University qualifications reach 37.0%, which is 6.9 percentage points above the national average, consistent with a workforce dominated by public sector managers and professionals from nearby Canberra. The overseas-born share is 14.1%, which is 7.5 percentage points below national, and ancestry is heavily Anglo-Celtic: English (604), Irish (215) and Scottish (187) are the top three groups. Average household size of 3.0 is 0.5 above national, driven by the prevalence of couples with children, who account for 514 of 1,342 total families. The volunteering rate of 22.6% is notably high, pointing to an engaged, community-oriented population.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
100.0%
Houses
N/A
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Every dwelling in Carwoola is a separate house, which is unusual even by rural NSW standards and means housing choice is essentially one-dimensional. The large-home skew is pronounced: 65.9% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms, and only 5.4% have two bedrooms, pointing to spacious family properties on large blocks. Tenure splits across 43.7% outright owners, 49.8% on mortgages and just 6.5% renting. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.5% sits below the 30% stress threshold despite the high purchase price, because household incomes here rank in the 98.1st percentile nationally. Price growth of 13.7% in one year, from $1,530,000 to $1,740,000, places Carwoola among the faster-moving semi-rural markets in the ACT fringe.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,839
Rent / wk
$450
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$1,283
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.4%
Unoccupied
23
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
14.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.5%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
31.4%
Couples, no children
1,342
Total families
Economy & Employment
Public Administration dominates local employment at 30.1% of workers (177 people), which directly reflects proximity to the Australian Capital Territory and the federal public service. Construction follows at 14.9% (88 workers) and Education at 12.1% (71 workers), with Professional and Technical services at 10.4% and Healthcare at 10.0%. By occupation, Managers (192) and Professionals (178) are the two largest groups, consistent with the suburb's 37.0% university qualification rate, which is above the national average. The unemployment rate is low at 2.4%, compared to typical national rates, and the full-time employment rate reaches 70.5%. Workforce participation at 62.5% is moderate, partly because 353 residents are not in the labour force, likely reflecting the older median age of 44.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
70.5%
Part-time
27.1%
Participation
62.5%
Employed
804
Occupations
Top Industries
University
37.0%
Postgraduate
13.0%
Born Overseas
14.1%
Dwellings
501
Transport to Work
Car dependency is almost total in Carwoola, with 93.1% of workers driving, well above national averages. Public transport usage is not recorded, which is consistent with a rural residential suburb beyond the reach of Canberra's light rail and bus network. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary, so families commute to nearby Bungendore or Queanbeyan for schooling. The need-for-assistance rate of 3.7% (56 residents) is modest given the median age of 44. The rent-to-income ratio of 14.0% is well below the stress threshold, and the mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.5% is similarly comfortable. The housing stress indicators, combined with high incomes in the 98.1st percentile nationally, point to a suburb with strong financial resilience among its residents.
Drive
93.1%
Public Transport
N/A
Walk / Cycle
1.3%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Carwoola compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Carwoola a good suburb to live in?
Carwoola suits professionals who want rural space near Canberra. Household income ranks in the 98.1st percentile nationally, the mortgage-to-income ratio is a comfortable 20.5%, and 83.1% of residents stay long-term. The trade-offs are total car dependency at 93.1% and no schools recorded within the suburb.
What is the median house price in Carwoola?
The median house price reached $1,740,000 in 2025, up 13.7% from $1,530,000 in 2024. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,839. All dwellings are separate houses, with 65.9% having four or more bedrooms.
What schools are in Carwoola?
No schools are recorded inside the Carwoola boundary. Families commute to nearby Bungendore or Queanbeyan for primary and secondary education. Despite this, 37.0% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 6.9 percentage points above the national average.
Is Carwoola safe?
Crime statistics are not available for Carwoola in this dataset. Indirectly, the suburb's household income in the 98.1st percentile nationally and a very low renter share of 6.5% are consistent with a low-disadvantage, stable residential community. Only 3.7% of the 1,602 residents need daily assistance.
Is Carwoola good for property investment?
Capital growth is the main case: prices rose 13.7% in one year to $1,740,000. However, the rental yield is poor, with weekly rent of $450 against a $1.74M median implying well below 2% gross yield. The vacancy rate is 4.4% and only 6.5% of residents rent, so the tenant pool is thin.
How is Carwoola's population changing?
Carwoola's population is 1,602 across 84.5 square kilometres, giving a density of 19 people per square kilometre, far below national averages. Resident turnover is low at 16.9%, with 83.1% staying in the same address. Development activity of 14 applications in 12 months is almost all alterations, with no new dwellings adding supply.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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