Medowie
Detached housing defines Medowie: 97.3% of dwellings are separate houses and 65.8% have 4 or more bedrooms, so its 10879 residents live at a lower-density 243.3 people per sq km. Compared with nearby Raymond Terrace and Williamtown, it reads more as a family-house market than a unit market, with household income in the 76.6 percentile and only 9.7% born overseas. The trade-off is car dependence, because 92.9% drive to work while public transport use is just 0.4%.
Population
10,879
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,044/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
181
Median House
$810K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
For buyers, Medowie is mainly a detached-house decision rather than a unit search: 97.3% of homes are separate houses, apartments are only 0.5%, and 65.8% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms. The median house price is $810000, while the 2025 price series reached $862500, 13.5% higher than 2024 and 0.0% below the peak. Mortgage pressure looks contained at 22.0% of income because household income sits at $2044 weekly, but the $1950 monthly mortgage still favours dual-income households.
For Buyers
For buyers, Medowie is mainly a detached-house decision rather than a unit search: 97.3% of homes are separate houses, apartments are only 0.5%, and 65.8% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms. The median house price is $810000, while the 2025 price series reached $862500, 13.5% higher than 2024 and 0.0% below the peak. Mortgage pressure looks contained at 22.0% of income because household income sits at $2044 weekly, but the $1950 monthly mortgage still favours dual-income households.
For Investors
Investors face a tenant pool that is present but not dominant: 22.3% rent, lower than the 47.2% of households with a mortgage. Weekly rent is $430 and rent-to-income is 21.0%, so affordability is not yet stretched compared with the ownership burden. The 5.1% vacancy rate is the main caution because it points to more choice for tenants. On the upside, 170 development applications in 12 months and internal migration of 398 people a year support future demand.
Development Activity
Total DAs
1,213
Last 12 Months
181
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-6.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Medowie iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Medowie Christian School
K-12 · 554 students
Catherine McAuley Catholic College
7-12 · 884 students
Medowie Public School
K-6 · 382 students
Wirreanda Public School
K-6 · 530 students
Demographics
Medowie skews local and family-sized. The median age is 37, 3.0 years below the national comparison, while the average household has 2.9 people, 0.4 above the national figure. Overseas-born residents are 9.7%, 11.9 percentage points below national, and university attainment is 20.1%, 10.0 points lower. English ancestry is the largest marker at 4787 people, followed by Scottish at 1180 and Irish at 1057, which helps explain the limited non-English language counts such as Afrikaans 25 and Mandarin 14.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
97.3%
Houses
2.1%
Townhouse
0.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is highly owner-occupier and detached. Outright owners are 30.5%, mortgage holders 47.2% and renters 22.3%, so buyer demand matters more than investor churn. The sale series moved from $760000 in 2024 to $862500 in 2025, a 13.5% lift, with the latest price at the peak and 0.0% below it. Bedrooms reinforce the family profile: 65.8% have 4 or more bedrooms and 29.7% have 3. With mortgage-to-income at 22.0%, repayment burden is lower than the rent-growth pressure shown by 63.3% rent growth.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,950
Rent / wk
$430
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$845
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.1%
Unoccupied
193
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.2%
Couples, no children
9,576
Total families
Economy & Employment
Medowie's workforce leans into services and government-linked work. Healthcare employs 637 people or 17.8%, Public Admin 520 or 14.5%, Construction 365 or 10.2%, Education 321 or 9.0% and Manufacturing 283 or 7.9%. Professionals are the largest occupation at 861, but IEO sits in decile 3 while IER is higher in decile 8, suggesting incomes and housing resources are stronger because service and public roles are prominent. IRSD is decile 5 and IRSAD decile 4, close to the state middle but not affluent overall.
Unemployment
3.2%
Labour Force
8,114
Unemployed
260
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
63.8%
Part-time
31.9%
Participation
61.4%
Employed
4,913
Occupations
Top Industries
University
20.1%
Postgraduate
3.9%
Born Overseas
9.7%
Dwellings
3,604
Transport to Work
Livability is suburban and car-based. Work trips are dominated by drivers at 92.9%, while public transport is 0.4% and walking or cycling is 1.6%, so daily convenience depends on parking and road access rather than a station commute. The school base is useful for families, with 4 local schools across Independent, Catholic and Government sectors and an ICSEA range from 988 to 1038. Medowie Christian School at 1038 and Catherine McAuley Catholic College at 1019 sit above the local government primaries, giving choice across stages.
Drive
92.9%
Public Transport
0.4%
Walk / Cycle
1.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.58%/yr
(+271 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than speculative. The trend forecast adds 1.58% a year, or 271 people, and the medium path rises from 16894 in 2026 to 18249 in 2031. Migration is led by internal moves, averaging 398 net residents a year compared with 50 from overseas, so demand is mainly regional and interstate. The shift is aging: senior share is up 5.6, working share down 3.5 and young share down 1.2. Gentrification is Active with a score of 51, helped by 9.4% real income growth but offset by worsening affordability from 43.8 to 53.2.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+50
Net Internal / yr
+398
Gentrification Signal
Active
Population +32% since 2011, Net internal migration +398/yr, Accelerating: 7% → 23%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Medowie compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medowie a good suburb to live in?
Yes for households wanting space, detached housing and school choice. Separate houses make up 97.3% of dwellings, 4 schools operate locally and household income sits at the 76.6 percentile. The main compromise is transport, because 92.9% of workers drive.
What is the median house price in Medowie?
The median house price is $810000. Recent sale-series pricing moved from $760000 in 2024 to $862500 in 2025, a 13.5% rise, with the latest figure 0.0% below the recorded peak.
What schools are in Medowie?
Medowie has 4 schools: Medowie Christian School with ICSEA 1038, Catherine McAuley Catholic College 1019, Medowie Public School 994 and Wirreanda Public School 988. Sectors cover Independent, Catholic and Government.
Is Medowie safe?
A suburb-level crime rate is not available for Medowie, so safety should be checked against current NSW incident maps before buying. Local context is residential, with 97.3% separate houses and 47.2% mortgage households, but those figures are not a crime measure.
Is Medowie good for property investment?
Medowie suits investors who can tolerate vacancy risk. Renters are 22.3%, weekly rent is $430 and vacancy is 5.1%, which is higher than a tight rental setting. Demand support comes from 170 development applications and net internal migration of 398 people a year.
How is Medowie's population changing?
The medium forecast path rises from 16894 people in 2026 to 18249 in 2031, with trend growth of 1.58% or 271 people a year. The main driver is internal migration, averaging 398 net residents annually compared with 50 from overseas.
What development is happening in Medowie?
Development activity is high, with 170 applications recorded over 12 months. Recent examples include sheds, alterations, additions, balconies, decks, patios and earthworks, so the pipeline is more incremental household change than a single high-rise shift.
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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