Bombala, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Bombala is a town in the Monaro region of southern New South Wales, about 485km south-southwest of Sydney and 80km south of Cooma, on the Bombala River. Its name is generally said to come from an Aboriginal word meaning 'meeting of the waters', and the Ngarigu people lived across the district before European settlement. Captain Ronald Campbell took up a run he called 'Bombalo' in 1833, settlers followed through the 1840s, and a post office opened in 1849. The railway reached the town in 1921 but closed in 1986. Grazing, timber and tourism sustain the area, which promotes itself as 'Platypus Country' for the animals in its rivers. The annual Bombala Show remains a community highlight.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Bombala is more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 916, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Bombala at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,372
- Median age
- 47
- Median weekly household income
- $1,277
- SEIFA score
- 916
- Coordinates
- -36.8899, 149.2437
Bombala demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Bombala using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 28%, 21% of homes are rented, and 9% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 237 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 125 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 284 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 344 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 388 | 28% |
Share of the 1,378 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 250 | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 166 | 30% |
| Rented | 116 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 525 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 18 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 5 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 554 occupied private dwellings in Bombala.
- Median weekly rent
- $215
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,712
- Median weekly personal income
- $725
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 105 (9%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 41 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 35 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 364 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Employed full-time
- 383
- Employed part-time
- 187
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Bombala
Where is Bombala?
Bombala is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Bombala?
At the 2021 Census, Bombala had a population of about 1,372.
Is Bombala an advantaged area?
Bombala has an ABS SEIFA score of 916, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 16 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of Australian suburbs.
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