Coolah, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Coolah sits in central-western New South Wales, in Warrumbungle Shire, roughly 370km north-west of Sydney beneath the Liverpool Range. The district was the country of the Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi peoples and is said to have been used as a meeting ground between the two nations; the name Coolah is often traced to a Port Jackson pidgin word said to mean 'angry'. British pastoralists settled the river valleys from the late 1830s, and the town today is a service centre for the sheep, cattle and crops grown along the Talbragar and Coolaburragundy rivers. Nearby Coolah Tops National Park protects tall snow-gum forest and grassy plateau country, while in town the Vietnam Memorial Avenue and the heritage-listed old police station and courthouse are well-known landmarks.
Less advantaged than the national average
Coolah is more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 939, 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.
Coolah at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,262
- Median age
- 47
- Median weekly household income
- $1,162
- SEIFA score
- 939
- Coordinates
- -31.7846, 149.7653
Coolah demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Coolah 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 mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 21% of homes are rented, and 7% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 220 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 128 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 233 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 337 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 337 | 27% |
Share of the 1,255 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 203 | 47% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 106 | 24% |
| Rented | 89 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 411 | 96% |
| Townhouses & semis | 15 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 426 occupied private dwellings in Coolah.
- Median weekly rent
- $170
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,000
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,480
- Median weekly personal income
- $595
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 71 (7%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 13 (1%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 99 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 324 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.3%
- Employed full-time
- 289
- Employed part-time
- 172
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 Coolah
Where is Coolah?
Coolah is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Coolah?
At the 2021 Census, Coolah had a population of about 1,262.
Is Coolah an advantaged area?
Coolah has an ABS SEIFA score of 939, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 24 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of Australian suburbs.
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