Woolgoolga, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Woolgoolga is a beach town on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, about 25 kilometres north of Coffs Harbour and 550 kilometres north of Sydney, in the City of Coffs Harbour. The Gumbaynggirr people are the traditional owners, and the name comes from 'Wiilgulga', used for the area and for the Black Apple trees that grew there; gazetted in 1888, the spelling became Woolgoolga in 1966. European settlement began in the 1870s, and from 1883 the town grew as a timber and sawmilling centre, with a government jetty built in 1892. Bananas were long the main crop before blueberries took over from the late 1990s. The town is also home to a large Punjabi-Sikh community, with two Gurdwaras and the annual Curryfest.
Less advantaged than the national average
Woolgoolga is more socio-economically advantaged than about 26% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 943, 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.
Woolgoolga at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,151
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $1,190
- SEIFA score
- 943
- Coordinates
- -30.0849, 153.1645
Woolgoolga demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Woolgoolga 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 27%, 29% of homes are rented, and 26% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 968 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 538 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,539 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,467 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,649 | 27% |
Share of the 6,161 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,018 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 525 | 23% |
| Rented | 678 | 29% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,911 | 82% |
| Townhouses & semis | 307 | 13% |
| Flats & apartments | 79 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,319 occupied private dwellings in Woolgoolga.
- Median weekly rent
- $360
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,495
- Median weekly personal income
- $636
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,486 (26%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,380 (24%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 283 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,276 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 51.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,350
- Employed part-time
- 1,003
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 Woolgoolga
Where is Woolgoolga?
Woolgoolga is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Woolgoolga?
At the 2021 Census, Woolgoolga had a population of about 6,151.
Is Woolgoolga an advantaged area?
Woolgoolga has an ABS SEIFA score of 943, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 26 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 26% of Australian suburbs.
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