Goulburn
NSWGoulburn is a growing suburb in NSW with 23,963 residents.
- SAL code
- 11731
- SA2
- 101051539
- Population
- 23,963
Goulburn, NSW had 23,963 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 4.1% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 40. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,625 a month. Around 62.9% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 34.0%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 84.9% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 52 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Goulburn, NSW at a glance
Goulburn is a regional city on the Southern Tablelands ~195 km south-west of Sydney and ~90 km north-east of Canberra, the seat of Goulburn Mulwaree Council. Heritage streetscapes, big-block 1950-70s housing stock and a working agricultural hinterland define the character. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market + lifestyle + council context they don't.
For homebuyers
Goulburn lives like a self-contained regional city rather than a commuter outpost. The CBD has a heritage core (St Saviour's Cathedral, Belmore Park, the historic post office), Trappers Bakery and Lieder Theatre anchor the food + culture scene, and the Wollondilly River walking track threads through town. Housing is mostly detached: weatherboard cottages, solid 1960-70s brick on standard quarter-acre blocks, and newer estates on the fringes (North Goulburn, Merricks). Schools include Goulburn High, Trinity Catholic College, and the well-regarded St Patrick's. The train station sits on the main southern line — NSW TrainLink Xplorer/XPT services run to Sydney Central in ~2h 40m and to Canberra in ~50 minutes; by car, Canberra is under an hour via the Federal Highway, Sydney about 2 hours via the Hume. In short: a heritage regional city with genuine amenity, sized for people who want space + a Canberra commute or a Sydney weekender lifestyle.
For investors
Goulburn is a tight, supply-constrained regional market with moderate yields. Median house sale ~$660,000 with annual capital growth ~5.3% (htag April 2026); median weekly rent $470-500 gives a gross yield of ~3.9-4.1% (Your Investment Property May 2026, propertyvalue.com.au). Vacancy 0.74% and ~0.76 months of inventory signal a leasing-tight market. Days-on-market 37-52 depending on source. ~607 house + 83 unit sales in the past 12 months — a deep, liquid market by regional standards.
Strengths
- Tight vacancy (~0.74%) and thin inventory (~0.76 months) underpin rent stability.
- Deep transaction market (~690 sales/yr across houses + units) — easy entry and exit for a regional centre.
- Dual-capital optionality: Canberra <1h drive, Sydney via direct rail — broadens the tenant pool beyond a single labour market.
- Steady annual house growth ~5.3% (htag April 2026) — less volatile than capital-city fringe.
Trade-offs
- Yield is moderate (~3.9-4.1%) — not a high-cashflow play vs comparable regional markets.
- Limited unit stock (~83 sales/yr) means fewer stratified entry points and slower scalability.
- Affordability stretched relative to local incomes (39 yrs to repay on median metric, htag April 2026) — caps rent-growth headroom.
- Regional reliance on health, corrections (Goulburn Correctional Centre + Police Academy) and agriculture — less tenant diversification than metro.
What's coming
Goulburn Mulwaree Council's 2025/26 capital works program lifts above depreciation across the General Fund, with $1.07m for footpaths in Goulburn, Marulan and Tarago plus a new amenities building at Cookbundoon Sports Fields, and over $1.6m via Phase 4 LRCI for Carr Confoy Park netball resurfacing and the Marulan Soccer Fields drainage. The Goulburn Reticulation Renewal water program has had its 2026/27 budget trimmed and 2027/28 works deferred (Council LTFP 2025/26 - 2034/35).
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a substantial regional city with heritage character and rail + road access to both Canberra and Sydney. For investors: a tight, supply-constrained market with moderate yield and steady but not spectacular growth.
Population
?23,963
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+4.1%
3yr: +3.0% · 10yr: +10.8%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,405/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
40
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?3/10
SA2 · more disadvantaged
Unemployment
?3.8%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
9
6 primary, 2 secondary
Hospitals
?3
Within suburb
Childcare services
?16
11 long day, 6 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?52
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?6
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
No data for this suburb
Median Weekly Rent
Based on NSW rental bond lodgements, aggregated at postcode level. All SALs sharing this postcode show the same median.
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from NSW police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Goulburn (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Goulburn suburb alone is ~23,963 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 21,460 to 25,647 over 24 years, averaging 0.7% per year.
Schools
10 in suburbSector
10 public
Type
7 primary · 2 secondary
Total enrolment
3,291
Avg per school
329
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Goulburn EPS20.6%
- Bradfordville PS 19.2%
- Goulburn NPS 18.0%
- Goulburn SPS 15.9%
- Wollondilly PS 10.4%
- Goulburn WPS 9.1%
- Goulburn PS 6.8%
Secondary
Goulburn HS57.2%
- Mulwaree HS 42.8%
Source: NSW Department of Education — School Intake Zones. Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 5.5%Almost entirely detached houses (84.9%), mixed tenure (62.9% own or mortgage), built for families (45% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
NSW 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: NSW RFS BFPL via SEED
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
This suburb falls outside every flood polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: NSW Rural Fire Service (BFPL) and NSW DPHI EPI Flood.
Planning zones
16 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 13.6% | 7.57 km² |
| R1 | ZoneResidential | 12.7% | 7.04 km² |
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 11.0% | 6.09 km² |
| RU2 | ZoneRural | 10.0% | 5.53 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 9.8% | 5.45 km² |
| RU1 | ZoneRural | 7.5% | 4.16 km² |
| C2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 7.3% | 4.08 km² |
| RU6 | ZoneRural | 5.4% | 3.02 km² |
| R5 | ZoneResidential | 4.8% | 2.66 km² |
| E4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 3.9% | 2.19 km² |
| E3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 3.7% | 2.07 km² |
| C3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 3.4% | 1.89 km² |
| RE2 | ZoneRecreation | 2.5% | 1.38 km² |
| C4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 1.8% | 1.00 km² |
| MU1 | ZoneBusiness | 1.7% | 0.94 km² |
| E2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.8% | 0.46 km² |
Source: NSW DPHI EPI Land Zoning (ZONE_NSW/2026-04-29/1eccf1a530fa1be5) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.