Wahroonga
NSWWahroonga is a declining suburb in NSW with 17,853 residents.
- SAL code
- 14103
- SA2
- 121031412
- Population
- 17,853
Wahroonga, NSW had 17,853 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 1.0% decline over the last five years. The predominant age group is 45-54 years, and the median age sits at 44. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $3,467 a month. Around 78.0% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned with a mortgage at 39.6%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 74.6% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 32 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
Wahroonga, NSW at a glance
Wahroonga sits on Sydney's Upper North Shore in Ku-ring-gai LGA, ~22 km north of the CBD on the T1 North Shore Line. The character is large heritage homes on big green blocks, anchored by a village shopping strip and a cluster of well-known private schools. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council context they don't.
For homebuyers
Wahroonga reads as an established Upper North Shore village rather than a typical suburban grid. Most of the housing stock is detached on generous heritage lots, with mature canopy and significant tree-protection rules through Ku-ring-gai. The retail core is the village beside Wahroonga station (Redleaf Park alongside), with Westfield Hornsby ~6 minutes north for the bigger shop. Schools are the headline: Knox Grammar (founded 1924) and Abbotsleigh sit inside the suburb, with Wahroonga Public School ("the bush school"), Prouille Catholic and Knox Pymble nearby. Sydney Adventist Hospital ("the San") is the major local employer. The T1 North Shore Line runs to North Sydney in ~31 minutes and Wynyard a few minutes further (Transport for NSW timetables). In short: a settled, school-heavy, heritage-leaning village with a direct CBD train and a strong community spine.
For investors
Wahroonga is a high-price, low-yield owner-occupier market. Median house sale ~$3,000,000 against ~$1,300/week rent prints a gross yield around 2.19%; units sit at a median ~$1,155,000 with a sharper ~3.88% yield (Your Investment Property + htag.com.au, 2026). 232 house sales and 112 unit sales in the past 12 months. Days-on-market: 29 for houses, 36 for units. Annual capital growth ~4.71%. Ku-ring-gai vacancy is ~0.8% (Marshall Group, March 2026).
Strengths
- Tight rental market — Ku-ring-gai vacancy ~0.8% (Marshall Group, March 2026) supports rent reliability.
- Deep school catchment (Knox, Abbotsleigh, Wahroonga PS) underwrites long-tenure family demand.
- Direct T1 North Shore Line to North Sydney in ~31 min keeps CBD-worker tenant pool wide.
- Heritage / tree-canopy controls in Ku-ring-gai limit oversupply risk on the existing housing stock.
Trade-offs
- Yield on houses is thin (~2.19%) — this is a capital-growth/owner-occupier market, not cashflow.
- Entry price of ~$3.0m for houses puts most stratified investors into the unit segment by default.
- Annual growth ~4.71% is moderate vs Sydney corridor averages — slow-and-steady, not breakout.
- NSW Transport-Oriented Development reforms are pushing higher density into Ku-ring-gai station precincts; future unit supply could compress unit yields.
What's coming
Ku-ring-gai Council's 2025/26 Operational Plan commits $11.8m to local roads, $1m to traffic improvements, $9.9m to local-centre / streetscape works, and $7.6m to park upgrades. Wahroonga-specific projects include road enhancements at Halcyon Avenue, Larbert Avenue and Chilton Parade, with Phase 1 of the Braeside Street upgrade scheduled to start early 2026 subject to approvals (krg.nsw.gov.au).
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a heritage village with elite schools and a direct CBD train, at Upper North Shore prices. For investors: capital-growth and tenant-stability play; yields are low and entry is steep.
Population
?17,853
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-1.0%
3yr: +0.2% · 10yr: -1.3%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,998/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
44
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?10/10
SA2 · least disadvantaged
Unemployment
?4.0%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
2
2 primary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?16
8 long day, 7 OSHC
Parks & green space
?32
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?29
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 — Wahroonga (East) - Warrawee (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Wahroonga suburb alone is ~17,853 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 16,331 to 18,232 over 24 years, averaging 0.5% per year.
Schools
2 in suburbSector
2 public
Type
2 primary
Total enrolment
1,480
Avg per school
740
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Warrawee PS44.0%
- Wahroonga PS 35.6%
- Waitara PS 9.4%
- Normanhurst PS 6.0%
- Hornsby SPS 3.7%
- Turramurra PS 1.0%
- Pennant Hls PS 0.1%
Secondary
Turramurra HS51.2%
- Ku-ring-gai HS 45.1%
- Hornsby HS 3.7%
- Pennant Hls HS 0.1%
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 0.2%Predominantly detached houses (74.6%), owner-occupied (78.0%).
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
11 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 58.4% | 5.69 km² |
| C4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 11.7% | 1.14 km² |
| C2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 11.3% | 1.10 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 6.8% | 0.66 km² |
| C1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 3.6% | 0.35 km² |
| R4 | ZoneResidential | 2.9% | 0.29 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 1.9% | 0.18 km² |
| SP1 | ZoneSpecial use | 1.3% | 0.12 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 0.9% | 0.09 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.7% | 0.07 km² |
| R1 | ZoneResidential | 0.5% | 0.05 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.