Question 1

Is Goonellabah a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

Goonellabah sits on the eastern side of Lismore along the Wilsons River and straddles the Bruxner Highway. It has an established, lived-in character with a mix of older weatherboard cottages, modest brick homes and some semi-rural blocks toward the edges. Local shops, sporting fields and riverside parkland provide everyday recreation, and regular bus services link to the town centre and nearby amenities, so life there tends to feel practical and community-oriented rather than high density or highly urban.

The suburb is home to 13,351 people with a median age of 41, and families make up a large share of the community — about three in four families are couples, with and without children. Most homes are owner-occupied (70.2%) and around 30% are rented. There are several planning and council projects for local upgrades, including highway corridor work, sports and park improvements, a proposed skatepark and maintenance for local health services. Whether Goonellabah suits you will depend on whether you want an established, lower-density suburb with easy access to Lismore.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in Goonellabah?

Accepted Answer

A median house in Goonellabah at $770,000 works out to about 11.2 times a typical local household's annual income as recorded at the most recent Census. A typical local household earned $1,318 a week at that Census (about $68,536 a year), so on these figures buying a house sits well above what people locally earned at the last Census.

Rents are also a sizeable share of local income. A house rent of $680 a week is about 51.6% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, which is a large share, while a unit rent of $475 a week is about 36.0% of that weekly income, a sizeable share. If you are renting rather than buying, those rent shares are the most relevant numbers to consider; whether they feel expensive depends on your own income and circumstances.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Question 3

Is Goonellabah a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

Unit values in Goonellabah jumped 27.8% over the past year, a strong rise in capital value, while unit rents rose 5.6%, a solid increase. House values also rose, up 10.1%, and house rents climbed 13.3% — for houses the rent growth outpaced value growth this year.

Put together, units were the stronger performer on capital growth and houses showed the stronger rental lift. Which of those outcomes matters to you depends on whether your priority is capital growth or rental income and on your personal circumstances.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$770K	N/A
Change in value Past 12 months	10.1%	27.8%
Sold Past 3 months	79	4
Median days on market Past 12 months	34	31
Average rent Past 12 months	$680	$475
Change in rent Past 12 months	13.3%	5.6%

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