Downside, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Downside is more socio-economically advantaged than about 95% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1097, 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.
Is Downside a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Very strong on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Downside from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
95/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (95/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
81/100More affordable than most suburbs
Median weekly rent was $185 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 81% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Downside at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 124
- Median age
- 46
- Median weekly household income
- $2,583
- SEIFA score
- 1097
- Local government area
- Wagga Wagga
- Coordinates
- -34.9701, 147.3500
Map of Downside
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Downside
What it costs to live in Downside and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $185
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,733
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 79%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 21%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Downside demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Downside demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Downside 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 34% and 4% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 22 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 18 | 15% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 25 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 42 | 34% |
| Seniors (65+) | 15 | 12% |
Share of the 122 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 13 | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 17 | 45% |
| Rented | 8 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 37 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 37 occupied private dwellings in Downside.
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,833
- Median weekly personal income
- $969
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 4 (4%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 0 (0%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 0 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 41 (42%)
- Labour-force participation
- 75.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.6%
- Employed full-time
- 42
- Employed part-time
- 31
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.
Weather and climate in Downside
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Downside is January (average daytime high around 31.2°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.2°C). The area receives roughly 624 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31.2°C | 18°C | 64 mm |
| Feb | 29.7°C | 16.8°C | 22 mm |
| Mar | 26.7°C | 14.9°C | 55 mm |
| Apr | 21.6°C | 10.7°C | 48 mm |
| May | 16.3°C | 6.5°C | 45 mm |
| Jun | 12.8°C | 4.2°C | 57 mm |
| Jul | 12.2°C | 3.3°C | 42 mm |
| Aug | 13°C | 3.5°C | 53 mm |
| Sep | 16.7°C | 5.4°C | 56 mm |
| Oct | 21.5°C | 9.2°C | 52 mm |
| Nov | 24.8°C | 12.2°C | 77 mm |
| Dec | 28.7°C | 15.4°C | 53 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Downside
Is Downside a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Downside rates 90/100 overall (Very strong on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Downside?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Downside was $185, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,733. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Downside?
Downside is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wagga Wagga local government area.
What is the population of Downside?
At the 2021 Census, Downside had a population of about 124.
Is Downside an advantaged area?
Downside has an ABS SEIFA score of 1097, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 95 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 95% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Downside?
Downside has average daytime highs of about 21.3°C and overnight lows of about 10°C, with roughly 624 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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