Goulburn, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Goulburn is a city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, on the Wollondilly and Mulwaree rivers about 195 kilometres south-west of Sydney and 90 kilometres north-east of Canberra. The district lies on the lands of the Mulwaree people, of the Ngunnawal language group. European settlement began around 1825, and the town was surveyed in 1828 before being moved to its present site in 1833. Proclaimed a municipality in 1859, Goulburn received letters patent from Queen Victoria in 1863 and is often described as Australia's first inland city. It was named after the British politician Henry Goulburn. Today it is known for the Big Merino, said to be the world's largest concrete sheep, and St Saviour's Cathedral, completed in 1884.
Less advantaged than the national average
Goulburn is more socio-economically advantaged than about 21% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 930, 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 Goulburn 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.
Below the national middle on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 3 components we can score for Goulburn 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
21/100Less advantaged than the national average
Less advantaged than the national average — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (21/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
39/100Less affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $320 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 39% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Amenities & access
80/100Plenty mapped nearby
About 88 everyday places (cafés, shops, services and more) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. · OpenStreetMap
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- 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.
Goulburn at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 23,963
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $1,405
- SEIFA score
- 930
- Local government area
- Goulburn Mulwaree
- Coordinates
- -34.7447, 149.7269
Map of Goulburn
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Goulburn
What it costs to live in Goulburn and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $320
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,625
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 63%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 34%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Goulburn demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Goulburn demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Goulburn 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 young adults (25–44) at 26% and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 4,383 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,649 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 6,157 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 5,782 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 4,994 | 21% |
Share of the 23,965 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,041 | 33% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,792 | 30% |
| Rented | 3,157 | 34% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 7,804 | 84% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,027 | 11% |
| Flats & apartments | 359 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 9,284 occupied private dwellings in Goulburn.
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,899
- Median weekly personal income
- $747
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,557 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,597 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 1,290 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 7,730 (41%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.6%
- Employed full-time
- 6,498
- Employed part-time
- 3,346
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 Goulburn
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Goulburn is January (average daytime high around 26.8°C) and the coolest is July (around 10.7°C). The area receives roughly 693 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.8°C | 14.8°C | 65 mm |
| Feb | 25.1°C | 13.8°C | 51 mm |
| Mar | 22.3°C | 12.5°C | 81 mm |
| Apr | 18.7°C | 9.1°C | 56 mm |
| May | 14.2°C | 5.5°C | 36 mm |
| Jun | 11.2°C | 3.3°C | 49 mm |
| Jul | 10.7°C | 2.8°C | 41 mm |
| Aug | 11.6°C | 2.9°C | 61 mm |
| Sep | 15.4°C | 5.1°C | 43 mm |
| Oct | 19.1°C | 8°C | 66 mm |
| Nov | 21.9°C | 10.2°C | 74 mm |
| Dec | 24.8°C | 12.7°C | 70 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Places in and around Goulburn
Amenities mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre, from OpenStreetMap. A guide to what's nearby — not a complete directory.
Eat & drink
18 nearbyBlue Plate · Saigon Seasons · NOI Goulburn · Goulburn Charcoal Chicken and () Restaurant · Goulburn Takeaway Fresh Food Spot · Empire Takeaway
Parks & recreation
45 nearbyPlus Fitness · O'Brien Park · Tenison Woods Park · Mary MacKillop Rose Garden · Gerathy Park · Goodhew Park
Shops & groceries
4 nearbyColes · Bryants Pies · Integrity Meats · Farmer Felds Fresh Produce
Healthcare
10 nearbyPriceline Pharmacy · Goldsmith Street Surgery · Atkinson & Stalker Dental · Goulburn Denture Clinic · Goulburn Dentist · Goulburn Base Hospital
Schools & education
7 nearbyNSW Police Academy · Goodstart Childcare Goulburn · Goulburn Public School · Goulburn North Public School · St Joseph's Primary School · Milestones Early Learning
Things to do
4 nearbyGoulburn Regional Library · Gallery On Track · Lieder Theatre
Eat & drink in and around Goulburn
Cafés, restaurants, pubs and takeaway mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre. Listings are drawn from OpenStreetMap and shown as plain data — we don't rank or rate them.
Own a café, restaurant or pub around here?
Claim your listing to feature it at the top of this section. Placement is paid advertising, clearly labelled — never editorial opinion.
Claim this listing- Blue PlateRestaurant
- CrustTakeaway
- Domino'sTakeaway364 Auburn Street, Goulburn
- Empire TakeawayTakeaway356 Auburn Street, Goulburn
- Golden Kebab HouseTakeaway368 Auburn Street, Goulburn
- Golden Tandoori OvenRestaurant203 Auburn Street, Goulburn
- Gordon HotelPub
- Goulburn Charcoal Chicken and () RestaurantTakeaway
- Goulburn Takeaway Fresh Food SpotTakeaway348 Auburn Street, Goulburn
- Hungry Jack'sTakeaway
- KFCTakeaway
- NOI GoulburnRestaurant
- Petit CafeCafé
- Saigon SeasonsRestaurant284 Auburn Street
- The Camellia Chinese RestaurantRestaurant384 Auburn Street, Goulburn
- The Pavillion CafeCafé37-41 Clifford Streetpaviliongoulburn.squarespace.com
- ZambreroTakeaway360 Auburn Street, Goulburn
Showing 17 mapped places; more may exist that aren't yet on OpenStreetMap.
Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Own a venue here? Suggest a correction.
Share your local knowledge of Goulburn
Lived here or spent time in Goulburn? Add a review or a quick tip. Reviews and tips are moderated before they appear.
Common questions about Goulburn
Is Goulburn a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage, housing affordability and amenities, Goulburn rates 40/100 overall (Below the national middle 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 Goulburn?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Goulburn was $320, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,625. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Goulburn?
Goulburn is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Goulburn Mulwaree local government area.
What is the population of Goulburn?
At the 2021 Census, Goulburn had a population of about 23,963.
Is Goulburn an advantaged area?
Goulburn has an ABS SEIFA score of 930, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 21 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 21% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Goulburn?
Goulburn has average daytime highs of about 18.5°C and overnight lows of about 8.4°C, with roughly 693 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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