Killara (NSW), NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Killara sits on Sydney's Upper North Shore, around fourteen kilometres north-west of the city in the Ku-ring-gai area. Its name is said to be an Aboriginal word meaning always there, and was chosen when the railway opened in 1899. The suburb was laid out as a gentlemen's suburb, deliberately kept free of shops, and is still characterised by gracious Federation and Californian bungalow homes on leafy streets. The modernist architect Harry Seidler designed a celebrated house here with his wife Penelope, now heritage-listed, on Kalang Avenue. The Swain Gardens, a bushland garden given to the council by a Sydney bookseller, are open to the public and listed by the National Trust. The author Ethel Turner, who wrote Seven Little Australians, once lived in the suburb, as did the model Elle Macpherson.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Killara (NSW) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1154, 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.
Killara (NSW) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,620
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $2,802
- SEIFA score
- 1154
- Coordinates
- -33.7690, 151.1567
Killara (NSW) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Killara (NSW) 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 28%, 25% of homes are rented, and 48% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,927 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,493 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,270 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,932 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,001 | 19% |
Share of the 10,623 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,456 | 39% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,193 | 32% |
| Rented | 939 | 25% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,020 | 55% |
| Townhouses & semis | 105 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,575 | 43% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,700 occupied private dwellings in Killara (NSW).
- Median weekly rent
- $620
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,300
- Average household size
- 2.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,294
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,117
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 4,944 (48%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 4,325 (42%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 16 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 7,055 (87%)
- Labour-force participation
- 59.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.7%
- Employed full-time
- 2,975
- Employed part-time
- 1,529
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 Killara (NSW)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Killara (NSW) is January (average daytime high around 25.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.5°C). The area receives roughly 1084 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.7°C | 19.3°C | 104 mm |
| Feb | 25.1°C | 19°C | 119 mm |
| Mar | 24°C | 18°C | 186 mm |
| Apr | 21.9°C | 15°C | 100 mm |
| May | 19.2°C | 11.7°C | 56 mm |
| Jun | 16.5°C | 9.8°C | 74 mm |
| Jul | 16.5°C | 8.7°C | 70 mm |
| Aug | 17.3°C | 9.2°C | 67 mm |
| Sep | 19.6°C | 11.3°C | 55 mm |
| Oct | 21.8°C | 13.7°C | 92 mm |
| Nov | 22.8°C | 15.5°C | 78 mm |
| Dec | 24.7°C | 17.5°C | 83 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Killara (NSW)
Where is Killara (NSW)?
Killara (NSW) is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Killara (NSW)?
At the 2021 Census, Killara (NSW) had a population of about 10,620.
Is Killara (NSW) an advantaged area?
Killara (NSW) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1154, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 99 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Killara (NSW)?
Killara (NSW) has average daytime highs of about 21.3°C and overnight lows of about 14.1°C, with roughly 1,084 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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