Woollahra, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Woollahra is a leafy, affluent suburb in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, about five kilometres east of the central business district, and lends its name to the surrounding municipality. It lies on the traditional land of the Birrabirragal and Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and its name comes from a local Aboriginal word that an early officer recorded as meaning a lookout, though others have rendered it as a camp or meeting ground. The suburb grew around Woollahra House, which Daniel Cooper, the first speaker of the New South Wales legislative assembly, began building in 1856. Today it is known for quiet, tree-lined streets and a village-style shopping precinct, with one of the densest concentrations of art galleries, antique dealers and cafes in the city clustered along Queen Street. The grand sandstone All Saints church, designed by Edmund Blacket, anchors Ocean Street.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Woollahra is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1179, 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.
Woollahra at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 7,189
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $3,013
- SEIFA score
- 1179
- Coordinates
- -33.8858, 151.2416
Woollahra demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Woollahra 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 30%, 35% of homes are rented, and 34% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,101 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 645 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,126 | 30% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,654 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,662 | 23% |
Share of the 7,188 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,064 | 36% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 723 | 24% |
| Rented | 1,041 | 35% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 532 | 18% |
| Townhouses & semis | 928 | 31% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,506 | 51% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,982 occupied private dwellings in Woollahra.
- Median weekly rent
- $670
- Median monthly mortgage
- $4,000
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $4,557
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,638
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,384 (34%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,074 (16%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 24 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,925 (84%)
- Labour-force participation
- 63.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.1%
- Employed full-time
- 2,453
- Employed part-time
- 1,013
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 Woollahra
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Woollahra is January (average daytime high around 26.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 17.2°C). The area receives roughly 902 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.6°C | 19.6°C | 80 mm |
| Feb | 25.9°C | 19.2°C | 103 mm |
| Mar | 24.8°C | 18.2°C | 149 mm |
| Apr | 22.6°C | 14.8°C | 82 mm |
| May | 19.9°C | 11.4°C | 46 mm |
| Jun | 17.1°C | 9.5°C | 69 mm |
| Jul | 17.2°C | 8.1°C | 59 mm |
| Aug | 18°C | 8.6°C | 54 mm |
| Sep | 20.4°C | 10.7°C | 44 mm |
| Oct | 22.6°C | 13.6°C | 78 mm |
| Nov | 23.7°C | 15.5°C | 70 mm |
| Dec | 25.6°C | 17.7°C | 68 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Woollahra
Where is Woollahra?
Woollahra is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Woollahra?
At the 2021 Census, Woollahra had a population of about 7,189.
Is Woollahra an advantaged area?
Woollahra has an ABS SEIFA score of 1179, 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 Woollahra?
Woollahra has average daytime highs of about 22°C and overnight lows of about 13.9°C, with roughly 902 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Where Woollahra ranks
Woollahra appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in New South Wales
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Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.