NSW · Moree Plains Council
Garah, 2405
Current weather
18.1°CMainly clear
77% humidity · 2.7 km/h wind · 21.9° / 15° today · 9.8 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
In Moree Plains, Garah keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Far from the capital hubbub, it offers genuine distance, local character and room to live at a slower pace. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Buses and nearby services make commuting and cross-suburb trips straightforward.
The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area. Light infill development is updating a few streets while the wider area stays largely unchanged.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar regional towns, even with safety holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 291
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $1,343
- Dwelling vacancy
- 28%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 33 of 118
- Median monthly mortgage
- $604
- Employment rate
- 48.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 15 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 11
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 5
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 37.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 73 residents
- State safety percentile
- 13.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -8.1%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Domestic Violence Related Assault3
- Motor Vehicle Theft2
- Other Theft3
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offences2
- Sexual Touching, Sexual Act And Other Sexual Offences2
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Period: Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 933
- Garah Public SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
31 public transport stops in this suburb
- 1135 Talmoi Rd
- Boonangar Rd At Sandholes Rd
- Boonangar Rd At Welbondonga Rd
- Boonangar Rd Opp 784
- Coocalla Rd At Talmoi Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
13 planning-related records
2026· 2 proposals
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home; Rural worker's dwelling52 BOONANGAR ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
February 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Feedlot5088 GINGHAM ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
2025· 1 proposal
June 2025
- Subdivision784 BOONANGAR ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
2024· 2 proposals
April 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Feedlot5088 GINGHAM ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
February 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation1 YANTARA STREET GARAH 2405Determined
2023· 5 proposals
October 2023
- Subdivision; Commercial livestock grazing; Crop or fodder production2255 SANDHOLES ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
August 2023
- Subdivision of land1303 DOLGELLY ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
- Subdivision of land2194 BOONANGAR ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
- Subdivision of land3096 SANDHOLES ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
February 2023
- Subdivision of land1474 TALMOI ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
2022· 2 proposals
October 2022
- Alterations and additions to industrial development5088 GINGHAM ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
September 2022
- Subdivision of land1094 WELBONDONGA ROAD GARAH 2405Determined
2021· 1 proposal
May 2021
- Dwelling5577 Gingham Road Garah NSW 2405Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Gainey ParkPark
- Progress ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 2
- Parks (OSM)
- 2
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 23.8/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6195th in Australia
- State rank
- 1931st in NSW
- Peer rank
- #331 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #907 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime3
- Motor Vehicle Theftcrime2
- Other Theftcrime3
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offencescrime2
- Sexual Touching, Sexual Act And Other Sexual Offencescrime2
- 1135 Talmoi Rdtransport
- Boonangar Rd At Sandholes Rdtransport
- Boonangar Rd At Welbondonga Rdtransport
- Boonangar Rd Opp 784transport
- Coocalla Rd At Talmoi Rdtransport
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
More in Moree Plains Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.