North West, NSW
astronomy · cotton-country · pilliga · agricultural
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Drive to the coast
5h 17m
By road
Nearest major hospital
4 min
By road
Airport access
15 min
By road
Schools access
Moderate
Average daytime temp
26.8°C
Rainfall
Dry
Narrabri is an agricultural and service town where cotton country, astronomy and the Pilliga shape the local identity more than tourism does. About 7,300 people live here, the median age is 39 and the population has fallen by roughly 5% since 2016.
That decline is worth understanding because the town still functions well day to day, with hospital access close by and a workforce built around farming, transport, care, education and local services, but it is not experiencing the demand pressures of faster-growing centres.
Housing is comparatively inexpensive, with a median around $570,000 and three-bedroom rents near $500 a week. The Australia Telescope Compact Array gives the area an unusual scientific landmark, while Mount Kaputar, Sawn Rocks and Yarrie Lake make the surrounding landscape more varied than the flat plains first suggest.
Summers are extremely hot and winters are cool, with low rainfall overall. Shopping and secondary-school choice are limited, and Sydney is more than 6 hours 30 minutes away by road. Air access is close, with the airport about 15 minutes away, which helps with that remoteness. Narrabri suits people who are comfortable with inland distance and a smaller local economy, particularly those connected to agriculture, trades or regional services.
6 photos
Photo credits: 4. jemasmith · CC BY 2.0; 5. crissouli · CC BY 2.0; 6. Lauri Väin · CC BY 2.0
This is most likely to suit people working in agriculture, resources, transport, healthcare or regional services, along with families who value affordability and a close local community. It can also appeal to remote workers who specifically want space and quiet rather than cafés, nightlife or easy capital-city access.
Summer heat is severe, the coast is more than five hours away and Sydney is about 6 hours 34 minutes by road. Shopping choice is limited, and the local population has been shrinking. People needing frequent specialist services or a large employment market may find the distances restrictive.
Tour CSIRO Australia Telescope Compact Array
Walk Mount Kaputar National Park
Visit Sawn Rocks
Swim at Yarrie Lake
Median house price
$570,000
49% below the NSW median
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$500
≈ $2,167/month
Houses here typically sell from $413,000 to $678,000 (25th–75th percentile).
Sourced from NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January - March 2026 quarter
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Moderate
Supermarket within 10km, limited other retail
Internet connection
Fixed line
Job market by industry
Agriculture — 13.5%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Armidale and Tamworth.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Narrabri (SAL 12912) · 2021 Census
The age profile is close to the national one, with 18.7% aged 65 or over against 17.2% and 20.2% children against 18.2%.
Population
7,327
Population growth
-5.2%
Narrabri (SA2 110031197)
Median age
39 years
Labour force participation
61.7%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$826
Per week · ≈ $42,952/year
Median family income
$2,047
Per week
Median household income
$1,590
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
64.2%
Rented
31.5%
Born in Australia
86.3%
Born overseas
4.9%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.