Southern Highlands, NSW
green · pastoral · quirky · country
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Drive to the coast
39 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
25 min
By road
Airport access
1h 41m
By road
Schools access
Excellent
Average daytime temp
18.9°C
Rainfall
Wet
Robertson is a green Southern Highlands village where farms, gardens and wet weather are more important to the local identity than polished retail. Around 2,000 people live here, the population has grown by roughly 8% since 2016, and the median age is 47.
The town itself is small, so people tend to know the local shops and one another, while work and errands often stretch into the wider Highlands. Shopping choice is limited and the nearest major hospital is about 25 minutes away, but schools are strong and the coast is reachable in around 40 minutes.
Housing is expensive for a village of this scale, with a median house price close to $1.34 million. The climate is cool and wet, with properly cold winters and enough rain to keep the surrounding country intensely green. The Big Potato gives Robertson its quirky roadside shorthand, but the more lasting appeal is the pastoral landscape, nearby rainforest and waterfalls.
Sydney is about 1 hour 50 minutes away, so the city remains accessible for occasional needs without feeling close. Robertson makes sense for people who want a small rural community and are happy to drive for broader shopping, employment and services rather than expecting the village to provide everything itself.
6 photos
Photo credits: 1. jandaqua · CC BY 4.0; 2. Martin7d2 · CC BY 2.0; 3. rarebeasts · CC BY 2.0; 4. Bud Petal · CC BY 2.0; 5. Bud Petal · CC BY 2.0
A quiet, cooler country setting with rural space around it is the main appeal of Robertson. Families, remote workers and gardeners can stay connected to the Southern Highlands, but this is not the place for anyone expecting extensive shops or a lively centre outside the door. The village scale is a large part of what people come for.
Shopping is limited and the nearest hospital is around 25 minutes away. Winters are cold and rainfall is high. Sydney is roughly 1 hour 45 minutes by road, so commuting is possible only with a significant time commitment. People wanting a highly walkable centre or broad local employment will need more scale.
See the Big Potato
Discover landscapes used in the film Babe
Explore nearby rainforest and waterfalls
More from Londoner in Sydney
With so many gorgeous towns to visit in Southern Highlands, discover the best things to do in Robertson in NSW. Robertson is the art hub of the Southern Highlands, famous for a pie shop and a set location for major blockbuster movies.
Read the guideMedian house price
$1,340,000
21% above the NSW median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$748,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$690
≈ $2,990/month
Houses here typically sell from $988,000 to $1,818,000 (25th–75th percentile).
Attached properties typically sell from $581,000 to $835,000.
Sourced from NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January - March 2026 quarter
Healthcare access
Good
Shopping & everyday services
Limited
One supermarket, 10–20km away
Internet connection
Fixed line
Plus 19 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
Job market by industry
Healthcare — 12.3%
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 Berry, Bowral, Kangaroo Valley, Huskisson and Ulladulla.
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.
Robertson (NSW) (SAL 13389) · 2021 Census
Older than the country as a whole: 22.6% are 65 or over against 17.2% nationally, and 18.3% are children against 18.2%. Among households, home ownership is high at 83.3% of dwellings against 65.9% nationally.
Population
2,017
Population growth
+8.1%
Robertson - Fitzroy Falls (SA2 114021288)
Median age
47 years
Labour force participation
59.4%
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
$806
Per week · ≈ $41,912/year
Median family income
$2,135
Per week
Median household income
$1,736
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
83.3%
Rented
13.7%
Born in Australia
77.9%
Born overseas
15.7%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.