Lightning Ridge NSW 2834
Lightning Ridge is in Walgett LGA, NSW, postcode 2834, with population 1,946.
Strong evidence
Lightning Ridge has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.
Direct signals include Property prices, Market rent, Crime, and Schools. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.
Gross rent yield screens at about 26.1%. Postcode-derived rent for 2834. Multiple suburbs can share this rental market signal.
Open matching rent ranking →15 latest-year approvals in Walgett, +0.0% YoY; population -1.5% YoY (-0.9% 5yr).
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QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.
Manual release files parsed into suburb prices
Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.
Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.
Rent-led investor candidate
Gross rent yield screens at about 26.1%. Snapshot rent $260/wk.
Postcode-derived rent for 2834. Multiple suburbs can share this rental market signal.
Lightning Ridge has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.
Direct signals include Property prices, Market rent, Crime, and Schools. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.
Use compare to test the suburb against another candidate, then validate financial assumptions in the calculator where available.
Property prices, Market rent, Crime, Schools
No fallback or lower-precision signals flagged.
No major visible gaps in the current status panel.
Lightning Ridge currently reads as a growth-momentum candidate with a income-first secondary angle.
Gross yield screens at about 26.1%. Entry price sits in the lower-cost range for a first-pass screen. No major decision caution is visible from the current evidence layer.
Compare it against a contrasting suburb before turning it into a decision.
Gross yield screens at about 26.1%. Entry price sits in the lower-cost range for a first-pass screen. Recent price movement shows visible market momentum.
No major caution is visible beyond the normal source checks.
No decisive evidence gap was detected from the current inputs.
Compare-ready
- Buyers want a quick sense of price, schools, and neighbourhood scale before getting lost in data.
- Investors want to know whether rent, yield, and affordability broadly support the suburb story.
- Researchers want one place that ties property, demographics, transport, and services together.
Price history
Full data detail
Lightning Ridge NSW
Lightning Ridge is a small community in New South Wales within the Walgett local government area (postcode 2834). With a population of 1,946, the suburb has a mature demographic with a median age of 53. Households earn a median income of $41K per year, with an average household size of 2 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement softening across the broader catchment, with population growth running at -1.5% year-on-year at the LGA level. NSW employment has moved +0.3% year-on-year in the official Jobs and Skills Australia NERO series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. NSW also had 37 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 5 underway, and 75 in planning as at 2 October 2024, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are community & personal service, managers, professionals. Employment in the area leans toward accommodation & food and healthcare. The top ancestries reported are Australian, English, Aboriginal Australian.
The median house price in Lightning Ridge is $52,000, having surged 21.9% over the past year. Units have a median price of $45,000. The current median weekly rent is $260. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 26.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $867.
Lightning Ridge is served by 1 school, including 1 combined. The average ICSEA score is 790, which is well below the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 72 bus stops. Healthcare facilities include 1 public hospital. The crime rate in the Walgett LGA is higher than average at 12,448 incidents per 100,000 population.
From an investment perspective, Lightning Ridge offers a gross rental yield of 26.1%, rated as high yield. Property prices sit below the state median ($52K/$1.5M), suggesting a potential value opportunity. The price-to-income ratio of 1.3x is considered affordable. House prices have moved +21.9% year-on-year. Population growth of -1.5% year-on-year indicates declining demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.
Lightning Ridge is a small community in New South Wales within the Walgett local government area (postcode 2834). With a population of 1,946, the suburb has a mature demographic with a median age of 53. Households earn a median income of $41K per year, with an average household size of 2 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement softening across the broader catchment, with population growth running at -1.5% year-on-year at the LGA level. NSW employment has moved +0.3% year-on-year in the official Jobs and Skills Australia NERO series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. NSW also had 37 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 5 underway, and 75 in planning as at 2 October 2024, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are community & personal service, managers, professionals. Employment in the area leans toward accommodation & food and healthcare. The top ancestries reported are Australian, English, Aboriginal Australian.
The median house price in Lightning Ridge is $52,000, having surged 21.9% over the past year. Units have a median price of $45,000. The current median weekly rent is $260. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 26.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $867.
Lightning Ridge is served by 1 school, including 1 combined. The average ICSEA score is 790, which is well below the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 72 bus stops. Healthcare facilities include 1 public hospital. The crime rate in the Walgett LGA is higher than average at 12,448 incidents per 100,000 population.
From an investment perspective, Lightning Ridge offers a gross rental yield of 26.1%, rated as high yield. Property prices sit below the state median ($52K/$1.5M), suggesting a potential value opportunity. The price-to-income ratio of 1.3x is considered affordable. House prices have moved +21.9% year-on-year. Population growth of -1.5% year-on-year indicates declining demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.
Lightning Ridge FAQ
Common questions-
What LGA is Lightning Ridge in?
Lightning Ridge is in the Walgett Local Government Area, NSW, postcode 2834. Council-level context for Walgett LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.
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What is the median house price in Lightning Ridge?
The current median house price in Lightning Ridge, NSW is $52K, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.
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What is the typical weekly rent in Lightning Ridge?
The median weekly rent in Lightning Ridge is $260/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent-led investor candidate.
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What does the rent signal say about Lightning Ridge?
Rent-led investor candidate: Gross rent yield screens at about 26.1%. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.
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Is Lightning Ridge a good investment?
QuickProperty's investment signals for Lightning Ridge show: High Yield, Below Median, Affordable. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.
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Where does QuickProperty get its data for Lightning Ridge?
Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.
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How often is the Lightning Ridge data updated?
Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.