Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650

Having moved to Wagga from Sydney (Hurstville) 15 years ago one thing is certain: I'd never move back 'home'.
Wagga has so much to offer couples with young families. The most obvious benefit is house prices. Wagga, unlike Sydney, offers families the chance to own a nice home with easy access to shops and schools. $400,000 will buy a near-new 4 bedroom home with a swimming pool in a nice area. I live 10kms east of central Wagga at Forest Hill (close to the airport and RAAF base). You can still buy a family home at Forest Hill for under $250,000. You may need to renovate the kitchen and/or bathroom, but for value for money Forest Hill can't be beaten; it's also a safe and friendly neighbourhood with very low levels of crime.
Some parts of Wagga have moderate to high levels of crime (parts of Tolland and Ashmont in particular). Break and enters and vehicle torchings are a regular occurrence in some areas. Rates of serious assaults and murder are very low.
Contrary to some other opinions here, work opportunities are very good in Wagga. The unemployment rate is 4.26% (December 2016), which is far less than west Sydney, Illawarra and Newcaslte. Affordable mortgages offer a dual income family plenty of scope to save for regular holidays, both within Australia and abroad.
Shopping is covered on all fronts. Large department stores (Myer, K-Mart etc.), as well as boutique outlets.
Wagga has also become very multicultural over the past decade and this fact is mirrored by a thriving and diverse restaurant culture. The annual Food and Wine Festival is truly magical! Ditto the annual Multicultural Street Festival.
If cafes are your thing then Wagga won't disappoint.
Wagga also has a thriving arts and literary culture.
And traffic snarls are non-existent!
The only major downside is the lack of decent and affordable public transport. Two cars are a must for couples with a family. Some of the roads are in a poor state of repair (a major talking point among locals).
It can also get very hot in Jan, Feb and early March. A swimming pool is a must!
All in all Wagga is a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Wagga is a great little place to visit, that's about as far one could go.

Medical Services are over priced avg $75 for 10min consult, there is No Bulk Billing at all, you book online and there could a day's wait to see a doctor and there not open on a Sunday

Housing Rentals you lose your bond in cleaning fee, you are required to show that everything has been clean by a professional cleaning service. $1200 later. The real estates want you to resign your new lease 3mth out and will push you for the paperwork to be completed.

Automotive Services have a towbar fitted by the business in town , first question is are you from around here or do you live in wagga. Then $120 per hour not sure how long it will take but could be up to 8hrs of work.

Water and Electricity Wow I have never paid so much in my live per quarter for each of them. $400 for water and $1000 for electricity please remember there are only 2 of us living in the house and both work and yes we turn off all heating and air-conditioning before leaving the house.

Take away food cost more then Sydney by at least 10c to 20c per item. Only one good fish and chip shop and they have there ups and downs.

Fuel Wow yes we'll not really but watch the prices at the BP on Edward st in town after 7.30pm they do drop.

Employment well that's a hot topic, you see if the business is based in Wagga you need to know someone there and be a local to get a job. The locals looking after the locals I guess you could say. If it's based outside of Wagga then it's up for grabs by most people.

There isn't much to do on weekends or days off without driving out of town.

Would I raise a family here. If I was born and breed you would have a chance other wise keep looking.

As I said lovely town for a holiday but that's about it.

I grew up in Wagga, but over the last 20 years I've lived in several cities (large and medium). Cities are fine when you're young and single and have time to work 80 hours a week, while you then socialise with friends until the wee hours of the morning. But at some point you start to figure out that all this time spent in traffic/commuting, all the high costs for things (housing, food, parking, etc.) and the limited time you now have for friends, is not worth the six figure salary. A six figure salary that doesn't get you very far anyway.
We moved our young family to Wagga recently and haven't regretted it. We've had our challenges, but we experienced those same challenges (and more) in any of our city moves over the last 20 years. Everything is more relaxed in Wagga and we actually have time to spend with our family - not just working to get by.
My brother and sister have told me repeatedly that they would love to move back, but they feel stuck where they are. Country towns aren't for everyone - you can't honk at someone to hurry up at a traffic light because they're likely to be your neighbour, you can't run a dodgy business because word gets around. It is a community with all the bad and good things that come with that.
For those that say it is dry, there's nothing to do, the people are rude; I'd say it is what you make of it. There are great; outdoor activities (river, beach, lake, bushwalks, etc.), events, theatre, arts, wine, food, and more. I have two young boys and there's also trampoline centres, laser tag, fun houses, free zoo, miniature trains, great parks and more for the kids.
I haven't regretted the move, but I have definitely arrived with an open mind and friendly attitude that has helped our family fit in very quickly.

In my opinion, Wagga has definitely come up in the world!!! My work moved us here in 2007. For the first six months, as a Sydney raised boy from the 'nice' Northern Beaches suburbs, I couldn't wait to leave Wagga in an instant, BUT, over time, when we went to visit my parents and in-laws in Sydney, we came to the realisation that Wagga was just what we needed. I couldn't imagine moving back to the Northern Beaches of Sydney, it's turned into a sardine can, where as at least Wagga, is open spaces, less traffic and fresh air. The quality of life here is DECENT!

We have watched Wagga grow and change, and are very happy that it has 'EVERYTHING' (except a David Jones dept. store). All your shopping needs are here (except for David Jones and high luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Prada etc).

Look, the education is good. I've watched the schools evolve over time and I teach at one of the part-selective high schools in town. Our school boasts children who are on par with students who would attend Sydney based selective schools such as North Sydney Girls/Boys High, James Rouse High, Sydney Girls/Boys High. My children attend the new Montessori preschool.

The new hospital is good and there are heaps of specialists. For instance, my wife requires a nephrologist (a kidney doctor) which actually exist in 'little country' Wagga. Our children were born at the Calvary (private hospital) and the doctors and nurses were amazing. My wife's gyno/ob doctor moved from Sydney too. She's a legend and has integrated well into the community.

The multiculturalism of this town is great! For instance, the Fusion Festival in October is AMAZING and all the food stalls have increased in number. Heaps of restaurants of different background popping up all over the place; this place is only getting better!!!

Lake Albert is a treat! Great lake to walk around.

Criticisms: Wagga City Council councillors were once an impenetrable old boys club, which is slowly eroding. Their interests in the past have served their own needs, not the community's.

Some builders have monopolies on some land parcels, and some of them charge a small fortune to build a nice 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house (however, compared to big cities, housing in Wagga is CHEAP!).

In recent years, ice usage has become a problem (but where else hasn't it???)...

Take a drive and take a look... lots to do... great place to raise a family... I would imagine in the future, Charles Sturt University would probably have a medical degree on the cards, because the dental and vet degree students have AMAZING facilities. It would only be fitting if CSU followed suit with some type of rural medicine degree... watch this space... :)

Wagga is okay, just pick your suburb wisely, Glenfield park is full of crime particularly Mima St. Lake albert or central is good

We moved to Wagga 8 years ago from

IF you are selling a house in Sydney or near a big city, then you will be pleasantly surprised at the cost of houses. (However, the house prices are not all cheap and the salaries in Wagga are generally a lot lower than city salaries.)
The proximity to work is a plus, with traffic not really an issue although as the city is the fastest growing inland city in NSW, the road infrastructure is not going to be adequate and there are some parts which are ridiculous (Tarcutta/lake Albert and Edward street intersection for eg). Also, the Sturt and Olympic 'highways' are single lane roads with high volumes of trucks and heavy vehicles using them and for a small but growing city, the roads need serious attention.
A new hospital is being built and the old (eye sore) one will be demolished.
The new one looks out of place because it's so modern and yet it has no more beds than the old one.
Doctors and other professionals are not born and bred in Wagga. They move here. But many send their children to private boarding schools in Sydney because they don't think even the private schools are up to scratch.
There are only 2 private high schools, 2 systemic catholic high schools and a private catholic school.

The university offers very few options outside of health,
Education and agriculture.
There are a lot of health workers and trades people in Wagga apart from the newbies coming for work from cities.
Wagga is a great place to settle if you have a very young family but if the children don't want to study agriculture, Equine studies or health then they will have to leave Wagga and go to a university in a city that has more to offer them.
That said, there is a TAFE and community college and childcare and trades are popular in Wagga.
There is a zoo, botanic gardens and parks, the junee
Chocolate factory and the movies and bowling and an indoor swimming centre. There is a serious lack of opportunities and services for teenagers. There is a juvenile detention centre in Wagga and a prison in neighbouring Junee.
Wagga doesn't have an ice rink and despite boasting that it had arts and culture, compared to other progressive centres (rural and regional ones at that) it is quite bland and has nothing really interesting. There is not much variety when it comes to the music and theatre because it is a small town but there are visiting productions. There is a glass gallery and the art gallery has some good exhibitions but teenagers are not catered to.
There are sufficient (and great) coffee shops and eateries and some lovely boutique shopping.
It's a pretty town with the lovely lagoon and beautiful streets but you wouldn't know there is a river unless you have the directions and there has been no development on the river - only a caravan park at the only recreational and swimming area (there are other areas but they're not developed spots) and the caravan park will soon be gone (which is good because it is ugly).. There is a 'beach' and that's where everybody goes to swim on hot days but there have been a few drownings so the river is dangerous. No restaurants or coffee shops on the river, no kayaks for hire or lots of picnic spots. There is one hotel that has a deck over looking the river but it's from a distance and it's a small area.
Wagga is very cliquey and whilst people are very friendly, dont hold your breath for an invitation to a BBQ, even if you host it first.
Those born and bred in Wagga just love it and think it's great. They stick up for their little town and it's clear they don't really know about the big wide world outside of this little
Riverina town.
That said, there are some very interesting and intellectual people fortunately - but they moved here - they studied elsewhere, they've travelled... They are not locals.
There is a large African refugee community and lots of community events. When the lake is full, if you have a boat, you can enjoy water sports but although the lake circumference is around 10kms,
There is really only 1 major area for picnics.
The library has plenty on offer for young children who seem to be catered for very well but it's a relatively small library for the capital of the region.
People with young families would probably really benefit from a
Move to friendly, because of proximity to work, child care, pace etc.
It's a small city with a country feel and it's not difficult to see why people genuinely love it, until they're teenagers. There is a problem with ice and other drugs -
Probably due to boredom,
Family breakdown and unemployment. I don't feel unsafe in Wagga but I don't venture down town on a Saturday late and I avoided certain dodgy areas. There is a bowling centre and cinema and skate parks. teens often hang out at macdonalds and Wagga has a high rate of obesity although there are plenty gyms.
The weather is quite extreme - hot summers and cold winters.
Wagga has plenty of sports so families will be very busy. It has a transient population because people leave and there is a military base.
Also, the flights to Sydney and Melbourne are expensive.
Canberra is 3 hours away and it's slap bang in the middle of Melbourne and Sydney so it can feel isolated but it's not far to a major city for a weekend.

All in all, an easy enough town to live in with some great facilities and a friendly community with no traffic woes. lacking in development of river and lake and facilities and opportunities for youth.

I've lived in Wagga for only 6 months, but feel like I've gained a pretty good sense of the place in that time. Wagga is a great town with a lovely country vibe, and I am still taken aback by the friendliness of the locals. Customer service in Wagga is terrific most places you go and everyone seems to be up for a genuine chat - there's none of that mundane "Would-you-like-fries-with-that?" scripted verse, but legitimate conversation. It's lovely.
The town itself is easy to navigate around, has great shopping options, gorgeous parks, and of course the Murrumbidgee river running through is beautiful.
I find the downfall of Wagga is it's lack of opportunity. The unemployment rate is high, and job seeking is hugely competitive. The main employment opportunities seem to lie within the health sector (lots of jobs for doctors, nurses and other health professionals) and university professionals. I am fully qualified in a career I've been working in for 11 years, and when the job I moved to Wagga for fell through, I found myself sort of stranded here unable to find more work in my field and having to resort to applying for the likes of supermarket work, and finding even that kind of work INCREDIBLY difficult to obtain. Basically, DON'T move here if you don't already have a secure job lined up beforehand, or an exit-option if it doesn't work out (ie, don't stupidly lock yourself into a 12 month lease on a house in case things don't work out! Ha.)
A bad experience like the one I've had in moving here would normally taint most people's perception of a town, but despite the difficulties I've personally had since being here, I still find Wagga to be a really endearing town. There's nothing quite like going for a run around Lake Albert, watching kids enjoy the animals at the Wagga Zoo (which is free!) and visiting the gorgeous places surrounding, like Junee with it's awesome chocolate & liquorice factory!
There are a few "dodgy" areas, as is the case with any town, however the interesting thing I found in Wagga as opposed to other towns, is how spread out the "slum" areas can be.... in that, the "dodgy" areas are quite often less sectioned to suburbs as they are streets. When I was house hunting I found it notable that one street would be quite upper-class and pristine, then you'd go round the block and there's police tape, burnt out car bodies and graffiti abound (not even making that up!) I was lucky to know some locals before moving here, and was worded up on the "bad" streets and areas - Suburbs worthy of steering clear of if you can help it are Tolland, Ashmont (the locals lovingly refer to as "Trashmont") and some parts of Kooringal. But I encourage anyone to drive around and scope all areas out for yourself - you'll very quickly get a feel for the surroundings, it's pretty black and white here.
All in all though, Wagga is a beautiful place to live if you have a purpose here.

I grew up in Wagga and my husband and I came back (after living in Sydney) when we had our first child. Our two reasons for coming back were the cost of living in Sydney with a reduced income and the fact that we both had family here. Wagga was a great place to grow up but I do feel it has deteriorated since then. It has good and bad points but I think it would be quite a hard place to try to settle in if you had not grown up here. It can be hard to meet people, I actually found people in Sydney friendlier! I think this is because we met lots of people who had moved from somewhere else and were keen to make new friends. Wagga can be a bit cliquey. It is easier to meet people through your children (eg. their school, daycare etc) than in a social setting. There seems to be ongoing problems with the Council, ranging from long delays with development applications to infighting. Even though Wagga is classed as a city these days, there are still quite a lot of people living in the dark ages. The local paper often prints letters from people quoting bible passages supporting their particular prejudice, mainly against gay people. The main benefits of Wagga as opposed to Sydney: it's less expensive of course and It is much easier to get around IF YOU HAVE A CAR. You really can't manage here without one, the public transport is very poor. As far as entertainment etc goes, there's plenty of pubs etc but the main street, where most of the pubs are located, gets rough at night. Assaults are not unusual. There are no night buses and not enough cabs so you have all these people pouring out of the pubs and the nightclub with no way to get home. If you don't live in Central, it's really too far to walk and those who do walk are taking the risk of being assualted. We don't really go out here. Most pubs are full of young people getting smashed and there are plenty of young men who go out looking for a fight. As far as employment goes, I wouldn't say it's really easy to find work but if you want to work, you will probably find something. There is competition for good positions. An issue I have with Wagga is the real estate market. Prices for sales and rentals are way too high in comparison to somewhere like Albury-Wodonga, Renting a property can be a nightmare. There is lots of competion for decent properties and most agents are apathetic, rude or both.

The public hosptial is very outdated and there are frequent horror stories about patients suffering from lack of staff and/or medical mistakes. It's a bit of a lottery.

There are some nice suburbs but all overpriced. Best areas are: parts of Central, parts of Kooringal, parts of Turvey Park and probably around the lake itself in Lake Albert. Tatton is expensive and considered a good area but you won't find any character there, just large spec houses. Bourkelands is similar but not as expensive, with a mix of small and large spec houses. Glenfield has smaller spec houses and some trouble spots because of it's proximity to Ashmont and Tolland. Tolland is not a good area generally nor is Ashmont or Mt Austin, though they all have little pockets that are OK. Personally, I wouldn't live in any of those suburbs (Ashmont, Tolland, Mt Austin). There are good and bad schools and because they are all zoned now (even the private ones) you really need to pick your address to get your kids into a good school. The best public primary schools (from what I've been told) are Wagga Public (in Central) and South Wagga (Central/Turvey Park). I've also heard Kooringal Public is good. Out of the public high schools, Wagga High (Central) probably has the best reputation. With the private schools, I think they are all OK.

There is not alot to do with kids that doesn't involve spending money. There are some nice parks, playgrounds and a little zoo (which is free) but once you've done that, there's not alot left. There's a swimming centre, but of course you have to pay to get in and even through the kids love it most adults I know can't stand it. It's indoor, really noisy and very strong chlorine smell. There is an outdoor pool but the safe pools for kids are inside. The indoor play centre has re-opened but at $9 per child you can't do it all the time. On the positive side, we have a movie theatre, a civic theatre that shows plays etc, and a good art gallery. There's often good exhibitions on either at the art gallery or one of the two museum sites. These are usually free. The public library is also quite good and there are some nice restaurants (and some crappy ones!). Winter is pretty bleak in Wagga. It gets very cold so you need the heater going all the time which is very expensive. I think there are better places to live and I can't see myself staying here forever.

Lived on Wagga, in particular, Mt Austin for 5 years and had no criminal trouble in all that time, apart from the car window being smashed one night & things stolen. This is despite adjoining the "dodgy suburb" of Turvey Park & the one with the even worse reputation, Tolland, where there are large swathes of Housing Commission homes (many which have been sold off now, I believe) Public transport is not the best, one bus an hour into town. Most people would find they need a car. People are generally friendly, although judgemental on where you live. The suburb of Ashmont is called “Trashmont” by the locals, which is unfortunate as there are plenty of decent people out there. Having said that, there are plenty of rough people in Wagga in general, too. I think it is more noticable because in Wagga you really have to go to the city to go shopping, other than your groceries, so all walks of life converge into one area. There is no way you can avoid the single mums & yobbos completely – even if you buy a huge block on the outskirts of town or buy in an expensive suburb – these places have little or no shopping facilities so it's in the car & in you go, along with everyone else! I don't think that's a bad thing. I like a mixture of backgrounds & cultures. Many locals do not like the influx of Aficans & blame them for crime rise. True or not, Wagga just has to get used to be more muliti-cultural. My biggest gripe in Wagga is the lack of employment – unless you are skilled you will probably have to work at Cargill, the abbotoir. I also don't like the and lack of free things to do, particularly with kids. Yes, the botanical gardens are great, & the Wollundry Lagoon area is nice, but that's about it. Other parks are not really worth mentioning, which is a shame for a place the size of Wagga. Should be better. There are lots of sporting groups though, & there will be something you will find that you like. Riding your bike in Wagga can be a taking-your-life-into your-own-hands situation. My husband was actually hit, once, & after a couple of near-misses, I refused to ride the bike (car, anyone?). Medically, there seems to be everything the average person would need. The public hospital IS poor. (had a ceasaian birth there) Schools: the public & high school in Mt Austin had a bad reputation for bullying. Generally, all the rest seemed adequate. Overall, it is not a bad place to live, but I wouldn't move there unless you were going there for a specific purpose, like good employment, or to be nearer to family.

Lived here my whole life and I understand Wagga is not experiencing its most prosperous era but with national and multi national companies such as RMT opening up at Bomen, the boom times of Wagga will be upon us again. High returns on my rental properties has never varied much besides the usual 3 - 4% increase each year and are rarely empty.

If you have solid employment within the area and are looking for a relaxed lifestyle that is within an affordable budget than Wagga is the place for you. Also great rental property opportunities exist with Wagga having a large moving population consisting of people from the RAAF base at Forest Hill, the Army base at Kapooka and the Charles Sturt University (CSU). Rental returns far exceed any ratio acheivable on the coast with returns in the realm of 12% pa.

Lake Albert 5 Kilometres of gorgeous trail, to bike, walk, run, pedal, push or ride NOW...you can also paddle a canoe, water ski, power boat, fish.
Gorgeous bird life on the lake. The Lake is so beautiful now, it; s a real picture.
Medical facilties are fantastic. Doctors very good. We should have moved to Wagga years ago! SO glad we came here.

Wagga Wagga is in south western NSW on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. Wagga Wagga is often referred to just as Wagga which means crow. The town is large and has many attractions such as art galleries, museums of several different types and beautiful botanic gardens. There are many walking tracks around the area and 30 kms to the south of the town is Livingstone National Park and State Conservation Area. Wagga also has a choice of wineries to visit and some great shopping areas. There is no shortage of accommodation either with backpackers, B & B’s, caravan parks, motels and hotels to choose from. There are some great entertainment venues and restaurants and cafes all serving great food. For the takeaway lover, Wagga has all the usual fast food outlets.

Wagga Wagga turned out to be a bigger town than expected. I was on my way to Mildura and was surprised to find that Wagga Wagga is the final stop before you need to drive for hours just to get to Mildura.

Wagga is not your typical quaint country town. It is a hub and is more like Albury-Wodonga. There are many restaurants, cafes, chain stores, shopping malls, take away outlets, franchise stores and etc around Wagga. The main street is very wide and clean. The houses here are like those in any typical suburb in Sydney. The only difference is, Wagga is much cleaner and neater than Sydney. It is a well plan town that has plenty to do and none of that “sleepy town” feel.