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This analysis uses Suburbs and Localities (SAL) boundaries, which can materially differ from Statistical Areas (SA2) even when sharing the same name.
SAL boundaries are defined by Australia Post and the Australian Bureau of Statistics to represent commonly-known suburb names used in postal addresses.
Statistical Areas (SA2) are designed for census data collection and may combine multiple suburbs or use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
est. as @ -- *
2021 Census | -- people
The median house price in Bourke is $250k. House values have moved 4.6% a year compounded over five years.
Curious about local property values? Filter the chart to assess the volume and appreciation (including resales) trends and regional comparisons, or scroll to the map below view this information at an individual property level.
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Sales Detail
Bourke has an estimated 1,671 residents, down from 1,699 at the 2021 Census — a change of 28 people, or 1.6%. The population has thinned by an average 1.7% a year over five years, slower than 97% of areas nationally. Fewer than ten people live on each square kilometre, across a boundary that takes in surrounding rural land. Population is estimated from ABS Estimated Resident Population releases and GNAF address data, re-based from the 2021 Census and updated annually.
Detail
According to AreaSearch's evaluation of broader ABS population updates and validated post-Census addresses, the suburb of Bourke has an estimated 1,671 residents as of Aug 2026. Compared to the 1,699 persons tallied in the 2021 Census, this represents a reduction of 28 people (1.6%). This adjustment stems from an Estimated Resident Population of 1,671 determined after reviewing the June 2025 ABS ERP release alongside 14 post-Census validated new addresses. Population density stands at a spacious 0.40 persons per square kilometer. While the suburb of Bourke recorded a 1.6% contraction post-Census, the surrounding SA3 area expanded by 1.3%, showing contrasting demographic trajectories.
Natural increase was the primary contributor to local numbers, generating approximately 68.0% of recent population additions. Projections for each SA2 area incorporate the 2024 ABS/Geoscience Australia series using a 2022 base year, supplemented where necessary by the NSW State Government's 2022 SA2 release based on 2021. For the period spanning 2032 to 2041, cohort-specific growth rates from these datasets are applied across all localities. Under this framework, future demographic modelling points to a net decline, with the suburb of Bourke projected to contract by 461 persons by 2041. Even so, certain segments are slated to expand, most notably the 85 and over demographic with a projected gain of 42 people. Further insights can be found in the age analysis section.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
Detail
Residential building activity across Bourke remains minimal, generating less than 1 dwelling approvals on an annual basis (adding up to 2 across the past five years). Such subdued construction volumes align with the locality's rural setting, in which new supply is prompted by specific local housing requirements rather than broad market demand. Because overall approval counts are so limited, individual projects can exert a substantial effect on year-on-year growth and relative metrics. Construction rates in Bourke track substantially below both the Rest of NSW benchmark and broader national trends. Furthermore, standalone houses have accounted for every recent addition, illustrating the rural profile of the area where spacious parcels are standard.
A ratio of 1686 people per dwelling approval underlines the subdued and quiet nature of the local building sector. Given that demographic projections point toward a steady or decreasing resident base, Bourke is likely to experience less pressure on housing demand, creating advantageous conditions for prospective purchasers.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around Bourke
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| Lodged | Address | Description | Type | Distance | Status |
|---|
SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
AreaSearch tracks 43 current infrastructure and development projects close to Bourke, worth an estimated $28.8 billion. 13 are already under construction and 14 are due for completion within three years. The pipeline spans residential development, energy and transport & logistics. Records are compiled from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, council planning portals and public announcements, reviewed and updated daily, then ranked by proximity, construction stage, completion horizon and project scale.
Detail
Regional development and socioeconomic conditions are heavily shaped by planning programs and major capital investments. AreaSearch has identified no new major projects having a direct impact on the locality. Broader statewide programs of interest include the NSW Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) Program, Newell Highway Upgrade, NSW Heavy Vehicle Rest Stops Program (TfNSW), and NSW Inland Rail Interface Improvements, which are itemised below according to local relevance.
Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.
INFRASTRUCTURE SEARCH
Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.
Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Cobar Wind Farm
Proposed wind farm and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) featuring up to 30 turbines (up to 280m in height) with a 216 MW installed capacity and a 50MW/100MWh BESS across approximately 7,800 hectares of agricultural grazing land. The project aims to power approximately 130,000 homes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 498,000 tonnes per year, producing around 756 GWh annually. Currently in the Prepare EIS stage under State Significant Development assessment (SSD-68084467). A key challenge is insufficient existing transmission capacity to support a grid connection without significant upgrades, which WestWind Energy is actively working to resolve.
Grand Central Precinct Planning and Design Project
Cobar Shire Council is undertaking the Grand Central Precinct Planning and Design Project to drive economic and social revitalisation in the Cobar town centre. The project delivers detailed planning and design works across five key sites, bringing each to construction and tender-ready status: the Grand Hotel Redevelopment (transforming the heritage building into a cultural-commercial hub with retail, hospitality, co-working and accommodation); Library Upgrade (enhancing youth, technology and community spaces); Town Hall Restoration (multi-purpose community, arts and events use); Brennan Centre Expansion (six new senior housing units and a community room); and streetscape enhancements.No construction works are included in this phase. Tenders for the Brennan Centre Seniors Living Upgrade and CBD Upgrade projects closed in late 2025, with a scoping study for the Grand Hotel underway and an RFQ for the Library Feasibility Study released.
Old Hospital Site Residential Estate
Proposed residential subdivision on the former hospital site on Lerida Road, purchased by Cobar Shire Council in July 2022 to provide new housing options. The development is intended to attract families, professionals, and medical staff to Cobar and complement the adjacent health precinct. The project is currently in the planning phase, aligning with the development of the Cobar Local Housing Strategy.
Federation Mine
High-grade polymetallic underground mine in the Cobar Basin producing zinc, lead, gold, copper, and silver. The project officially transitioned to commercial production on 1 July 2025 and is operating ahead of plan. Ore haulage is directed to the Peak processing plant.
Great Cobar Museum Coach House and Underground Mine Experience
Construction of a new Coach House building to replace the existing one for the safe storage and display of large historical exhibits, and the creation of a new interactive underground mining experience to enhance the visitor experience and showcase Cobar's mining heritage. This is Phase 2 of the Great Cobar Museum upgrades.
Aero Park Residential Estate
Aero Park Residential Estate is a council-led house and land subdivision on the north western fringe of Gilgandra. The approved estate comprises 57 residential lots, with stage 1 delivering 34 fully serviced lots and 5 earlier lots already developed along Farrar Street. Lots are generally between about 1,242 m2 and 1,897 m2, with services including water, sewer, NBN and underground power, new roads, footpaths and solar street lighting. Council has completed the stage 1 civil works and is now selling lots through local agents to increase housing supply and support growth linked to Inland Rail and regional renewable energy projects.
Gilgandra Solar Farm
Gilgandra Solar Farm is a 5 MW ground mounted solar farm with approximately 12,000 photovoltaic panels, associated inverter stations and a battery energy storage system on an approximately 11.3 hectare project area west of Gilgandra. The development was approved in 2022 and remains in construction, with a 2024 modification approved to refine the site layout and construction noise mitigation measures.
Castlereagh Country Regional Drought Resilience Plan
A community-led plan for the Castlereagh Country region (including Gilgandra and Warrumbungle Shires) to build resilience against drought and increased climate variability. It identifies actions to prepare for reduced growing season rainfall and increased frequency of drought events, informing future investments and securing funding for communities, agriculture, and businesses.
735 residents of Bourke are employed, from a labour force of 788. Unemployment sits at 6.7%, with participation at 60.1%. Weighted for its industry mix, the area's sectors are forecast to grow about 6.1% nationally over five years. That reflects industry composition only and makes no allowance for local population growth. The working-day population is estimated at 1,329, about 80% of the resident population, so more people leave the area for work than travel in. Unemployment and labour force come from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, updated quarterly; the industry and occupation profile is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
Workforce indicators for Bourke show a skilled local talent pool, strong representation in essential services, an unemployment rate of 6.7%, and an annual employment increase of 1.2% according to statistical aggregations by AreaSearch. In March 2026, employed residents numbered 735, with local unemployment sitting 2.6% above the 4.1% recorded for Regional NSW, while labour force participation aligned closely with the regional figure of 60.6%. Census findings showed a modest 5.6% of workers based at home, though these figures were collected amid Covid-19 lockdown conditions. Public administration & safety, education & training, and health care & social assistance constitute the primary industries employing local residents.
Representation is especially high in public administration & safety, where employment intensity reaches 2.6 times the regional benchmark. In contrast, the construction sector accounts for only 5.1% of the local workforce compared to 9.7% regionally. A comparison between Census working figures and resident worker totals suggests local job availability remains constrained. An examination of aggregated ABS and SALM figures by AreaSearch reveals that over the 12-month span, jobs grew by 1.2% while the labour pool contracted by 2.1%, reducing the jobless rate by 3.1 percentage points. Regional NSW instead recorded an employment decrease of 0.9% and a labour force contraction of 0.4%, yielding a 0.5 percentage point rise. Broader hiring prospects can be assessed via Jobs and Skills Australia's national projections from Mar-26, which project five and ten-year trends against the local industry baseline. Nationally, job numbers are expected to rise 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with marked differences by sector. Weighting these projections against Bourke's workforce composition indicates potential employment growth of 6.1% over five years and 12.9% over ten years (noting this is an illustrative weighting model that excludes local population forecasts).
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Median household income in Bourke is $1,560 a week (about $81,000 a year), with median personal income at $860 a week. ATO records put median taxable income at $57,631 a year against an average of $67,541. Household income is from the 2021 Census; taxable income is from ATO Taxation Statistics for the latest financial year available, indexed forward using the ABS Wage Price Index.
Detail
According to ATO postcode records compiled by AreaSearch for financial year 2023, personal earnings in the suburb of Bourke track near nationwide benchmarks, displaying a median of $57,631 and a mean of $67,541. These figures compare to Regional NSW benchmarks of $52,390 (median) and $65,215 (average). Factoring in a 10.32% rise in the Wage Price Index since financial year 2023, modeled figures for March 2026 stand at approximately $63,579 for median income and $74,511 on average. In the 2021 Census, individual earnings placed at the 60th percentile ($860 weekly) while household receipts sat at the 38th percentile.
The predominant bracket encompasses 32.6% of earners making between $1,500 - 2,999 weekly (544 residents), mirroring the regional share of 29.9%. Housing commitments remain sustainable with 91.5% of income retained, although post-housing disposable funds rank lower at the 47th percentile.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Bourke had 554 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, 95% detached houses and 3% apartments. 25% are owned with a mortgage, 44% rented and 31% owned outright. At that Census the median rent was $180 a week and the median mortgage repayment $947 a month. Rent absorbs 11.5% of household income here and mortgage repayments 14.0%. Dwelling stock, tenure and housing costs are 2021 Census measures — the only source that counts dwellings at this boundary size.
Detail
Residential dwellings in Bourke at the time of the latest Census consisted of 95.1% houses alongside 4.9% other dwellings (incorporating apartments, semi-detached residences, and 'other' structures), whereas Regional NSW registered 82.6% houses and 17.4% other dwellings. Outright home ownership in Bourke stood at 31.4%, trailing the wider region, with remaining homes held under a mortgage (25.1%) or occupied by tenants (43.5%). Monthly median mortgage commitments averaged $947 and median rent was $180 weekly, both well below the respective Regional NSW levels of $1,733 and $330. Nationally, local mortgage costs sit far below the Australian median of $1,863, with rental rates also well beneath the nationwide benchmark of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Bourke counted 554 households at the 2021 Census, averaging 2.5 people each. 27% are couples with children, against 21% couples without children. 31% of households are people living alone, and families average 2.0 children. Household and family composition is measured only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Families constitute the majority of local living arrangements at 66.1%, consisting of couples with children (27.3%), couples without children (20.5%), and single parent families (16.2%). Non-family setups make up the other 33.9%, dominated by lone person households at 31.2% while group homes account for 2.1%. At 2.5 people, the median household size sits slightly above the Regional NSW figure of 2.4.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
22.2% of adults in Bourke hold a university qualification, including 16.1% with a bachelor degree and 4.1% with postgraduate qualifications. A further 23.6% hold a vocational qualification. 5 schools serve the area, with 417 enrolment places and an average ICSEA of 823 against a national benchmark of 1,000. Qualifications come from the 2021 Census; school enrolments, ICSEA and results come from ACARA's current release.
Detail
Educational outcomes present distinct challenges in the area, as tertiary degree attainment stands at 22.2%, tracking well beneath the 32.2% NSW benchmark. This disparity highlights clear scope for targeted training initiatives. Among higher education credentials, bachelor degrees represent 16.1%, followed by postgraduate awards (4.1%) and graduate diplomas (2.0%). Vocational and technical training plays a prominent role, with 35.8% of residents aged 15+ holding practical qualifications, consisting of certificates (23.6%) and advanced diplomas (12.2%). Engagement with the education sector is substantial, with 36.6% of the population actively enrolled in an educational course.
Primary school attendees account for 16.2% of residents, secondary students make up 7.9%, and 3.2% are enrolled in tertiary programs.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Getting around Bourke means driving: households keep an average of 1.2 vehicles, and scheduled services reach only a handful of stops. Service data is built from operators' published GTFS timetables; vehicle ownership is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
Public transit infrastructure within Bourke comprises 71 active transport stops providing combined bus and train services. Operating across 10 individual routes, these facilities facilitate 75 weekly passenger trips. Access to transit is rated as excellent, with typical walking distances of 139 meters to the closest stop. Being largely residential, the workforce primarily commutes outward, with private vehicles accounting for 79% of trips and 17% walking. Average private vehicle ownership stands at 1.2 per dwelling, trailing the regional mean. A modest 5.6% of workers performed their roles from home during the 2021 Census, a figure potentially influenced by COVID-19 settings.
Transit services run at a combined rate of 10 trips per day across the network, translating to approximately 1 weekly trips per individual stop.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
68.6% of residents in Bourke report no long-term health condition, a less healthy profile than 90% of areas nationally. 5.4% need daily assistance with core activities, and 53.6% hold private health cover. The standardised death rate runs at 9.0 per 1,000 residents. Health conditions, assistance needs and insurance are 2021 Census measures; the death rate comes from current ABS releases.
Detail
Based on AreaSearch's evaluation of chronic illness prevalence and mortality rates, Bourke faces noticeable health hurdles across younger and older demographics alike. Concurrently, private health insurance coverage sits marginally above the typical SA2 level at approximately 54% of the population (~896 people). Asthma and arthritis stand out as the primary diagnosed conditions locally, affecting 9.3 and 6.6% of the community respectively, while 68.6% of residents reported having no chronic medical conditions compared with 63.3% across Regional NSW. Working-age adults display elevated rates of chronic illness. Residents aged 65 and over account for 17.2% of the population (287 people), below the Regional NSW proportion of 23.3%.
Health measures among older demographics show specific complications, ranking higher against national benchmarks than the general population.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Bourke is largely Australian-born, at 93.6% of residents, with 6.0% speaking a language other than English at home. The largest reported ancestries are Australian (27.1%) and English (25.7%). 25.6% of residents identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Ancestry, language and country of birth are counted only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Demographic measures indicate below-average cultural diversity in Bourke, where 93.6% of residents were born in Australia, 80.0% hold Australian citizenship, and 94.0% speak only English in the home. Christianity represents the primary religious denomination, accounting for 72.8% of the local population compared to 55.9% across Regional NSW. Regarding ancestral background based on parents' country of birth, the three most prominent heritages in Bourke are Australian at 27.1%, English at 25.7%, and Australian Aboriginal at 25.6%, which significantly exceeds the regional proportion of 4.6%. Several other ancestral backgrounds show varying representation, including French at 0.4% (matching the 0.4% regional rate), Lebanese at 0.1% (versus 0.2% regionally), and Welsh at 0.4% (versus 0.5%).
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
The median resident of Bourke is 34, younger than 76% of areas nationally. That is 1 year younger than at the 2021 Census. 26.6% of residents are aged 15 to 34. Age cohorts are not raw Census counts: the Census split is re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections.
Detail
Demographically, the suburb of Bourke skews relatively young. Based on estimates updated to August 2026, children and young adults (0 - 24) comprise 35.6% of the population, exceeding the 29.3% benchmark for Regional NSW, whereas senior and elderly cohorts (65+) represent 17.2% against 23.3% across the wider region. AreaSearch calculations place the median age at 34 as at August 2026, down from 35 at the 2021 Census and 9 years younger than the Regional NSW median of 43 from that same Census. Middle aged and young retiree cohorts (45 - 64) have decreased from 25.1% at the Census to an estimated 21.2%.
Looking ahead to 2041, senior and elderly cohorts will capture the bulk of local gains, adding 13 residents (4%) to total 300, while numbers across children and young adults as well as middle aged and young retiree cohorts are slated to decrease.
Frequently Asked Questions - Age
Data & MethodBoundaries, Sources & Method for Bourke
9 of 14 data sections on this page were updated within the last 12 months — the newest current to Sep 2026.
Everything is aggregated to the Suburb (SAL) boundary shown above, on a 2021 Census baseline. Only 3 sections — housing, households and cultural diversity — still wait on the 2026 Census.
The ledger — source, cycle and currency by section
| Section | Source & update cycle | Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last 12 months 9 sections | ||
| Population | ABS, GNAF, Geoscience Australia Annual (ABS ERP) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release) and updated with new dwellings from GNAF address data. Current to Aug 2026, with the 2021 Census supplying the small-area baseline. | ||
| Age profile | ABS, Geoscience Australia, State governments Annual | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Age cohorts are re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections, current to Aug 2026. Each cohort is held as a Census baseline and a current estimate. | ||
| Development & approvals | ABS, GNAF Monthly (ABS approvals) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · Jun 2026 baseline |
| Property sales & rents | Valuer General, Rental Board, ABS Weekly sales, quarterly rents | Sep 2026 this month all 21 measures |
| Sales from the state Valuer General register, refreshed weekly, and rents from quarterly rental bond lodgements. Both are read live each time this page loads, current to Sep 2026. | ||
| Infrastructure projects | Infrastructure Australia, Local governments Daily | May 2026 4 months ago all 2 projects tracked here |
| Project pipeline maintained continuously from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, local government and public announcements. Records are added and revised daily; this area was last updated May 2026. | ||
| Employment | ABS, DEWR, JSA Quarterly (ABS SALM) | Mar 2026 6 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Unemployment and labour force from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, current to Mar 2026. The growth outlook applies Department of Employment (now Jobs and Skills Australia) forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to the local industry mix, so it measures sector composition rather than local expansion and makes no allowance for population growth. Job demand comes from the same agency via its Internet Vacancy Index; industry and occupation structure from the 2021 Census. | ||
| Education | ABS, ACARA Annual (ACARA) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Transport | ABS, State Transport Departments Each timetable release | Jul 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Services & amenities | Provider directories, ACECQA Continuous | Jul 2026 2 months ago all 14 measures |
| Annual and financial-year sources 2 sections | ||
| Income | ABS, ATO Annual (ATO) | FY 2023 3 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| ATO taxable income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index. Census household income provides the distribution detail. | ||
| Health | ABS, ATO Annual | 2024 2 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Census-measured — next update: 2026 Census 3 sections No more current small-area source exists for these, so they are labelled as Census-measured rather than implied to be current. | ||
| Housing | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 30 measures |
| Households | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 18 measures |
| Cultural diversity | ABS, Geoscience Australia 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 44 measures |
"Currency" is the most recent release feeding that section. Where the Census supplies the structural baseline underneath a current headline figure, the row says so.
How the numbers are built
Population
The Census provides the small-area baseline, aggregated from mesh blocks to this boundary. It is then re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release), and new dwellings built since Census night are counted from address data — 14 validated new addresses here. The headline figure is therefore a current estimate for Aug 2026, not a 2021 count (1,699 at the 2021 Census → 1,671 now). Annual growth rates are compound (CAGR), not simple averages.
Age profile
Cohort shares are not raw Census counts. Every cohort is held as a pair — the Census baseline and a current estimate — and the split is re-based using ERP and state population projections, current to Aug 2026. Median age is the Census median plus modelled change since. Charts that show both are labelled "2021 Census vs Current Estimate".
Property sales
Sourced from the state valuation authority's sales register — current, not Census, and refreshed weekly. Medians are calculated from settled transactions in the period shown; periods with very low transaction counts are flagged or suppressed, because a handful of sales can move a median substantially.
Rents
Derived from state rental bond lodgement data, by dwelling type and bedroom count. Bonds are lodged at the start of a new tenancy, so this reflects new lettings, not the whole rented stock.
Development & infrastructure
Building approvals come from current ABS releases; development applications are collected from council and state planning portals; the infrastructure pipeline is compiled from Infrastructure Australia and local government sources. Applications are matched to this boundary by address or coordinates, so very recent lodgements may not yet appear.
Employment & income
Industry and occupation structure comes from the Census, but the headline labour-market indicators do not. Unemployment and labour force are derived from ABS Small Area Labour Markets (quarterly). The employment outlook applies Department of Employment forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to this area's own industry mix (the agency is now Jobs and Skills Australia), as does the Internet Vacancy Index used for job demand. Because it is weighted on industry composition alone, that outlook carries no allowance for local population growth — in fast-growing areas the real rise in local jobs will typically be higher. Income combines Census household income with ATO taxable-income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index.
Education, transport & amenities
School enrolments, ICSEA and performance come from ACARA's current release, not the Census. Public transport stops and service frequency are derived from GTFS timetable feeds published by state transport departments. Services and amenities are proximity and count scores built from provider directories, refreshed on their own cycle. The Census contributes only the travel-to-work and qualification measures.
Rankings and benchmarks. Where we rank this area, the comparison set is every area of the same boundary type — suburbs against suburbs, SA2s against SA2s. Benchmarks compare this area against its greater capital city region and the national figure for the same measure and period.
Limits worth knowing. Small areas carry larger error margins, and the ABS introduces small random adjustments to Census counts to protect confidentiality — so totals may not sum exactly. Estimates re-based from regional data describe the area's expected trajectory, not a direct count of it. Figures are indicative for research and are not financial, planning or valuation advice.
Cross-check us. The Census baseline for this boundary is at ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (SAL10520). QuickStats reports 2021 only — the figures on this page are more current wherever the ledger shows a later date.