Arding vs Rocky River
Rocky River is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 53 in Arding. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Rocky River
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 35%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Rocky River
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (459.5 km vs 463.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Arding
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 25%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Rocky River
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.0% vs -12.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Arding and Rocky River drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Rocky River has more residents (297 vs 182); Arding skews older (53 vs 48).
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 182 | 297 +63% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -12.5% | +10.0% |
| Median age | 53 | 48 |
| Median household income | $69,056/yr | $69,836/yr +1% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $210/wk | $220/wk +5% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $477,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $410,000 |
Zoning mix
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 17 across Uralla same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 86% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 13% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
Liveability
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Rocky River carries more bushfire risk (77 vs 0).
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 77/100 |
| Crime | High 79/100 | — |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Arding
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Rocky River
- Rocky River Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Arding sits further from the CBD (463.8 km vs 459.5 km).
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 463.8 km | 459.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 357 min same for both | |
| Public transport score | 19/100 Bus | 20/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 2.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 3.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 2 min scheduled, not actual | 3.5 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2358 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 2358 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.0%).
Setting
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,048 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 949 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 82 premises | 0% 109 premises |
Climate
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 684 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 9.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $699/yr same for both | |
| Council | Uralla same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Arding | Rocky River | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Arding
Other comparisons with Rocky River
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.