Blue Vale vs Emerald Hill

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Blue Vale, most households are couple families. In Emerald Hill, about half of households are couple families.

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 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Blue Vale has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 12%)
  • Emerald Hill has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $325/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Blue Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (450.2 km vs 457.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Emerald Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (16% vs 6%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Blue Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (30.6% vs -3.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Blue Vale and Emerald Hill drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Walkability 0 / 0
Blue Vale — Walkability: 0/100 Emerald Hill — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 17 / 21
Blue Vale — Safety: 17/100 Emerald Hill — Safety: 21/100
Low fire risk 55 / 71
Blue Vale — Low fire risk: 55/100 Emerald Hill — Low fire risk: 71/100

Demographics

Emerald Hill has more residents (137 vs 81); Blue Vale rents higher ($325/wk vs $250/wk).

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Population 81 137
+69% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +30.6% -3.5%
Median age 38 39
Median household income $108,316/yr
+18% vs other
 $88,816/yr
Median weekly rent $325/wk
+23% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
0-4 4.9% / 5.8%
Blue Vale — 0-4: 4.9% Emerald Hill — 0-4: 5.8%
5-14 17.3% / 16.1%
Blue Vale — 5-14: 17.3% Emerald Hill — 5-14: 16.1%
15-19 4.9% / 4.4%
Blue Vale — 15-19: 4.9% Emerald Hill — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 3.7% / —
Blue Vale — 20-24: 3.7% Emerald Hill — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 12.3% / 13.9%
Blue Vale — 25-34: 12.3% Emerald Hill — 25-34: 13.9%
35-44 16.0% / 15.3%
Blue Vale — 35-44: 16.0% Emerald Hill — 35-44: 15.3%
45-54 16.0% / 5.8%
Blue Vale — 45-54: 16.0% Emerald Hill — 45-54: 5.8%
55-64 7.4% / 16.8%
Blue Vale — 55-64: 7.4% Emerald Hill — 55-64: 16.8%
65-74 6.2% / 11.7%
Blue Vale — 65-74: 6.2% Emerald Hill — 65-74: 11.7%
75-84 — / 4.4%
Blue Vale — 75-84: not among its largest Emerald Hill — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ — / —
Blue Vale — 85+: not among its largest Emerald Hill — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Blue Vale 61.5% couple families
Blue Vale — Couple Families: 61.5% Blue Vale — Lone Person: 38.5% Blue Vale — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Emerald Hill 52.2% couple families
Emerald Hill — Couple Families: 52.2% Emerald Hill — Lone Person: 34.8% Emerald Hill — One Parent Families: 13.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Blue Vale 29.2% renting
Blue Vale — Owned Outright: 33.3% Blue Vale — Mortgage: 37.5% Blue Vale — Renting: 29.2%
Emerald Hill 12.0% renting
Emerald Hill — Owned Outright: 46.0% Emerald Hill — Mortgage: 42.0% Emerald Hill — Renting: 12.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Blue Vale 100.0% houses
Blue Vale — Houses: 100.0% Blue Vale — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Emerald Hill 96.0% houses
Emerald Hill — Houses: 96.0% Emerald Hill — Flats / Apartments: 4.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Certificate III & IV 13.6% / 23.4%
Blue Vale — Certificate III & IV: 13.6% Emerald Hill — Certificate III & IV: 23.4%
Bachelor Degree 8.6% / 8.8%
Blue Vale — Bachelor Degree: 8.6% Emerald Hill — Bachelor Degree: 8.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.2% / 7.3%
Blue Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2% Emerald Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.9% / 3.6%
Blue Vale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.9% Emerald Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.4%).

Property market

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Median house price — $850,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
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

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
New dwellings approved 25
across Gunnedah
same for both
Approvals change year on year -17%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
House price — Higher than 38% of NSW
Income Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 8% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 68% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 1% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 36% of NSW Higher than 4% of NSW

Liveability

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Blue Vale carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 29).

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Bushfire Moderate
45/100
 Low
29/100
Crime High
83/100
 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

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
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

Amenities in the suburb

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Emerald Hill sits further from the CBD (457.6 km vs 450.2 km).

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 450.2 km 457.6 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 325 min 328 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 2380
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 2380
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.

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Car (driver) 70.7% / 57.4%
Blue Vale — Car (driver): 70.7% Emerald Hill — Car (driver): 57.4%
Worked from Home 29.3% / 29.5%
Blue Vale — Worked from Home: 29.3% Emerald Hill — Worked from Home: 29.5%
Walked Only — / 13.1%
Blue Vale — Walked Only: not among its largest Emerald Hill — Walked Only: 13.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.7%).

Setting

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Elevation 261 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 259 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Connectivity score 25/100 15/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
20 premises
same for both

Climate

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Annual rainfall 626 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 32.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.0°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
PM2.5 6.8 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 11.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.2 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Average residential rate $1,093/yr
same for both
Council Gunnedah
same for both

Federal electorate

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Division Parkes
same for both
Member Jamie Chaffey
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Blue Vale Emerald Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Blue Vale

Family Rural

Emerald Hill

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Blue Vale

Blue Vale vs Gunnedah Blue Vale vs Boggabri Blue Vale vs Kelvin

Other comparisons with Emerald Hill

Emerald Hill vs Gunnedah Emerald Hill vs Boggabri Emerald Hill vs Marys Mount Emerald Hill vs Ghoolendaadi Emerald Hill vs Willala
Full data on Blue Vale Full data on Emerald Hill
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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