Bowenfels vs Hermitage Flat

Bowenfels is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 48 in Hermitage Flat. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bowenfels, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Hermitage Flat, most households own their home and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Bowenfels: a median of $540,000, against $490,000 in Hermitage Flat, though rent is higher in Hermitage Flat. On these figures, Bowenfels tends to suit renters and families with children, while Hermitage Flat suits people living alone.

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

Bowenfels

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (6 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (49% vs 39%)
  • But Hermitage Flat carries lower crime risk (70/100 vs 93/100)

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

First-home buyers

Hermitage Flat

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 39%)
  • has cheaper houses ($490,000 vs $540,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bowenfels

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (47% vs 27%)
  • has cheaper rent ($185/wk vs $283/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 29%)

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

Commuting to the city

Hermitage Flat

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (59/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (135 min vs 148 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (147.9 km vs 152.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Hermitage Flat

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (59/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (70/100 vs 93/100)

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

Investors

Bowenfels

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (0.0% vs -6.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Bowenfels and Hermitage Flat drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
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.

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Walkability 0 / 59
Bowenfels — Walkability: 0/100 Hermitage Flat — Walkability: 59/100
Safety 7 / 30
Bowenfels — Safety: 7/100 Hermitage Flat — Safety: 30/100
Low fire risk 6 / 1
Bowenfels — Low fire risk: 6/100 Hermitage Flat — Low fire risk: 1/100

Demographics

Bowenfels has more residents (2,049 vs 323); Hermitage Flat rents higher ($283/wk vs $185/wk).

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Population 2,049
+84% vs other
 323
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.0% -6.4%
Median age 41 48
Median household income $47,684/yr $50,908/yr
+7% vs other
Median weekly rent $185/wk $283/wk
+53% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
0-4 5.7% / 3.4%
Bowenfels — 0-4: 5.7% Hermitage Flat — 0-4: 3.4%
5-14 15.3% / 10.8%
Bowenfels — 5-14: 15.3% Hermitage Flat — 5-14: 10.8%
15-19 6.7% / 4.0%
Bowenfels — 15-19: 6.7% Hermitage Flat — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 4.9% / 5.9%
Bowenfels — 20-24: 4.9% Hermitage Flat — 20-24: 5.9%
25-34 10.1% / 10.5%
Bowenfels — 25-34: 10.1% Hermitage Flat — 25-34: 10.5%
35-44 10.6% / 11.8%
Bowenfels — 35-44: 10.6% Hermitage Flat — 35-44: 11.8%
45-54 13.4% / 13.3%
Bowenfels — 45-54: 13.4% Hermitage Flat — 45-54: 13.3%
55-64 12.3% / 18.3%
Bowenfels — 55-64: 12.3% Hermitage Flat — 55-64: 18.3%
65-74 10.2% / 11.5%
Bowenfels — 65-74: 10.2% Hermitage Flat — 65-74: 11.5%
75-84 7.4% / 6.8%
Bowenfels — 75-84: 7.4% Hermitage Flat — 75-84: 6.8%
85+ 3.5% / 2.5%
Bowenfels — 85+: 3.5% Hermitage Flat — 85+: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bowenfels 45.2% lone person
Bowenfels — Lone Person: 45.2% Bowenfels — One Parent Families: 22.8% Bowenfels — Couple Families: 26.2% Bowenfels — Group Household: 4.3% Bowenfels — Other Families: 1.5%
Hermitage Flat 55.2% lone person
Hermitage Flat — Lone Person: 55.2% Hermitage Flat — One Parent Families: 23.3% Hermitage Flat — Couple Families: 15.5% Hermitage Flat — Group Household: 6.0% Hermitage Flat — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person One Parent Families Couple Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bowenfels 46.7% renting
Bowenfels — Owned Outright: 29.3% Bowenfels — Mortgage: 24.0% Bowenfels — Renting: 46.7%
Hermitage Flat 26.9% renting
Hermitage Flat — Owned Outright: 53.7% Hermitage Flat — Mortgage: 19.4% Hermitage Flat — Renting: 26.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Certificate III & IV 14.4% / 18.9%
Bowenfels — Certificate III & IV: 14.4% Hermitage Flat — Certificate III & IV: 18.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.3% / 6.5%
Bowenfels — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.3% Hermitage Flat — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5%
Bachelor Degree 3.5% / 3.4%
Bowenfels — Bachelor Degree: 3.5% Hermitage Flat — Bachelor Degree: 3.4%
Postgraduate Degree 0.8% / 2.8%
Bowenfels — Postgraduate Degree: 0.8% Hermitage Flat — Postgraduate Degree: 2.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.7% / —
Bowenfels — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7% Hermitage Flat — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

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.

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
England 1.8% / 1.5%
Bowenfels — England: 1.8% Hermitage Flat — England: 1.5%
New Zealand 0.8% / 2.5%
Bowenfels — New Zealand: 0.8% Hermitage Flat — New Zealand: 2.5%
Malaysia — / 1.5%
Bowenfels — Malaysia: not among its largest Hermitage Flat — Malaysia: 1.5%
Greece — / 1.5%
Bowenfels — Greece: not among its largest Hermitage Flat — Greece: 1.5%
Scotland — / 1.5%
Bowenfels — Scotland: not among its largest Hermitage Flat — Scotland: 1.5%
Philippines 0.7% / —
Bowenfels — Philippines: 0.7% Hermitage Flat — Philippines: not among its largest
India 0.5% / —
Bowenfels — India: 0.5% Hermitage Flat — India: not among its largest
China 0.4% / —
Bowenfels — China: 0.4% Hermitage Flat — China: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bowenfels 90.6% houses
Bowenfels — Houses: 90.6% Bowenfels — Townhouses: 7.3% Bowenfels — Flats / Apartments: 2.1%
Hermitage Flat 83.6% houses
Hermitage Flat — Houses: 83.6% Hermitage Flat — Townhouses: 6.8% Hermitage Flat — Flats / Apartments: 9.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Median house price $540,000 $490,000
Median unit price $425,000 —
Median land price $327,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 42 days
from 10 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Environmental 68% 59%
Residential 9% 23%
Infrastructure and transport 22% 1%
Parks and recreation 0% 11%
Industrial 0% 7%
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

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
New dwellings approved 55
across Lithgow
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
House price Higher than 16% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
Income Higher than 9% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 13% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 46% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW

Liveability

Hermitage Flat is more walkable (59 vs 0).

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Grade D —
Score 7/100 —
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

Bowenfels carries more crime risk (93 vs 70).

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Bushfire High
94/100
 High
99/100
Crime High
93/100
 High
70/100
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 4
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
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

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 6 0
Childcare 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 6 0

Mobility

Bowenfels sits further from the CBD (152.8 km vs 147.9 km).

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Walkability score 0/100 59/100
Distance to Sydney 152.8 km
+3% vs other
 147.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 148 min 135 min
Public transport score 69/100
Bus
 27/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 41.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 5.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0.5 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2790
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 36
postcode 2790
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.

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Car (driver) 79.0% / 80.2%
Bowenfels — Car (driver): 79.0% Hermitage Flat — Car (driver): 80.2%
Worked from Home 9.2% / 12.1%
Bowenfels — Worked from Home: 9.2% Hermitage Flat — Worked from Home: 12.1%
Car (passenger) 8.2% / 4.4%
Bowenfels — Car (passenger): 8.2% Hermitage Flat — Car (passenger): 4.4%
Walked Only 1.5% / 3.3%
Bowenfels — Walked Only: 1.5% Hermitage Flat — Walked Only: 3.3%
Train 2.1% / —
Bowenfels — Train: 2.1% Hermitage Flat — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.2%).

Setting

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Elevation 972 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 932 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Connectivity score 75/100 49/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 48%
961 premises
 7%
189 premises

Climate

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Annual rainfall 1,147 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 23.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.2°C
same for both

Council rates

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Average residential rate $1,150/yr
same for both
Council Lithgow
same for both

Federal electorate

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Division Calare
same for both
Member Andrew Gee
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bowenfels Hermitage Flat
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bowenfels

Acreage Affordable

Hermitage Flat

Parks Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bowenfels

Bowenfels vs Lithgow Bowenfels vs Wallerawang Bowenfels vs South Bowenfels Bowenfels vs Marrangaroo Bowenfels vs Littleton Bowenfels vs South Littleton

Other comparisons with Hermitage Flat

Hermitage Flat vs Lithgow Hermitage Flat vs McKellars Park
Full data on Bowenfels Full data on Hermitage Flat
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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