Bowman vs Rookhurst
Bowman is the younger of the two, with a median age of 55 against 61 in Rookhurst. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Rookhurst, the large majority of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Rookhurst: a median of $975,000, against $685,000 in Bowman, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Bowman tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Rookhurst suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Rookhurst
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 10/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, and childcare.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Bowman has cheaper houses ($685,000 vs $975,000)
- Rookhurst leaves households under less mortgage stress (31% vs 36%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Rookhurst
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (220 min vs 293 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (283.6 km vs 305.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Rookhurst
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 10/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (40% vs 29%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bowman
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (0.0% vs -7.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bowman and Rookhurst 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
Bowman has more residents (139 vs 60); Rookhurst skews older (61 vs 55).
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 139 +57% vs other | 60 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.0% | -7.7% |
| Median age | 55 | 61 |
| Median household income | $66,612/yr | $71,500/yr +7% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $260/wk | $280/wk +8% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.6%).
Property market
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $685,000 | $975,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Bowman has more rural and farming land (94% vs 70%); Rookhurst has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 6%).
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 70% |
| Environmental | 6% | 30% |
| 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
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 49% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 62% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 41% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 29% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Bowman carries more crime risk (10 vs 0); Bowman carries more bushfire risk (60 vs 46).
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 60/100 | Moderate 46/100 |
| Crime | Low 10/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 4 | 14 |
Mobility
Bowman sits further from the CBD (305.9 km vs 283.6 km).
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 305.9 km +7% vs other | 283.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 293 min | 220 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2422 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 57 postcode 2422 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 (74.3%).
Setting
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 284 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 201 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 17/100 | 19/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 65 premises | 0% 34 premises |
Climate
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,327 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bowman | Rookhurst | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bowman
Rookhurst
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.