Castle Rock vs Manobalai
Castle Rock is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 56 in Manobalai. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Castle Rock tends to suit families with children, while Manobalai suits 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
Castle Rock
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 67%)
- carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 41/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Castle Rock
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 40%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Castle Rock has a bigger rental market to choose from (42% vs 12%)
- Manobalai has cheaper rent ($253/wk vs $325/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Castle Rock
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (204 min vs 216 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (267.8 km vs 282 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Castle Rock carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 41/100)
- Manobalai has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Manobalai
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.4% vs -25.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Castle Rock and Manobalai 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
Castle Rock has more residents (131 vs 76); Castle Rock has higher household incomes ($158,132 vs $95,316).
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 131 +42% vs other | 76 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -25.1% | +13.4% |
| Median age | 44 | 56 |
| Median household income | $158,132/yr +40% vs other | $95,316/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $325/wk +22% vs other | $253/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.7%).
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 (3.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (22.4%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,075,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Castle Rock has more rural and farming land (70% vs 57%); Manobalai has more land zoned for conservation (43% vs 30%).
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 70% | 57% |
| Environmental | 30% | 43% |
| 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
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 71 across Muswellbrook same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +13% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 55% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 96% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 86% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 16% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
Liveability
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Manobalai carries more crime risk (41 vs 30).
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 41/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 30/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| 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
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 8 | 20 |
Mobility
Manobalai sits further from the CBD (282 km vs 267.8 km).
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 267.8 km | 282 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 204 min | 216 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2333 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 42 postcode 2333 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 (74.6%).
Setting
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 218 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 340 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 36 premises | 0% 24 premises |
Climate
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 631 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 15.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $936/yr same for both | |
| Council | Muswellbrook same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Castle Rock | Manobalai | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Castle Rock
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Castle Rock
Other comparisons with Manobalai
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.