Castle Rock vs Muswellbrook
Muswellbrook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 44 in Castle Rock. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Castle Rock, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Castle Rock: a median of $1.07 million, against $605,000 in Muswellbrook. On these figures, Castle Rock tends to suit couples, while Muswellbrook suits buyers on a tighter budget.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Castle Rock carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 90/100)
- Muswellbrook has more parks and reserves (20 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Castle Rock leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 22%)
- Muswellbrook has cheaper houses ($605,000 vs $1,075,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Castle Rock
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 19%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Muswellbrook
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (172 min vs 204 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (243.3 km vs 267.8 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 90/100)
- Muswellbrook has more GPs (3 vs 0)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Muswellbrook
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.6% vs -25.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Castle Rock and Muswellbrook 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
Muswellbrook has more residents (12,272 vs 131); Castle Rock has higher household incomes ($158,132 vs $83,356).
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 131 | 12,272 +9268% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -25.1% | +1.6% |
| Median age | 44 | 35 |
| Median household income | $158,132/yr +47% vs other | $83,356/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $325/wk +5% vs other | $310/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
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 (2.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,075,000 | $605,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $383,000 |
| Median land price | — | $660,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 34 days from 132 sales |
Zoning mix
Castle Rock has more rural and farming land (70% vs 51%).
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 70% | 51% |
| Environmental | 30% | 20% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 21% |
| Residential | 0% | 5% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 2% |
| 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 | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 71 across Muswellbrook same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +13% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.6% $580/wk on $660K |
| Units | — | 4.7% $380/wk on $420K |
Ranking within NSW
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 55% of NSW | Higher than 19% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 96% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
| Schools | — | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 86% of NSW | Higher than 85% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 16% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 92% of NSW |
| Rental yield (units) | — | Higher than 53% of NSW |
Liveability
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 15/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Muswellbrook carries more crime risk (90 vs 30).
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 41/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Crime | Low 30/100 | High 90/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 7 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 5 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Castle Rock
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Muswellbrook
- Muswellbrook High School Government · Secondary at peers
- Muswellbrook Public School Government · Primary at peers
- Pacific Brook Christian School Independent · Combined at peers
- Richard Gill School Independent · Primary at peers
- St James' Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Muswellbrook South Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 4 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 20 |
| Childcare | 0 | 8 |
| GPs | 0 | 3 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 3 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 7 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 6 |
| Waterways | 8 | 105 |
Mobility
Castle Rock sits further from the CBD (267.8 km vs 243.3 km).
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 267.8 km +9% vs other | 243.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 204 min | 172 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 (81.2%).
Setting
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 218 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 205 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 72/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 36 premises | 51% 6,664 premises |
Climate
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — | 6.7 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | 15.5 µg/m³ | 20.2 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | — | 0.62 pphm |
Council rates
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $936/yr same for both | |
| Council | Muswellbrook same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Castle Rock | Muswellbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Castle Rock
Muswellbrook
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Castle Rock
Other comparisons with Muswellbrook
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.