Ellerston vs Moonan Flat
Ellerston is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 46 in Moonan Flat. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ellerston, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Moonan Flat, the large majority of households own their home and most households are couple families. On these figures, Ellerston tends to suit renters, while Moonan Flat suits families with children, couples, 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Ellerston carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 55/100)
- Moonan Flat is already more of a family suburb (55% vs 39%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Moonan Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (32% vs 68%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Ellerston
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $180/wk)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (53% vs 13%)
Weighs rent and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Moonan Flat
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (249 min vs 266 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (318.9 km vs 340.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Ellerston carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 55/100)
- Moonan Flat has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 11%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Moonan Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (2.3% vs -6.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ellerston and Moonan 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.
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
Moonan Flat rents higher ($180/wk vs $0/wk); Moonan Flat skews older (46 vs 41).
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 123 | 131 +7% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.1% | +2.3% |
| Median age | 41 | 46 |
| Median household income | $75,192/yr | $75,816/yr |
| Median weekly rent | — | $180/wk (not reported on the other side) |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
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 (3.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $100,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 41 across Upper Hunter same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -20% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 43% of NSW same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 18% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 99% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 14% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 4% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
Liveability
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Moonan Flat carries more crime risk (55 vs 21).
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 18/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| 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
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Ellerston
- Ellerston Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Moonan Flat
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 2 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 38 | 20 |
Mobility
Ellerston sits further from the CBD (340.5 km vs 318.9 km).
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 340.5 km +6% vs other | 318.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 266 min | 249 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2337 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 2337 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 (84.3%).
Setting
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 730 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 474 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 50 premises | 0% 45 premises |
Council rates
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $968/yr same for both | |
| Council | Upper Hunter same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ellerston | Moonan Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Ellerston
Moonan Flat
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.