Emu Heights vs Mount Riverview

Comparing Emu Heights and Mount Riverview, NSW: Emu Heights carries more crime risk (34 vs 24); Mount Riverview scores higher overall (53 vs 48); and Mount Riverview sits further from the CBD (64.9 km vs 60.1 km).

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

  • Emu Heights has more parks and reserves (14 vs 5)
  • Mount Riverview carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 34/100)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Emu Heights

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (51 min vs 58 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (60.1 km vs 64.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Mount Riverview

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 34/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 14%)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Emu Heights and Mount Riverview drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
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.

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Walkability 52 / 56
Emu Heights — Walkability: 52/100 Mount Riverview — Walkability: 56/100
Safety 66 / 76
Emu Heights — Safety: 66/100 Mount Riverview — Safety: 76/100
Low fire risk 19 / 12
Emu Heights — Low fire risk: 19/100 Mount Riverview — Low fire risk: 12/100

Demographics

Mount Riverview skews older (40 vs 38).

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Population 3,205
+4% vs other
 3,074
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.6% +1.3%
Median age 38 40
Median household income $124,696/yr
+6% vs other
 $116,896/yr
Median weekly rent $440/wk $450/wk
+2% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
0-4 6.1% / 6.6%
Emu Heights — 0-4: 6.1% Mount Riverview — 0-4: 6.6%
5-14 13.8% / 14.5%
Emu Heights — 5-14: 13.8% Mount Riverview — 5-14: 14.5%
15-19 6.7% / 7.4%
Emu Heights — 15-19: 6.7% Mount Riverview — 15-19: 7.4%
20-24 6.6% / 3.8%
Emu Heights — 20-24: 6.6% Mount Riverview — 20-24: 3.8%
25-34 12.6% / 9.6%
Emu Heights — 25-34: 12.6% Mount Riverview — 25-34: 9.6%
35-44 13.9% / 13.8%
Emu Heights — 35-44: 13.9% Mount Riverview — 35-44: 13.8%
45-54 13.9% / 12.9%
Emu Heights — 45-54: 13.9% Mount Riverview — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 12.5% / 11.5%
Emu Heights — 55-64: 12.5% Mount Riverview — 55-64: 11.5%
65-74 8.5% / 11.4%
Emu Heights — 65-74: 8.5% Mount Riverview — 65-74: 11.4%
75-84 4.5% / 7.3%
Emu Heights — 75-84: 4.5% Mount Riverview — 75-84: 7.3%
85+ 1.0% / 0.7%
Emu Heights — 85+: 1.0% Mount Riverview — 85+: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Emu Heights 59.1% couple families
Emu Heights — Couple Families: 59.1% Emu Heights — Lone Person: 21.5% Emu Heights — One Parent Families: 16.9% Emu Heights — Group Household: 1.2% Emu Heights — Other Families: 1.2%
Mount Riverview 57.3% couple families
Mount Riverview — Couple Families: 57.3% Mount Riverview — Lone Person: 24.0% Mount Riverview — One Parent Families: 15.3% Mount Riverview — Group Household: 2.4% Mount Riverview — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Emu Heights 16.5% renting
Emu Heights — Owned Outright: 32.4% Emu Heights — Mortgage: 51.1% Emu Heights — Renting: 16.5%
Mount Riverview 11.8% renting
Mount Riverview — Owned Outright: 42.1% Mount Riverview — Mortgage: 46.1% Mount Riverview — Renting: 11.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Certificate III & IV 19.7% / 14.7%
Emu Heights — Certificate III & IV: 19.7% Mount Riverview — Certificate III & IV: 14.7%
Bachelor Degree 9.7% / 14.9%
Emu Heights — Bachelor Degree: 9.7% Mount Riverview — Bachelor Degree: 14.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.3% / 10.1%
Emu Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3% Mount Riverview — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.1%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 5.7%
Emu Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Mount Riverview — Postgraduate Degree: 5.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 2.9%
Emu Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Mount Riverview — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).

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.

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
England 4.0% / 4.9%
Emu Heights — England: 4.0% Mount Riverview — England: 4.9%
New Zealand 0.7% / 0.8%
Emu Heights — New Zealand: 0.7% Mount Riverview — New Zealand: 0.8%
Philippines 0.7% / 0.5%
Emu Heights — Philippines: 0.7% Mount Riverview — Philippines: 0.5%
South Africa 0.6% / 0.6%
Emu Heights — South Africa: 0.6% Mount Riverview — South Africa: 0.6%
Netherlands 0.4% / 0.7%
Emu Heights — Netherlands: 0.4% Mount Riverview — Netherlands: 0.7%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.5%
Emu Heights — Scotland: 0.5% Mount Riverview — Scotland: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Emu Heights 97.3% houses
Emu Heights — Houses: 97.3% Emu Heights — Townhouses: 1.8% Emu Heights — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Mount Riverview 99.4% houses
Mount Riverview — Houses: 99.4% Mount Riverview — Townhouses: 0.4% Mount Riverview — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Median house price $1,140,000 $1,170,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 13 sales
 22 days
from 20 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
3 bed $1.1M / $1M
Emu Heights — 3 bed: $1.1M (23 sales) Mount Riverview — 3 bed: $1M (22 sales)

23 vs 22 sales

4 bed $1.22M / $1.25M
Emu Heights — 4 bed: $1.22M (13 sales) Mount Riverview — 4 bed: $1.25M (38 sales)

13 vs 38 sales

5 bed $1.4M / $1.41M
Emu Heights — 5 bed: $1.4M (5 sales) Mount Riverview — 5 bed: $1.41M (10 sales)

5 vs 10 sales

Zoning mix

Mount Riverview has more land zoned for conservation (90% vs 42%).

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Environmental 42% 90%
Residential 31% 8%
Parks and recreation 18% 1%
Industrial 5% 0%
Other and special use 3% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 0%
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

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
New dwellings approved 1,063
across Penrith
 123
across Blue Mountains
Approvals change year on year -78% +14%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Houses 3.1%
$805/wk on $1.35M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
House price Higher than 56% of NSW
same for both
Income Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 83% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 70% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 26% of NSW —

Liveability

Mount Riverview scores higher overall (53 vs 48).

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Grade C B
Score 48/100 53/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Emu Heights carries more crime risk (34 vs 24).

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Bushfire High
81/100
 High
88/100
Crime Low
34/100
 Low
24/100
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 6
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Western Sydney University - Penrith, 7.7 km
 1
Western Sydney University - Penrith, 9.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.6% 1.7%

Schools in Emu Heights

  • Emu Heights Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Mount Riverview

  • Mount Riverview Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 2 1
Parks & reserves 14 5
Childcare 2 1
Pharmacies 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 3 0

Mobility

Mount Riverview sits further from the CBD (64.9 km vs 60.1 km).

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Walkability score 52/100 56/100
Distance to Sydney 60.1 km 64.9 km
+8% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 51 min 58 min
Public transport score 77/100
Bus
 68/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 88.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 43.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 2750
 1.2%
postcode 2774
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 2750
 50
postcode 2774

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.

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Car (driver) 56.9% / 46.6%
Emu Heights — Car (driver): 56.9% Mount Riverview — Car (driver): 46.6%
Worked from Home 36.7% / 47.3%
Emu Heights — Worked from Home: 36.7% Mount Riverview — Worked from Home: 47.3%
Car (passenger) 2.7% / 3.8%
Emu Heights — Car (passenger): 2.7% Mount Riverview — Car (passenger): 3.8%
Train 2.5% / 1.5%
Emu Heights — Train: 2.5% Mount Riverview — Train: 1.5%
Walked Only 1.0% / 0.2%
Emu Heights — Walked Only: 1.0% Mount Riverview — Walked Only: 0.2%
Bus — / 0.5%
Emu Heights — Bus: not among its largest Mount Riverview — Bus: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (56.9%).

Setting

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Elevation 43 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 235 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Connectivity score 91/100 94/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 54%
1,307 premises
 70%
1,132 premises

Climate

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Annual rainfall 822 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
PM2.5 7.2 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.6 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Average residential rate $1,547/yr $2,080/yr
Council Penrith Blue Mountains

Federal electorate

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Division Macquarie
same for both
Member Susan Templeman
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Emu Heights Mount Riverview
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Emu Heights

Large Blocks Parks River

Mount Riverview

Large Blocks Parks Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Emu Heights

Emu Heights vs Emu Plains Emu Heights vs Blaxland Emu Heights vs Glenbrook Emu Heights vs Castlereagh Emu Heights vs Yellow Rock

Other comparisons with Mount Riverview

Mount Riverview vs Blaxland Mount Riverview vs Warrimoo Mount Riverview vs Yellow Rock
Full data on Emu Heights Full data on Mount Riverview
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or