Emu Heights vs Yellow Rock

Emu Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 42 in Yellow Rock. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Yellow Rock tends to suit couples.

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

Emu Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more parks and reserves (14 vs 3)

Weighs schools, house stock, 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

Yellow Rock

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $440/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Emu Heights

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (52/100 vs 18/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (51 min vs 70 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (60.1 km vs 79.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Emu Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (52/100 vs 18/100)

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

Investors

Yellow Rock

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.7% vs -2.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Emu Heights and Yellow Rock 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 Yellow Rock
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 Yellow Rock
Walkability 52 / 18
Emu Heights — Walkability: 52/100 Yellow Rock — Walkability: 18/100
Low fire risk 19 / 10
Emu Heights — Low fire risk: 19/100 Yellow Rock — Low fire risk: 10/100

Demographics

Emu Heights has more residents (3,205 vs 1,119); Yellow Rock skews older (42 vs 38).

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Population 3,205
+65% vs other
 1,119
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.6% +8.7%
Median age 38 42
Median household income $124,696/yr $137,020/yr
+10% vs other
Median weekly rent $440/wk
+9% vs other
 $400/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
0-4 6.1% / 4.4%
Emu Heights — 0-4: 6.1% Yellow Rock — 0-4: 4.4%
5-14 13.8% / 14.9%
Emu Heights — 5-14: 13.8% Yellow Rock — 5-14: 14.9%
15-19 6.7% / 7.5%
Emu Heights — 15-19: 6.7% Yellow Rock — 15-19: 7.5%
20-24 6.6% / 4.9%
Emu Heights — 20-24: 6.6% Yellow Rock — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 12.6% / 9.0%
Emu Heights — 25-34: 12.6% Yellow Rock — 25-34: 9.0%
35-44 13.9% / 12.7%
Emu Heights — 35-44: 13.9% Yellow Rock — 35-44: 12.7%
45-54 13.9% / 15.0%
Emu Heights — 45-54: 13.9% Yellow Rock — 45-54: 15.0%
55-64 12.5% / 17.2%
Emu Heights — 55-64: 12.5% Yellow Rock — 55-64: 17.2%
65-74 8.5% / 9.3%
Emu Heights — 65-74: 8.5% Yellow Rock — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 4.5% / 4.2%
Emu Heights — 75-84: 4.5% Yellow Rock — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ 1.0% / 0.4%
Emu Heights — 85+: 1.0% Yellow Rock — 85+: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

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 — Other Families: 1.2% Emu Heights — Group Household: 1.2%
Yellow Rock 72.8% couple families
Yellow Rock — Couple Families: 72.8% Yellow Rock — Lone Person: 14.9% Yellow Rock — One Parent Families: 10.1% Yellow Rock — Other Families: 2.2% Yellow Rock — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families Group Household

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%
Yellow Rock 7.7% renting
Yellow Rock — Owned Outright: 36.4% Yellow Rock — Mortgage: 55.9% Yellow Rock — Renting: 7.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Certificate III & IV 19.7% / 21.1%
Emu Heights — Certificate III & IV: 19.7% Yellow Rock — Certificate III & IV: 21.1%
Bachelor Degree 9.7% / 9.7%
Emu Heights — Bachelor Degree: 9.7% Yellow Rock — Bachelor Degree: 9.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.3% / 9.2%
Emu Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3% Yellow Rock — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 3.8%
Emu Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Yellow Rock — Postgraduate Degree: 3.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 1.3%
Emu Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Yellow Rock — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

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 Yellow Rock
England 4.0% / 3.7%
Emu Heights — England: 4.0% Yellow Rock — England: 3.7%
Philippines 0.7% / 0.7%
Emu Heights — Philippines: 0.7% Yellow Rock — Philippines: 0.7%
New Zealand 0.7% / 0.4%
Emu Heights — New Zealand: 0.7% Yellow Rock — New Zealand: 0.4%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.3%
Emu Heights — Scotland: 0.5% Yellow Rock — Scotland: 0.3%
Malaysia — / 0.8%
Emu Heights — Malaysia: not among its largest Yellow Rock — Malaysia: 0.8%
South Africa 0.6% / —
Emu Heights — South Africa: 0.6% Yellow Rock — South Africa: not among its largest
China — / 0.4%
Emu Heights — China: not among its largest Yellow Rock — China: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Emu Heights 97.3% houses
Emu Heights — Houses: 97.3% Emu Heights — Flats / Apartments: 0.9% Emu Heights — Townhouses: 1.8%
Yellow Rock 98.6% houses
Yellow Rock — Houses: 98.6% Yellow Rock — Flats / Apartments: 1.4% Yellow Rock — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Median house price $1,140,000 $1,132,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 13 sales
 45 days
from 9 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 Yellow Rock
4 bed $1.22M / $1.13M
Emu Heights — 4 bed: $1.22M (13 sales) Yellow Rock — 4 bed: $1.13M (10 sales)

13 vs 10 sales

5 bed $1.4M / $1.15M
Emu Heights — 5 bed: $1.4M (5 sales) Yellow Rock — 5 bed: $1.15M (5 sales)

5 vs 5 sales

Zoning mix

Yellow Rock has more land zoned for conservation (99% vs 42%).

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Environmental 42% 99%
Residential 31% 0%
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 Yellow Rock
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 Yellow Rock
Houses 3.1%
$805/wk on $1.35M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
House price Higher than 56% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
Income Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 83% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 26% of NSW —

Liveability

Emu Heights is more walkable (52 vs 18); Emu Heights scores higher overall (48 vs 36).

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Grade C
same for both
Score 48/100 36/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Bushfire High
81/100
 High
90/100
Crime Low
34/100
 —
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 Yellow Rock
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 1
Western Sydney University - Penrith, 7.7 km
 None

Schools in Emu Heights

  • Emu Heights Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Yellow Rock

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 14 3
Childcare 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 3 4

Mobility

Yellow Rock sits further from the CBD (79.4 km vs 60.1 km).

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Walkability score 52/100 18/100
Distance to Sydney 60.1 km 79.4 km
+32% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 51 min 70 min
Public transport score 77/100
Bus
 36/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 88.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 7.8
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 2777
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 2750
 49
postcode 2777

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 Yellow Rock
Car (driver) 56.9% / 62.2%
Emu Heights — Car (driver): 56.9% Yellow Rock — Car (driver): 62.2%
Worked from Home 36.7% / 33.5%
Emu Heights — Worked from Home: 36.7% Yellow Rock — Worked from Home: 33.5%
Car (passenger) 2.7% / 2.5%
Emu Heights — Car (passenger): 2.7% Yellow Rock — Car (passenger): 2.5%
Train 2.5% / 0.8%
Emu Heights — Train: 2.5% Yellow Rock — Train: 0.8%
Walked Only 1.0% / 1.0%
Emu Heights — Walked Only: 1.0% Yellow Rock — Walked Only: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.2%).

Setting

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Elevation 43 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 236 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Connectivity score 91/100 93/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 54%
1,307 premises
 66%
392 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
Division Macquarie
same for both
Member Susan Templeman
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Emu Heights Yellow Rock
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

Yellow Rock

Acreage

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Emu Heights

Emu Heights vs Emu Plains Emu Heights vs Blaxland Emu Heights vs Glenbrook Emu Heights vs Mount Riverview Emu Heights vs Castlereagh

Other comparisons with Yellow Rock

Yellow Rock vs Springwood Yellow Rock vs Winmalee Yellow Rock vs Mount Riverview Yellow Rock vs Warrimoo Yellow Rock vs Castlereagh Yellow Rock vs Yarramundi
Full data on Emu Heights Full data on Yellow Rock
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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.

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