Emu Swamp vs Lewis Ponds
Lewis Ponds is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 51 in Emu Swamp. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Emu Swamp: a median of $1.06 million, against $784,000 in Lewis Ponds, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Lewis Ponds tends to suit couples and 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
Emu Swamp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 65/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Lewis Ponds
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($784,500 vs $1,060,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Lewis Ponds
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Lewis Ponds
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (217 min vs 224 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (247.2 km vs 255.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Emu Swamp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 65/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Emu Swamp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-3.7% vs -13.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Emu Swamp and Lewis Ponds 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
Emu Swamp has higher household incomes ($139,724 vs $105,820); Emu Swamp rents higher ($250/wk vs $200/wk).
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 156 +19% vs other | 127 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.7% | -13.6% |
| Median age | 51 | 44 |
| Median household income | $139,724/yr +24% vs other | $105,820/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +20% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
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 (3.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,060,000 | $784,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $7,400 | — |
Zoning mix
Lewis Ponds has more rural and farming land (100% vs 81%); Emu Swamp has more land zoned for conservation (19% vs 0%).
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 81% | 100% |
| Environmental | 19% | 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 Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 29 across Cabonne same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -43% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 55% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 92% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 81% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 60% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
Liveability
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Lewis Ponds carries more crime risk (65 vs 14).
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 21/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Crime | Low 14/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| 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
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 9 | 18 |
Mobility
Emu Swamp sits further from the CBD (255.1 km vs 247.2 km).
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 255.1 km +3% vs other | 247.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 224 min | 217 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2800 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 48 postcode 2800 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 (86.2%).
Setting
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 831 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 705 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 74 premises | 0% 56 premises |
Climate
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 894 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.3°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 2.2°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 10.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.4 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $750/yr same for both | |
| Council | Cabonne same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Emu Swamp | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Emu Swamp
Lewis Ponds
More comparisons
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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.