Essington vs Oberon

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Essington, about half of households are couple families. In Oberon, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Essington: a median of $715,000, against $554,000 in Oberon, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Essington tends to suit couples, while Oberon suits people living alone, older residents, 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Essington carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 60/100)
  • Oberon has more parks and reserves (6 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Oberon

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($553,750 vs $715,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Oberon

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($280/wk vs $600/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 32%)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Oberon

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (186 min vs 204 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (199.8 km vs 218.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Oberon

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 12%)
  • But Essington carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 60/100)

Weighs 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

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

Essington Oberon
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.

Essington Oberon
Walkability 0 / 14
Essington — Walkability: 0/100 Oberon — Walkability: 14/100
Safety 89 / 40
Essington — Safety: 89/100 Oberon — Safety: 40/100
Low fire risk 67 / 74
Essington — Low fire risk: 67/100 Oberon — Low fire risk: 74/100

Demographics

Oberon has more residents (3,319 vs 99); Essington rents higher ($600/wk vs $280/wk).

Essington Oberon
Population 99 3,319
+3253% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.2% +1.9%
Median age 47
same for both
Median household income $97,448/yr
+30% vs other
 $68,692/yr
Median weekly rent $600/wk
+53% vs other
 $280/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Essington Oberon
0-4 6.1% / 4.6%
Essington — 0-4: 6.1% Oberon — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 14.1% / 12.7%
Essington — 5-14: 14.1% Oberon — 5-14: 12.7%
15-19 3.0% / 5.3%
Essington — 15-19: 3.0% Oberon — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 8.1% / 4.5%
Essington — 20-24: 8.1% Oberon — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 11.1% / 10.3%
Essington — 25-34: 11.1% Oberon — 25-34: 10.3%
35-44 9.1% / 10.4%
Essington — 35-44: 9.1% Oberon — 35-44: 10.4%
45-54 21.2% / 11.9%
Essington — 45-54: 21.2% Oberon — 45-54: 11.9%
55-64 21.2% / 14.0%
Essington — 55-64: 21.2% Oberon — 55-64: 14.0%
65-74 9.1% / 14.6%
Essington — 65-74: 9.1% Oberon — 65-74: 14.6%
75-84 3.0% / 8.9%
Essington — 75-84: 3.0% Oberon — 75-84: 8.9%
85+ — / 2.7%
Essington — 85+: not among its largest Oberon — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Essington 36.4% lone person
Essington — Lone Person: 36.4% Essington — Couple Families: 45.5% Essington — One Parent Families: 18.2% Essington — Group Household: 0.0% Essington — Other Families: 0.0%
Oberon 45.8% lone person
Oberon — Lone Person: 45.8% Oberon — Couple Families: 30.3% Oberon — One Parent Families: 19.6% Oberon — Group Household: 3.8% Oberon — Other Families: 0.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Essington 0.0% renting
Essington — Owned Outright: 40.7% Essington — Mortgage: 59.3% Essington — Renting: 0.0%
Oberon 28.2% renting
Oberon — Owned Outright: 42.1% Oberon — Mortgage: 29.7% Oberon — Renting: 28.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Essington Oberon
Certificate III & IV 19.2% / 17.0%
Essington — Certificate III & IV: 19.2% Oberon — Certificate III & IV: 17.0%
Bachelor Degree 16.2% / 6.1%
Essington — Bachelor Degree: 16.2% Oberon — Bachelor Degree: 6.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 5.3%
Essington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Oberon — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.5%
Essington — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Oberon — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.0%
Essington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Oberon — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).

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.

Essington Oberon
England 5.1% / 2.4%
Essington — England: 5.1% Oberon — England: 2.4%
Germany 3.0% / 0.5%
Essington — Germany: 3.0% Oberon — Germany: 0.5%
New Zealand — / 1.6%
Essington — New Zealand: not among its largest Oberon — New Zealand: 1.6%
India — / 0.8%
Essington — India: not among its largest Oberon — India: 0.8%
South Africa — / 0.7%
Essington — South Africa: not among its largest Oberon — South Africa: 0.7%
Fiji — / 0.6%
Essington — Fiji: not among its largest Oberon — Fiji: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Essington 100.0% houses
Essington — Houses: 100.0% Essington — Townhouses: 0.0% Essington — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Oberon 90.6% houses
Oberon — Houses: 90.6% Oberon — Townhouses: 6.3% Oberon — Flats / Apartments: 3.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Essington Oberon
Median house price $715,000 $553,750
Median unit price — $452,500
Median land price — $389,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 47 days
from 49 sales

Zoning mix

Essington has more rural and farming land (100% vs 89%).

Essington Oberon
Rural and farming 100% 89%
Residential 0% 9%
Industrial 0% 1%
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

Essington Oberon
New dwellings approved 21
across Oberon
same for both
Approvals change year on year -33%
same for both

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.

Essington Oberon
Houses — 4.1%
$500/wk on $628K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Essington Oberon
House price Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 18% of NSW
Income Higher than 64% of NSW Higher than 32% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 91% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 29% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 79% of NSW

Liveability

Oberon is more walkable (14 vs 0).

Essington Oberon
Grade — C
Score — 46/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Oberon carries more crime risk (60 vs 11).

Essington Oberon
Bushfire Low
33/100
 Low
26/100
Crime Low
11/100
 Moderate
60/100
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
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Essington Oberon
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Essington

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

Schools in Oberon

  • Oberon Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Oberon Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Oberon High School Government · Secondary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Essington Oberon
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 10
Parks & reserves 0 6
Childcare 0 2
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Fuel stations 0 4
Waterways 23 79

Mobility

Essington sits further from the CBD (218.6 km vs 199.8 km).

Essington Oberon
Walkability score 0/100 14/100
Distance to Sydney 218.6 km
+9% vs other
 199.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 204 min 186 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2787
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 2787
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.

Essington Oberon
Car (driver) 68.9% / 78.9%
Essington — Car (driver): 68.9% Oberon — Car (driver): 78.9%
Worked from Home 24.4% / 9.1%
Essington — Worked from Home: 24.4% Oberon — Worked from Home: 9.1%
Car (passenger) 6.7% / 6.0%
Essington — Car (passenger): 6.7% Oberon — Car (passenger): 6.0%
Walked Only — / 5.0%
Essington — Walked Only: not among its largest Oberon — Walked Only: 5.0%
Bus — / 0.9%
Essington — Bus: not among its largest Oberon — Bus: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.9%).

Setting

Essington Oberon
Elevation 994 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 1,107 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Essington Oberon
Connectivity score 19/100 51/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
38 premises
 21%
1,996 premises

Climate

Essington Oberon
Annual rainfall 738 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Essington Oberon
Average residential rate $975/yr
same for both
Council Oberon
same for both

Federal electorate

Essington Oberon
Division Calare
same for both
Member Andrew Gee
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Essington Oberon
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Essington

River Rural

Oberon

Affordable Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Essington

Essington vs Black Springs Essington vs Wisemans Creek Essington vs Norway

Other comparisons with Oberon

Oberon vs O'Connell Oberon vs Tarana Oberon vs Edith Oberon vs Wisemans Creek Oberon vs Hazelgrove Oberon vs Mozart
Full data on Essington Full data on Oberon
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.

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