Fosters Valley vs Rockley Mount
Rockley Mount is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 49 in Fosters Valley. 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, Fosters Valley tends to suit older residents, while Rockley Mount suits 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
Rockley Mount
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 12/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 76%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Fosters Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Rockley Mount
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (192 min vs 199 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (223.8 km vs 231.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Rockley Mount
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 12/100)
- But Fosters Valley has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 19%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Rockley Mount
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-4.9% vs -12.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Fosters Valley and Rockley Mount 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
Rockley Mount rents higher ($250/wk vs $0/wk); Rockley Mount has higher household incomes ($145,132 vs $107,224).
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 72 | 78 +8% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -12.2% | -4.9% |
| Median age | 49 | 43 |
| Median household income | $107,224/yr | $145,132/yr +35% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | — | $250/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 (22.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).
Zoning mix
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 177 across Bathurst same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 30% of NSW | Higher than 49% of NSW |
Liveability
Rockley Mount is more walkable (14 vs 0).
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Fosters Valley carries more crime risk (12 vs 0); Rockley Mount carries more bushfire risk (44 vs 12).
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 12/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 16 | 0 |
Mobility
Fosters Valley sits further from the CBD (231.8 km vs 223.8 km).
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 231.8 km +3% vs other | 223.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 199 min | 192 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2795 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2795 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 (63.6%).
Setting
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 931 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 795 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 21/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 21 premises | 0% 30 premises |
Climate
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 666 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,301/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bathurst same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Fosters Valley | Rockley Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Fosters Valley
Other comparisons with Rockley Mount
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.