Hanging Rock vs Niangala
Niangala is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 58 in Hanging Rock. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hanging Rock, most households are people living alone. In Niangala, most households are couple families. On these figures, Hanging Rock tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Niangala suits families with children and 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Hanging Rock carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 52/100)
- Niangala is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 18%)
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
Niangala
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (6% vs 29%)
- has cheaper rent ($80/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Hanging Rock has a shorter drive in (306 min vs 315 min)
- Niangala sits closer to the CBD (386.7 km vs 406.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hanging Rock
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 26%)
- carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 52/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Niangala
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (23.1% vs -6.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hanging Rock and Niangala 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
Hanging Rock rents higher ($250/wk vs $80/wk); Niangala has higher household incomes ($71,500 vs $44,148).
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 98 | 149 +52% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.7% | +23.1% |
| Median age | 58 | 49 |
| Median household income | $44,148/yr | $71,500/yr +62% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +68% vs other | $80/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.5%).
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 (8.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $475,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 90% | 97% |
| Environmental | 9% | 3% |
| 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
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 390 across Tamworth | 4 across Walcha |
| Approvals change year on year | -35% | — |
Ranking within NSW
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 14% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 37% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 5% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 59% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 30% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 3% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
Liveability
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Niangala carries more crime risk (52 vs 42).
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 61/100 | Moderate 54/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 42/100 | Moderate 52/100 |
| 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
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Hanging Rock
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Niangala
- Niangala Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 5 same for both | |
| Waterways | 20 | 54 |
Mobility
Hanging Rock sits further from the CBD (406.6 km vs 386.7 km).
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 406.6 km +5% vs other | 386.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 306 min | 315 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2340 | 0.1% postcode 2354 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2340 | 39 postcode 2354 |
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 (54.5%).
Setting
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,254 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 1,257 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 49 premises | 0% 41 premises |
Council rates
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,397/yr | $772/yr |
| Council | Tamworth | Walcha |
Federal electorate
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hanging Rock | Niangala | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Hanging Rock
Niangala
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Hanging Rock
Other comparisons with Niangala
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.