Hill Top vs Rocky Plain
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Hill Top: a median of $842,000, against $730,000 in Rocky Plain, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Rocky Plain 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
Rocky Plain
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 82%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Rocky Plain
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 16%)
- has cheaper houses ($730,000 vs $842,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rocky Plain
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($280/wk vs $620/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 30%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Hill Top
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (38.6% vs 7.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hill Top and Rocky Plain 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
Hill Top rents higher ($620/wk vs $280/wk); Hill Top has more residents (115 vs 69).
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 115 +40% vs other | 69 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +38.6% | +7.8% |
| Median age | 43 | 41 |
| Median household income | $109,200/yr +14% vs other | $94,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $620/wk +55% vs other | $280/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).
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 (14.8%).
Property market
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $842,500 | $730,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $380,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 95% |
| Environmental | 0% | 5% |
| 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
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 72 across Snowy Monaro same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +29% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 38% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 81% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 42% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
Liveability
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Rocky Plain carries more bushfire risk (94 vs 0).
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 94/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 7 | 19 |
Mobility
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 449.8 km | 448.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 302 min | 304 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2628 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 42 postcode 2628 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 (86.4%).
Setting
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,122 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 1,136 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 16/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 47 premises | 0% 21 premises |
Climate
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 554 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | -1.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,253/yr same for both | |
| Council | Snowy Monaro same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hill Top | Rocky Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hill Top
Other comparisons with Rocky Plain
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.