Locksley vs O'connell
Locksley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 43 in O'Connell. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Locksley, about half of households are people living alone. In O'Connell, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Locksley: a median of $2.31 million, against $1.19 million in O'Connell, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Locksley tends to suit people living alone, while O'Connell suits families with children, 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
O'Connell
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 64/100)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 53%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
O'Connell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,193,500 vs $2,305,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Locksley has a bigger rental market to choose from (23% vs 5%)
- O'connell has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Locksley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (171 min vs 177 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (198.9 km vs 203.8 km)
- But O'Connell is more walkable (14/100 vs 5/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
O'Connell
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 5/100)
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 64/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 9%)
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
Locksley and O'connell 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
O'Connell has more residents (653 vs 55); Locksley rents higher ($300/wk vs $250/wk).
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 55 | 653 +1087% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +10.0% | +14.8% |
| Median age | 39 | 43 |
| Median household income | $120,224/yr | $134,056/yr +12% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +17% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).
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 (18.1%).
Property market
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,305,000 | $1,193,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 32 days from 7 sales |
Zoning mix
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 95% | 91% |
| Residential | 0% | 9% |
| Environmental | 4% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 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
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 177 across Bathurst | 21 across Oberon |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% | -33% |
Ranking within NSW
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 88% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 84% of NSW | Higher than 90% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 18% of NSW | Higher than 71% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 43% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
Liveability
O'Connell is more walkable (14 vs 5).
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 56/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Locksley carries more crime risk (64 vs 24); Locksley carries more bushfire risk (44 vs 22).
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 44/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 64/100 | Low 24/100 |
| 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
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Locksley
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in O'connell
- O'Connell Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 27 |
Mobility
O'Connell sits further from the CBD (203.8 km vs 198.9 km).
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 198.9 km | 203.8 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 171 min | 177 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 844 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 719 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 22 premises | 0% 263 premises |
Climate
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 644 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.2°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,301/yr | $975/yr |
| Council | Bathurst | Oberon |
Federal electorate
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Locksley | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Locksley
Other comparisons with O'connell
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.