Maxwell vs The Rock
Maxwell is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 42 in The Rock. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Maxwell, most households are couple families. On these figures, Maxwell tends to suit couples, while The Rock suits people living alone.
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
- Maxwell is already more of a family suburb (86% vs 58%)
- The Rock has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
The Rock
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($294,950 vs $413,964)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 28%)
Weighs land prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
The Rock
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($245/wk vs $470/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Maxwell
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (304 min vs 312 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (477 km vs 486.7 km)
- But The Rock is more walkable (67/100 vs 6/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
The Rock
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (67/100 vs 6/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
The Rock
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.0% vs 0.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Maxwell and The Rock 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
The Rock has more residents (1,347 vs 90); Maxwell rents higher ($470/wk vs $245/wk).
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 90 | 1,347 +1397% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.0% | +9.0% |
| Median age | 36 | 42 |
| Median household income | $112,632/yr +37% vs other | $70,616/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $470/wk +48% vs other | $245/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (6.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $455,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $413,964 | $294,950 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 54 days from 12 sales |
Zoning mix
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 96% |
| Environmental | 0% | 1% |
| Residential | 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
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 548 across Wagga Wagga | 7 across Lockhart |
| Approvals change year on year | +139% | -33% |
Gross rental yield
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.6% $540/wk on $615K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 12% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 78% of NSW | Higher than 34% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 87% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 89% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 38% of NSW | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 37% of NSW | Higher than 49% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 92% of NSW |
Liveability
The Rock is more walkable (67 vs 6).
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 46/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
The Rock carries more bushfire risk (19 vs 0).
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 59/100 | Moderate 54/100 |
| 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
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Maxwell
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in The Rock
- The Rock Central School Government · Combined at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 5 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 17 | 23 |
Mobility
The Rock sits further from the CBD (486.7 km vs 477 km).
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 6/100 | 67/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 477 km | 486.7 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 304 min | 312 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2650 | 0.0% postcode 2655 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 45 postcode 2650 | 70 postcode 2655 |
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 (78.4%).
Setting
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 280 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 217 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 26/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 32 premises | 0% 558 premises |
Climate
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 565 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.4°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 7.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 23.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,254/yr | $394/yr |
| Council | Wagga Wagga | Lockhart |
Federal electorate
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Maxwell | The Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Maxwell
Other comparisons with The Rock
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.