Merewether vs The Junction

Merewether is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 43 in The Junction. In both, most households own their home. In Merewether, most homes are detached houses.

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

Merewether

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (13 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (80/100 vs 95/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Merewether

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 24%)
  • has cheaper rent ($420/wk vs $470/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

The Junction

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (91/100 vs 74/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Merewether

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (80/100 vs 95/100)
  • But The Junction is more walkable (91/100 vs 74/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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 house yield.

Where they sit

Merewether and The Junction drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Merewether The Junction
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Merewether The Junction
Walkability 74 / 91
Merewether — Walkability: 74/100 The Junction — Walkability: 91/100
Safety 20 / 5
Merewether — Safety: 20/100 The Junction — Safety: 5/100
Low fire risk 47 / 100
Merewether — Low fire risk: 47/100 The Junction — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Merewether has more residents (11,788 vs 994); Merewether has higher household incomes ($118,924 vs $99,632).

Merewether The Junction
Population 11,788
+92% vs other
 994
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.5% —
Median age 39 43
Median household income $118,924/yr
+16% vs other
 $99,632/yr
Median weekly rent $420/wk $470/wk
+12% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Merewether The Junction
0-4 4.3% / 3.8%
Merewether — 0-4: 4.3% The Junction — 0-4: 3.8%
5-14 12.1% / 9.9%
Merewether — 5-14: 12.1% The Junction — 5-14: 9.9%
15-19 6.2% / 5.6%
Merewether — 15-19: 6.2% The Junction — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 7.9% / 7.5%
Merewether — 20-24: 7.9% The Junction — 20-24: 7.5%
25-34 13.9% / 15.4%
Merewether — 25-34: 13.9% The Junction — 25-34: 15.4%
35-44 12.4% / 10.0%
Merewether — 35-44: 12.4% The Junction — 35-44: 10.0%
45-54 13.9% / 12.9%
Merewether — 45-54: 13.9% The Junction — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 13.3% / 14.8%
Merewether — 55-64: 13.3% The Junction — 55-64: 14.8%
65-74 9.8% / 10.5%
Merewether — 65-74: 9.8% The Junction — 65-74: 10.5%
75-84 4.3% / 6.8%
Merewether — 75-84: 4.3% The Junction — 75-84: 6.8%
85+ 1.8% / 2.7%
Merewether — 85+: 1.8% The Junction — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Merewether 37.7% lone person
Merewether — Lone Person: 37.7% Merewether — Couple Families: 40.6% Merewether — Group Household: 9.9% Merewether — One Parent Families: 10.3% Merewether — Other Families: 1.5%
The Junction 40.4% lone person
The Junction — Lone Person: 40.4% The Junction — Couple Families: 36.0% The Junction — Group Household: 11.6% The Junction — One Parent Families: 10.9% The Junction — Other Families: 1.1%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Merewether 34.0% renting
Merewether — Owned Outright: 35.9% Merewether — Mortgage: 30.1% Merewether — Renting: 34.0%
The Junction 32.6% renting
The Junction — Owned Outright: 44.8% The Junction — Mortgage: 22.6% The Junction — Renting: 32.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Merewether The Junction
Bachelor Degree 23.0% / 23.3%
Merewether — Bachelor Degree: 23.0% The Junction — Bachelor Degree: 23.3%
Certificate III & IV 11.2% / 10.1%
Merewether — Certificate III & IV: 11.2% The Junction — Certificate III & IV: 10.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 9.2%
Merewether — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% The Junction — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2%
Postgraduate Degree 8.1% / 7.8%
Merewether — Postgraduate Degree: 8.1% The Junction — Postgraduate Degree: 7.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.9% / 3.5%
Merewether — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9% The Junction — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).

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.

Merewether The Junction
England 3.0% / 2.3%
Merewether — England: 3.0% The Junction — England: 2.3%
New Zealand 1.1% / 0.9%
Merewether — New Zealand: 1.1% The Junction — New Zealand: 0.9%
India 0.5% / 1.2%
Merewether — India: 0.5% The Junction — India: 1.2%
Sri Lanka — / 1.0%
Merewether — Sri Lanka: not among its largest The Junction — Sri Lanka: 1.0%
Bangladesh — / 0.6%
Merewether — Bangladesh: not among its largest The Junction — Bangladesh: 0.6%
South Africa 0.5% / —
Merewether — South Africa: 0.5% The Junction — South Africa: not among its largest
Italy 0.4% / —
Merewether — Italy: 0.4% The Junction — Italy: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Merewether 60.9% houses
Merewether — Houses: 60.9% Merewether — Townhouses: 19.2% Merewether — Flats / Apartments: 19.9%
The Junction 53.8% houses
The Junction — Houses: 53.8% The Junction — Townhouses: 32.3% The Junction — Flats / Apartments: 13.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Merewether The Junction
Median house price $2,010,000 $2,085,000
Median unit price $812,500 $832,750
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 119 sales
 17 days
from 3 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Merewether The Junction
3 bed $1.73M / $2.2M
Merewether — 3 bed: $1.73M (84 sales) The Junction — 3 bed: $2.2M (9 sales)

84 vs 9 sales

4 bed $2.33M / $2.23M
Merewether — 4 bed: $2.33M (70 sales) The Junction — 4 bed: $2.23M (7 sales)

70 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Merewether has more land zoned for conservation (37% vs 0%); The Junction has more commercially zoned land (13% vs 1%).

Merewether The Junction
Residential 46% 80%
Environmental 37% 0%
Commercial 1% 13%
Infrastructure and transport 11% 0%
Parks and recreation 6% 7%
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

Merewether The Junction
New dwellings approved 912
across Newcastle
same for both
Approvals change year on year +77%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Merewether The Junction
Houses 2.5%
$950/wk on $2M
 2.1%
$835/wk on $2.05M
Units 4.2%
$620/wk on $776K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Merewether The Junction
House price Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Income Higher than 83% of NSW —
Schools Higher than 32% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 90% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 22% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 89% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 6% of NSW Higher than 3% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 28% of NSW —

Liveability

The Junction scores higher overall (62 vs 42); The Junction is more walkable (91 vs 74).

Merewether The Junction
Grade C B
Score 42/100 62/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Merewether carries more bushfire risk (53 vs 0); The Junction carries more crime risk (95 vs 80).

Merewether The Junction
Bushfire Moderate
53/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
80/100
 High
95/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
43/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Merewether The Junction
Inside the suburb 3 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 2 1
Universities within 10 km 2
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle City), 4.1 km
 2
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle City), 2.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.9% 4.1%

Schools in Merewether

  • Hamilton South Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Holy Family Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Merewether Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in The Junction

  • St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • The Junction Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Merewether The Junction
Supermarkets 1 2
Cafes & restaurants 3 6
Parks & reserves 13 0
Childcare 6 4
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 2
same for both
Hospitals 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 2 0

Mobility

Merewether The Junction
Walkability score 74/100 91/100
Distance to Sydney 162.2 km 160.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 127 min 126 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 226.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 72.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.5%
postcode 2291
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 35
postcode 2291
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.

Merewether The Junction
Car (driver) 57.9% / 48.5%
Merewether — Car (driver): 57.9% The Junction — Car (driver): 48.5%
Worked from Home 33.1% / 37.1%
Merewether — Worked from Home: 33.1% The Junction — Worked from Home: 37.1%
Walked Only 2.9% / 8.4%
Merewether — Walked Only: 2.9% The Junction — Walked Only: 8.4%
Car (passenger) 2.9% / 3.0%
Merewether — Car (passenger): 2.9% The Junction — Car (passenger): 3.0%
Bicycle 2.1% / 2.1%
Merewether — Bicycle: 2.1% The Junction — Bicycle: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (57.9%).

Setting

Merewether The Junction
Elevation 55 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 10 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 908 m
1.3 km to a named beach
 743 m
794 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Merewether The Junction
Connectivity score 64/100 59/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 34%
5,571 premises
 26%
758 premises

Climate

Merewether The Junction
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Merewether The Junction
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 21.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.64 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Merewether The Junction
Average residential rate $1,783/yr
same for both
Council Newcastle
same for both

Federal electorate

Merewether The Junction
Division Newcastle
same for both
Member Sharon Claydon
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Merewether The Junction
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Merewether

Beach Coastal Parks Premium Professionals Regional Centre

The Junction

Beach Coastal Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Merewether

Merewether vs Adamstown Merewether vs Adamstown Heights Merewether vs Hamilton South Merewether vs Whitebridge Merewether vs Merewether Heights Merewether vs Bar Beach

Other comparisons with The Junction

The Junction vs Hamilton South The Junction vs Cooks Hill The Junction vs Bar Beach
Full data on Merewether Full data on The Junction
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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