Merrygoen vs Neilrex

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Merrygoen, most households are people living alone. In Neilrex, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Merrygoen tends to suit people living alone, while Neilrex suits 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

  • Merrygoen has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 89%)
  • Neilrex is already more of a family suburb (77% vs 37%)

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

Renters

Neilrex

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 17%)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Neilrex

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (336 min vs 343 min)
  • But Merrygoen sits closer to the CBD (399.6 km vs 408.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Neilrex

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Neilrex

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (12.5% vs -31.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Merrygoen Neilrex
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.

Merrygoen Neilrex
Walkability 0 / 10
Merrygoen — Walkability: 0/100 Neilrex — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 12 / 11
Merrygoen — Safety: 12/100 Neilrex — Safety: 11/100
Low fire risk 100 / 68
Merrygoen — Low fire risk: 100/100 Neilrex — Low fire risk: 68/100

Demographics

Neilrex has higher household incomes ($74,724 vs $46,800); Neilrex skews older (43 vs 41).

Merrygoen Neilrex
Population 79 81
+3% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -31.3% +12.5%
Median age 41 43
Median household income $46,800/yr $74,724/yr
+60% vs other
Median weekly rent $150/wk $155/wk
+3% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Merrygoen Neilrex
0-4 5.1% / —
Merrygoen — 0-4: 5.1% Neilrex — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 12.7% / 17.3%
Merrygoen — 5-14: 12.7% Neilrex — 5-14: 17.3%
15-19 — / 8.6%
Merrygoen — 15-19: not among its largest Neilrex — 15-19: 8.6%
20-24 7.6% / 3.7%
Merrygoen — 20-24: 7.6% Neilrex — 20-24: 3.7%
25-34 15.2% / 3.7%
Merrygoen — 25-34: 15.2% Neilrex — 25-34: 3.7%
35-44 5.1% / 8.6%
Merrygoen — 35-44: 5.1% Neilrex — 35-44: 8.6%
45-54 11.4% / 11.1%
Merrygoen — 45-54: 11.4% Neilrex — 45-54: 11.1%
55-64 13.9% / 11.1%
Merrygoen — 55-64: 13.9% Neilrex — 55-64: 11.1%
65-74 11.4% / 12.3%
Merrygoen — 65-74: 11.4% Neilrex — 65-74: 12.3%
75-84 5.1% / 3.7%
Merrygoen — 75-84: 5.1% Neilrex — 75-84: 3.7%
85+ — / —
Merrygoen — 85+: not among its largest Neilrex — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Merrygoen 21.1% couple families
Merrygoen — Couple Families: 21.1% Merrygoen — Lone Person: 63.2% Merrygoen — One Parent Families: 15.8%
Neilrex 76.9% couple families
Neilrex — Couple Families: 76.9% Neilrex — Lone Person: 23.1% Neilrex — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Merrygoen 32.1% renting
Merrygoen — Owned Outright: 57.1% Merrygoen — Mortgage: 10.7% Merrygoen — Renting: 32.1%
Neilrex 0.0% renting
Neilrex — Owned Outright: 60.0% Neilrex — Mortgage: 40.0% Neilrex — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Merrygoen 100.0% houses
Merrygoen — Houses: 100.0% Merrygoen — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Neilrex 88.9% houses
Neilrex — Houses: 88.9% Neilrex — Flats / Apartments: 11.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Merrygoen Neilrex
Certificate III & IV 22.8% / 11.1%
Merrygoen — Certificate III & IV: 22.8% Neilrex — Certificate III & IV: 11.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.8% / 9.9%
Merrygoen — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.8% Neilrex — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9%
Bachelor Degree — / 9.9%
Merrygoen — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest Neilrex — Bachelor Degree: 9.9%
Postgraduate Degree — / 4.9%
Merrygoen — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Neilrex — Postgraduate Degree: 4.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).

Property market

Merrygoen Neilrex
Median house price $412,000 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Merrygoen Neilrex
Rural and farming 100%
same for both
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

Merrygoen Neilrex
New dwellings approved 10
across Warrumbungle
same for both
Approvals change year on year -75%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Merrygoen Neilrex
House price Higher than 11% of NSW —
Income Higher than 8% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 73% of NSW —
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 10% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW

Liveability

Neilrex is more walkable (10 vs 0).

Merrygoen Neilrex
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Neilrex carries more bushfire risk (32 vs 0).

Merrygoen Neilrex
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
32/100
Crime High
88/100
 High
89/100
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

Merrygoen Neilrex
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Merrygoen Neilrex
Childcare 0 1
Waterways 3 2

Mobility

Neilrex sits further from the CBD (408.9 km vs 399.6 km).

Merrygoen Neilrex
Walkability score 0/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 399.6 km 408.9 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 343 min 336 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 2831
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.

Merrygoen Neilrex
Car (driver) 57.1% / 45.7%
Merrygoen — Car (driver): 57.1% Neilrex — Car (driver): 45.7%
Worked from Home 31.4% / 43.5%
Merrygoen — Worked from Home: 31.4% Neilrex — Worked from Home: 43.5%
Walked Only 11.4% / 10.9%
Merrygoen — Walked Only: 11.4% Neilrex — Walked Only: 10.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (57.1%).

Setting

Merrygoen Neilrex
Elevation 497 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 405 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Merrygoen Neilrex
Connectivity score 15/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
19 premises
 0%
13 premises

Climate

Merrygoen Neilrex
Annual rainfall 640 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 32.2°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Merrygoen Neilrex
Average residential rate $671/yr
same for both
Council Warrumbungle
same for both

Federal electorate

Merrygoen Neilrex
Division Parkes
same for both
Member Jamie Chaffey
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Merrygoen Neilrex
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Merrygoen

Affordable Rural

Neilrex

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Merrygoen

Merrygoen vs Dunedoo Merrygoen vs Mendooran

Other comparisons with Neilrex

Neilrex vs Coolah Neilrex vs Dunedoo Neilrex vs Binnaway
Full data on Merrygoen Full data on Neilrex
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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