Mount Rankin vs Rock Forest
Mount Rankin is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 48 in Rock Forest. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Rankin, most households are couple families. In Rock Forest, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Mount Rankin tends to suit families with children and couples, while Rock Forest 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
Mount Rankin
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 57/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 60%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rock Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($203/wk vs $335/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Mount Rankin carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 57/100)
- Rock Forest has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 18%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Rankin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.9% vs -24.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mount Rankin and Rock Forest 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
Mount Rankin has more residents (428 vs 149); Mount Rankin rents higher ($335/wk vs $203/wk).
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 428 +65% vs other | 149 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +12.9% | -24.7% |
| Median age | 44 | 48 |
| Median household income | $126,724/yr +14% vs other | $109,564/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $335/wk +39% vs other | $203/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).
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 (3.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,300,000 | $1,225,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Rock Forest has more rural and farming land (100% vs 87%).
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 87% | 100% |
| Residential | 13% | 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
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 177 across Bathurst same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 88% of NSW | Higher than 75% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 44% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 34% of NSW |
Liveability
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Rock Forest carries more crime risk (57 vs 19).
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 44/100 | Moderate 45/100 |
| Crime | Low 19/100 | Moderate 57/100 |
| 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
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 11 | 12 |
Mobility
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 228.4 km | 229.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 198 min same for both | |
| 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 (80.6%).
Setting
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 935 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 776 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 154 premises | 0% 78 premises |
Climate
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 666 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,301/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bathurst same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Rankin | Rock Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Mount Rankin
Other comparisons with Rock Forest
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.