Newham vs Rochford
Newham is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 51 in Rochford. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Newham, about half of households are couple families. In Rochford, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Newham tends to suit couples and older residents, while Rochford suits people living alone and families with children.
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
Newham
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 71/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (59% vs 38%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Newham
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 25%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $406/wk)
- But Rochford has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 8%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Newham
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (79 km vs 83.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Newham
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 71/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Newham
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.3% vs 0.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Newham and Rochford 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
Newham has more residents (533 vs 71); Rochford rents higher ($406/wk vs $200/wk).
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 533 +87% vs other | 71 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.3% | +0.0% |
| Median age | 47 | 51 |
| Median household income | $101,816/yr +17% vs other | $84,448/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $406/wk +103% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.4%).
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 (8.4%).
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
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,332,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Rochford has more rural and farming land (41% vs 0%); Newham has more land zoned for conservation (97% vs 58%).
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 97% | 58% |
| Rural and farming | 0% | 41% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 2% |
| Residential | 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
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Macedon Ranges same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +80% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 74% of VIC | Higher than 52% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 11% of VIC | Higher than 26% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 90% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of VIC | Higher than 57% of VIC |
Liveability
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 63/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Newham carries more bushfire risk (54 vs 0); Newham carries more flood risk (10 vs 0).
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 54/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 23/100 | High 71/100 |
| Flood | Low 10/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Newham
- Newham Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Rochford
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 8 | 2 |
Mobility
Rochford sits further from the CBD (83.4 km vs 79 km).
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 79 km | 83.4 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 62 min | 65 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.6% postcode 3442 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 58 postcode 3442 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 (64.7%).
Setting
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 567 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 540 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 236 premises | 0% 35 premises |
Climate
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 778 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,065/yr same for both | |
| Council | Macedon Ranges same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mcewen same for both | |
| Member | Rob Mitchell same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Newham | Rochford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Newham
Other comparisons with Rochford
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.