Nowley vs Rowena
Rowena is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 42 in Nowley. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Nowley, the large majority of households are couple families. In Rowena, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Nowley tends to suit families with children and couples, while Rowena suits young adults.
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
Nowley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 29/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 47%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Nowley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 29%)
- has cheaper rent ($45/wk vs $50/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Nowley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (604.7 km vs 655.4 km)
- has a shorter drive in (434 min vs 462 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Nowley carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 29/100)
- Rowena has more residents already 65 and over (13% vs 6%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Rowena
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-5.0% vs -28.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Nowley and Rowena 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
Rowena has more residents (172 vs 50); Nowley skews older (42 vs 31).
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 172 +244% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -28.6% | -5.0% |
| Median age | 42 | 31 |
| Median household income | $110,500/yr +19% vs other | $90,012/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $45/wk | $50/wk +11% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).
Property market
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $38,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 14 across Narrabri | 13 across Walgett |
| Approvals change year on year | — | -100% |
Ranking within NSW
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 9% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 100% of NSW |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 5% of NSW |
Liveability
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Rowena carries more crime risk (29 vs 0); Rowena carries more bushfire risk (16 vs 0).
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Crime | None 0/100 | Low 29/100 |
| 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
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Nowley
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Rowena
- Rowena Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 7 |
Mobility
Rowena sits further from the CBD (655.4 km vs 604.7 km).
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 604.7 km | 655.4 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 434 min | 462 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2386 | 0.0% postcode 2387 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 2386 | — |
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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 166 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 155 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 15 premises | 0% 44 premises |
Council rates
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,140/yr | $445/yr |
| Council | Narrabri | Walgett |
Federal electorate
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Parkes same for both | |
| Member | Jamie Chaffey same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Nowley | Rowena | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Rowena
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Nowley
Other comparisons with Rowena
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.