O'malley vs Phillip

Phillip is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 51 in O'Malley. In O'Malley, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. In Phillip, about half of households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in O'Malley: a median of $2.4 million, against $750,000 in Phillip, and rent is higher there too. Phillip is closer to the city centre: 12.1 km, against 14.2 km. On these figures, O'Malley tends to suit couples and older residents, while Phillip suits renters, young adults, and people living alone.

O'Malley and Phillip represent very different living environments in ACT. O'Malley is a small, affluent enclave of 928 people with a median household income of $232,752 and median house prices around $2,400,000, though it carries a notably higher crime risk score of 12 compared to Phillip's 87. Phillip is a larger, younger suburb of 5,197 people with a median age of 32 and a walkability score of 92, making it far more pedestrian-friendly than O'Malley's score of 38, but properties here are considerably more affordable—median houses at $740,000 and units at $540,000. O'Malley suits buyers prioritising privacy, space, and lower crime in an established, wealthy pocket; Phillip appeals to those valuing walkability, affordability, and a younger demographic closer to the CBD.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

O'Malley

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (96% vs 0%)
  • carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 91/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 29%)
  • But Phillip has more childcare (5 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Phillip

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($750,000 vs $2,400,000)
  • has cheaper units ($535,000 vs $1,510,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Phillip

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (50% vs 11%)
  • has cheaper rent ($440/wk vs $975/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Phillip

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (92/100 vs 38/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (12.1 km vs 14.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Phillip

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (100% vs 4%)
  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (92/100 vs 38/100)
  • But O'Malley carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 91/100)

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

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • O'malley returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.7% vs 4.8%)
  • Phillip is growing faster (77.0% vs -6.4%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

O'malley Phillip
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.

O'malley Phillip
Walkability 38 / 92
O'malley — Walkability: 38/100 Phillip — Walkability: 92/100
Safety 88 / 9
O'malley — Safety: 88/100 Phillip — Safety: 9/100
Low fire risk 11 / 11
O'malley — Low fire risk: 11/100 Phillip — Low fire risk: 11/100
Low flood risk 84 / 60
O'malley — Low flood risk: 84/100 Phillip — Low flood risk: 60/100

Demographics

Phillip has more residents (5,197 vs 928); O'Malley rents higher ($975/wk vs $440/wk).

O'malley Phillip
Population 928 5,197
+460% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -6.4% +77.0%
Median age 51 32
Median household income $232,752/yr
+54% vs other
 $107,900/yr
Median weekly rent $975/wk
+55% vs other
 $440/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

O'malley Phillip
0-4 1.9% / 5.8%
O'malley — 0-4: 1.9% Phillip — 0-4: 5.8%
5-14 11.4% / 5.4%
O'malley — 5-14: 11.4% Phillip — 5-14: 5.4%
15-19 6.6% / 2.2%
O'malley — 15-19: 6.6% Phillip — 15-19: 2.2%
20-24 6.5% / 8.9%
O'malley — 20-24: 6.5% Phillip — 20-24: 8.9%
25-34 6.7% / 36.1%
O'malley — 25-34: 6.7% Phillip — 25-34: 36.1%
35-44 7.5% / 17.3%
O'malley — 35-44: 7.5% Phillip — 35-44: 17.3%
45-54 16.2% / 9.4%
O'malley — 45-54: 16.2% Phillip — 45-54: 9.4%
55-64 15.2% / 7.3%
O'malley — 55-64: 15.2% Phillip — 55-64: 7.3%
65-74 16.2% / 4.6%
O'malley — 65-74: 16.2% Phillip — 65-74: 4.6%
75-84 10.1% / 2.2%
O'malley — 75-84: 10.1% Phillip — 75-84: 2.2%
85+ 2.2% / 0.8%
O'malley — 85+: 2.2% Phillip — 85+: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (36.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

O'malley 65.3% couple families
O'malley — Couple Families: 65.3% O'malley — Lone Person: 22.1% O'malley — One Parent Families: 9.0% O'malley — Group Household: 2.0% O'malley — Other Families: 1.5%
Phillip 20.4% couple families
Phillip — Couple Families: 20.4% Phillip — Lone Person: 61.1% Phillip — One Parent Families: 8.5% Phillip — Group Household: 8.2% Phillip — Other Families: 1.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

O'malley 10.6% renting
O'malley — Owned Outright: 58.7% O'malley — Mortgage: 30.6% O'malley — Renting: 10.6%
Phillip 50.3% renting
Phillip — Owned Outright: 14.2% Phillip — Mortgage: 35.5% Phillip — Renting: 50.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

O'malley Phillip
Bachelor Degree 24.8% / 28.7%
O'malley — Bachelor Degree: 24.8% Phillip — Bachelor Degree: 28.7%
Postgraduate Degree 16.4% / 16.0%
O'malley — Postgraduate Degree: 16.4% Phillip — Postgraduate Degree: 16.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.4% / 7.8%
O'malley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4% Phillip — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Certificate III & IV 5.5% / 7.3%
O'malley — Certificate III & IV: 5.5% Phillip — Certificate III & IV: 7.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.2% / 4.7%
O'malley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2% Phillip — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.7%).

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.

O'malley Phillip
India 4.4% / 8.0%
O'malley — India: 4.4% Phillip — India: 8.0%
China 4.4% / 2.6%
O'malley — China: 4.4% Phillip — China: 2.6%
Nepal — / 6.3%
O'malley — Nepal: not among its largest Phillip — Nepal: 6.3%
England 3.1% / 2.1%
O'malley — England: 3.1% Phillip — England: 2.1%
Philippines — / 5.1%
O'malley — Philippines: not among its largest Phillip — Philippines: 5.1%
Sri Lanka 3.1% / 1.0%
O'malley — Sri Lanka: 3.1% Phillip — Sri Lanka: 1.0%
Greece 2.2% / —
O'malley — Greece: 2.2% Phillip — Greece: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

O'malley 96.5% houses
O'malley — Houses: 96.5% O'malley — Flats / Apartments: 1.9% O'malley — Townhouses: 1.6%
Phillip 0.1% houses
Phillip — Houses: 0.1% Phillip — Flats / Apartments: 67.1% Phillip — Townhouses: 32.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

O'malley Phillip
Median house price $2,400,000 $750,000
Median unit price $1,510,000 $535,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 8 sales
 26 days
from 8 sales

Development activity

O'malley Phillip
New dwellings approved 3,750
across Unincorporated ACT
same for both
Approvals change year on year -48%
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.

O'malley Phillip
Houses 5.7%
$1,775/wk on $1.62M
 4.8%
$628/wk on $678K
Units — 6.2%
$600/wk on $500K

Ranking within ACT

O'malley Phillip
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 100% of ACT Higher than 15% of ACT
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 24% of ACT Higher than 100% of ACT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 51% of ACT Higher than 49% of ACT
NBN connectivity Higher than 62% of ACT Higher than 70% of ACT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 99% of ACT Higher than 85% of ACT
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 61% of ACT

Liveability

Phillip is more walkable (92 vs 38); O'Malley scores higher overall (61 vs 45).

O'malley Phillip
Grade B C
Score 61/100 45/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Phillip carries more crime risk (91 vs 12); Phillip carries more flood risk (40 vs 16).

O'malley Phillip
Bushfire High
89/100
same for both
Crime Low
12/100
 High
91/100
Flood Low
16/100
 Moderate
40/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

O'malley Phillip
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
UNSW Canberra, 5.6 km
 2
UNSW Canberra, 6.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.6% 2.3%

Schools in O'malley

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Phillip

  • The Canberra College Government · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

O'malley Phillip
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 0 52
Parks & reserves 3
same for both
Childcare 0 5
GPs 0 4
Pharmacies 0 4
Police stations 0 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 8
Fuel stations 0 3
EV chargers 0 2

Mobility

O'Malley sits further from the CBD (14.2 km vs 12.1 km).

O'malley Phillip
Walkability score 38/100 92/100
Distance to Canberra 14.2 km
+15% vs other
 12.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 21 min 18 min
Public transport score 63/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 16.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 319.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.4%
postcode 2606
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 20
postcode 2606
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.

O'malley Phillip
Car (driver) 71.5% / 55.3%
O'malley — Car (driver): 71.5% Phillip — Car (driver): 55.3%
Worked from Home 17.3% / 9.9%
O'malley — Worked from Home: 17.3% Phillip — Worked from Home: 9.9%
Walked Only 1.6% / 14.7%
O'malley — Walked Only: 1.6% Phillip — Walked Only: 14.7%
Bus 1.9% / 12.8%
O'malley — Bus: 1.9% Phillip — Bus: 12.8%
Car (passenger) 7.0% / 6.1%
O'malley — Car (passenger): 7.0% Phillip — Car (passenger): 6.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.5%).

Setting

O'malley Phillip
Elevation 679 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 589 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

O'malley Phillip
Connectivity score 65/100 73/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 36%
465 premises
 35%
3,650 premises

Climate

O'malley Phillip
Annual rainfall 686 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.2°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 0.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

O'malley Phillip
PM2.5 7.3 µg/m³ 5.4 µg/m³
PM10 11.9 µg/m³ 14.1 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.32 pphm —

Council rates

O'malley Phillip
Average residential rate $3,105/yr
same for both
Council Unincorporated ACT
same for both

Federal electorate

O'malley Phillip
Division Bean
same for both
Member David Smith
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

O'malley Phillip
Grant amount Not offered
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility None
same for both

Tags

O'malley

Acreage Luxury Middle-Ring Multicultural Professionals Retirees

Phillip

Apartments Cafe Culture Middle-Ring Multicultural Professionals Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with O'malley

O'malley vs Garran O'malley vs Mawson O'malley vs Red Hill O'malley vs Isaacs O'malley vs Symonston

Other comparisons with Phillip

Phillip vs Curtin Phillip vs Garran Phillip vs Mawson Phillip vs Lyons Phillip vs Hughes Phillip vs Pearce
Full data on O'malley Full data on Phillip
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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