Oberon vs O'connell

O'Connell is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 47 in Oberon. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Oberon, about half of households are people living alone. In O'Connell, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in O'Connell: a median of $1.19 million, against $554,000 in Oberon, though rent is higher in Oberon. On these figures, Oberon tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while O'Connell suits families with children and 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

  • Oberon has more parks and reserves (6 vs 1)
  • O'connell carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 60/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Oberon has cheaper houses ($553,750 vs $1,193,500)
  • O'connell leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 26%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

O'Connell

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 21%)
  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $280/wk)
  • But Oberon has a bigger rental market to choose from (28% vs 5%)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Oberon sits closer to the CBD (199.8 km vs 203.8 km)
  • O'connell has a shorter drive in (177 min vs 186 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Oberon

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 17%)
  • But O'Connell carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 60/100)

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

Investors

O'Connell

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (14.8% vs 1.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Oberon O'connell
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.

Oberon O'connell
Walkability 14 / 14
Oberon — Walkability: 14/100 O'connell — Walkability: 14/100
Safety 40 / 76
Oberon — Safety: 40/100 O'connell — Safety: 76/100
Low fire risk 74 / 78
Oberon — Low fire risk: 74/100 O'connell — Low fire risk: 78/100

Demographics

Oberon has more residents (3,319 vs 653); O'Connell has higher household incomes ($134,056 vs $68,692).

Oberon O'connell
Population 3,319
+80% vs other
 653
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.9% +14.8%
Median age 47 43
Median household income $68,692/yr $134,056/yr
+95% vs other
Median weekly rent $280/wk
+11% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Oberon O'connell
0-4 4.6% / 5.7%
Oberon — 0-4: 4.6% O'connell — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 12.7% / 15.9%
Oberon — 5-14: 12.7% O'connell — 5-14: 15.9%
15-19 5.3% / 6.6%
Oberon — 15-19: 5.3% O'connell — 15-19: 6.6%
20-24 4.5% / 2.8%
Oberon — 20-24: 4.5% O'connell — 20-24: 2.8%
25-34 10.3% / 8.7%
Oberon — 25-34: 10.3% O'connell — 25-34: 8.7%
35-44 10.4% / 11.5%
Oberon — 35-44: 10.4% O'connell — 35-44: 11.5%
45-54 11.9% / 16.8%
Oberon — 45-54: 11.9% O'connell — 45-54: 16.8%
55-64 14.0% / 13.9%
Oberon — 55-64: 14.0% O'connell — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 14.6% / 13.3%
Oberon — 65-74: 14.6% O'connell — 65-74: 13.3%
75-84 8.9% / 3.2%
Oberon — 75-84: 8.9% O'connell — 75-84: 3.2%
85+ 2.7% / 0.6%
Oberon — 85+: 2.7% O'connell — 85+: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Oberon 30.3% couple families
Oberon — Couple Families: 30.3% Oberon — Lone Person: 45.8% Oberon — One Parent Families: 19.6% Oberon — Group Household: 3.8% Oberon — Other Families: 0.4%
O'connell 68.3% couple families
O'connell — Couple Families: 68.3% O'connell — Lone Person: 21.6% O'connell — One Parent Families: 10.1% O'connell — Group Household: 0.0% O'connell — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Oberon 28.2% renting
Oberon — Owned Outright: 42.1% Oberon — Mortgage: 29.7% Oberon — Renting: 28.2%
O'connell 4.9% renting
O'connell — Owned Outright: 40.5% O'connell — Mortgage: 54.6% O'connell — Renting: 4.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Oberon O'connell
Certificate III & IV 17.0% / 18.1%
Oberon — Certificate III & IV: 17.0% O'connell — Certificate III & IV: 18.1%
Bachelor Degree 6.1% / 15.0%
Oberon — Bachelor Degree: 6.1% O'connell — Bachelor Degree: 15.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.3% / 6.9%
Oberon — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3% O'connell — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 1.5% / 3.2%
Oberon — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5% O'connell — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.0% / 3.4%
Oberon — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0% O'connell — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

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.

Oberon O'connell
England 2.4% / 2.1%
Oberon — England: 2.4% O'connell — England: 2.1%
New Zealand 1.6% / 0.5%
Oberon — New Zealand: 1.6% O'connell — New Zealand: 0.5%
India 0.8% / —
Oberon — India: 0.8% O'connell — India: not among its largest
South Africa 0.7% / —
Oberon — South Africa: 0.7% O'connell — South Africa: not among its largest
Fiji 0.6% / —
Oberon — Fiji: 0.6% O'connell — Fiji: not among its largest
Ireland — / 0.5%
Oberon — Ireland: not among its largest O'connell — Ireland: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Oberon 90.6% houses
Oberon — Houses: 90.6% Oberon — Townhouses: 6.3% Oberon — Flats / Apartments: 3.0%
O'connell 100.0% houses
O'connell — Houses: 100.0% O'connell — Townhouses: 0.0% O'connell — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Oberon O'connell
Median house price $553,750 $1,193,500
Median unit price $452,500 —
Median land price $389,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 47 days
from 49 sales
 32 days
from 7 sales

Zoning mix

Oberon O'connell
Rural and farming 89% 91%
Residential 9%
same for both
Industrial 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

Oberon O'connell
New dwellings approved 21
across Oberon
same for both
Approvals change year on year -33%
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.

Oberon O'connell
Houses 4.1%
$500/wk on $628K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Oberon O'connell
House price Higher than 18% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
Income Higher than 32% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Schools Higher than 91% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 63% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 43% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 79% of NSW —

Liveability

O'Connell scores higher overall (56 vs 46).

Oberon O'connell
Grade C B
Score 46/100 56/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Oberon carries more crime risk (60 vs 24).

Oberon O'connell
Bushfire Low
26/100
 Low
22/100
Crime Moderate
60/100
 Low
24/100
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 5
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Oberon O'connell
Inside the suburb 3 1
Rated above peers 2 1
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Oberon

  • Oberon Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Oberon Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Oberon High School Government · Secondary at peers

Schools in O'connell

  • O'Connell Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Oberon O'connell
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 10 1
Parks & reserves 6 1
Childcare 2 1
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 4 0
Waterways 79 27

Mobility

O'Connell sits further from the CBD (203.8 km vs 199.8 km).

Oberon O'connell
Walkability score 14/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 199.8 km 203.8 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 186 min 177 min
Public transport score 47/100
Bus
 25/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 20.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 8.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2787
 0.4%
postcode 2795
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 2787
 47
postcode 2795

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.

Oberon O'connell
Car (driver) 78.9% / 73.6%
Oberon — Car (driver): 78.9% O'connell — Car (driver): 73.6%
Worked from Home 9.1% / 21.9%
Oberon — Worked from Home: 9.1% O'connell — Worked from Home: 21.9%
Walked Only 5.0% / 2.8%
Oberon — Walked Only: 5.0% O'connell — Walked Only: 2.8%
Car (passenger) 6.0% / 1.7%
Oberon — Car (passenger): 6.0% O'connell — Car (passenger): 1.7%
Bus 0.9% / —
Oberon — Bus: 0.9% O'connell — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.9%).

Setting

Oberon O'connell
Elevation 1,107 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 719 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Oberon O'connell
Connectivity score 51/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 21%
1,996 premises
 0%
263 premises

Climate

Oberon O'connell
Annual rainfall 738 mm 644 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 28.4°C
Winter min (Jul) — 1.2°C

Council rates

Oberon O'connell
Average residential rate $975/yr
same for both
Council Oberon
same for both

Federal electorate

Oberon O'connell
Division Calare
same for both
Member Andrew Gee
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Oberon O'connell
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Oberon

Affordable Retirees Rural

O'connell

River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Oberon

Oberon vs Tarana Oberon vs Edith Oberon vs Wisemans Creek Oberon vs Essington Oberon vs Hazelgrove Oberon vs Mozart

Other comparisons with O'connell

O'connell vs The Lagoon O'connell vs Tarana O'connell vs Brewongle O'connell vs Wisemans Creek O'connell vs Locksley
Full data on Oberon Full data on O'connell
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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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