Paddys River vs Penrose

Paddys River is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 55 in Penrose. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Paddys River, the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Paddys River: a median of $1.18 million, against $815,000 in Penrose, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Paddys River tends to suit young adults and couples, while Penrose suits people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget.

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 5 things we measure here

  • Paddys River is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 57%)
  • Penrose has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Paddys River leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 33%)
  • Penrose has cheaper houses ($815,000 vs $1,177,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Penrose

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($390/wk vs $975/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (36% vs 52%)
  • But Paddys River has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 11%)

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

  • Paddys River has a shorter drive in (102 min vs 114 min)
  • Penrose is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Penrose

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 11%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Paddys River

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (106.5% vs 6.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Paddys River and Penrose drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Paddys River Penrose
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.

Paddys River Penrose
Walkability 0 / 27
Paddys River — Walkability: 0/100 Penrose — Walkability: 27/100
Low fire risk 11 / 16
Paddys River — Low fire risk: 11/100 Penrose — Low fire risk: 16/100

Demographics

Penrose has more residents (263 vs 64); Paddys River rents higher ($975/wk vs $390/wk).

Paddys River Penrose
Population 64 263
+311% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +106.5% +6.5%
Median age 36 55
Median household income $97,448/yr
+42% vs other
 $56,732/yr
Median weekly rent $975/wk
+60% vs other
 $390/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Paddys River Penrose
0-4 10.9% / 4.9%
Paddys River — 0-4: 10.9% Penrose — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 — / 8.7%
Paddys River — 5-14: not among its largest Penrose — 5-14: 8.7%
15-19 6.2% / 11.0%
Paddys River — 15-19: 6.2% Penrose — 15-19: 11.0%
20-24 4.7% / 3.4%
Paddys River — 20-24: 4.7% Penrose — 20-24: 3.4%
25-34 20.3% / 7.2%
Paddys River — 25-34: 20.3% Penrose — 25-34: 7.2%
35-44 6.2% / 9.9%
Paddys River — 35-44: 6.2% Penrose — 35-44: 9.9%
45-54 6.2% / 7.2%
Paddys River — 45-54: 6.2% Penrose — 45-54: 7.2%
55-64 7.8% / 20.2%
Paddys River — 55-64: 7.8% Penrose — 55-64: 20.2%
65-74 10.9% / 20.2%
Paddys River — 65-74: 10.9% Penrose — 65-74: 20.2%
75-84 — / 4.9%
Paddys River — 75-84: not among its largest Penrose — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ — / 3.8%
Paddys River — 85+: not among its largest Penrose — 85+: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Paddys River 80.0% couple families
Paddys River — Couple Families: 80.0% Paddys River — Lone Person: 20.0% Paddys River — One Parent Families: 0.0% Paddys River — Group Household: 0.0%
Penrose 27.8% couple families
Penrose — Couple Families: 27.8% Penrose — Lone Person: 39.2% Penrose — One Parent Families: 29.1% Penrose — Group Household: 3.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Paddys River 30.0% renting
Paddys River — Owned Outright: 40.0% Paddys River — Mortgage: 30.0% Paddys River — Renting: 30.0%
Penrose 11.4% renting
Penrose — Owned Outright: 62.9% Penrose — Mortgage: 25.7% Penrose — Renting: 11.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Paddys River Penrose
England — / 7.6%
Paddys River — England: not among its largest Penrose — England: 7.6%
France 4.7% / —
Paddys River — France: 4.7% Penrose — France: not among its largest
Thailand — / 1.9%
Paddys River — Thailand: not among its largest Penrose — Thailand: 1.9%
New Zealand — / 1.1%
Paddys River — New Zealand: not among its largest Penrose — New Zealand: 1.1%
Germany — / 1.1%
Paddys River — Germany: not among its largest Penrose — Germany: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.6%).

Qualifications

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

Paddys River Penrose
Certificate III & IV 20.3% / 14.1%
Paddys River — Certificate III & IV: 20.3% Penrose — Certificate III & IV: 14.1%
Bachelor Degree 14.1% / 16.3%
Paddys River — Bachelor Degree: 14.1% Penrose — Bachelor Degree: 16.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.7% / 5.7%
Paddys River — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.7% Penrose — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.7%
Postgraduate Degree — / 5.3%
Paddys River — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Penrose — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.9%
Paddys River — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Penrose — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Paddys River 100.0% houses
Paddys River — Houses: 100.0%
Penrose 100.0% houses
Penrose — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Property market

Paddys River Penrose
Median house price $1,177,000 $815,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $660,000 —

Zoning mix

Penrose has more land zoned for conservation (44% vs 10%); Paddys River has more rural and farming land (88% vs 54%).

Paddys River Penrose
Rural and farming 88% 54%
Environmental 10% 44%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 1%
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

Paddys River Penrose
New dwellings approved 335
across Wingecarribee
same for both
Approvals change year on year +6%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Paddys River Penrose
House price Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Income Higher than 64% of NSW Higher than 17% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 33% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 38% of NSW Higher than 48% of NSW

Liveability

Penrose is more walkable (27 vs 0).

Paddys River Penrose
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Paddys River Penrose
Bushfire High
89/100
 High
84/100
Crime — High
72/100
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
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Paddys River Penrose
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

Schools in Paddys River

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

Schools in Penrose

  • Penrose Public School Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Paddys River Penrose
Parks & reserves 0 3
Waterways 0 6

Mobility

Paddys River Penrose
Walkability score 0/100 27/100
Distance to Sydney 150.4 km
+1% vs other
 148.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 102 min 114 min
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2577
 1.0%
postcode 2579
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 2577
 65
postcode 2579

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.

Paddys River Penrose
Car (driver) 60.7% / 62.7%
Paddys River — Car (driver): 60.7% Penrose — Car (driver): 62.7%
Worked from Home 39.3% / 25.3%
Paddys River — Worked from Home: 39.3% Penrose — Worked from Home: 25.3%
Walked Only — / 8.0%
Paddys River — Walked Only: not among its largest Penrose — Walked Only: 8.0%
Car (passenger) — / 4.0%
Paddys River — Car (passenger): not among its largest Penrose — Car (passenger): 4.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.7%).

Setting

Paddys River Penrose
Elevation 693 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 638 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Paddys River Penrose
Connectivity score 26/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
26 premises
 0%
135 premises

Climate

Paddys River Penrose
Annual rainfall 974 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Paddys River Penrose
Average residential rate $2,072/yr
same for both
Council Wingecarribee
same for both

Federal electorate

Paddys River Penrose
Division Whitlam
same for both
Member Carol Berry
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Paddys River Penrose
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Paddys River

Rural Young Families

Penrose

Retirees Rural Trains

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Paddys River

Paddys River vs Marulan Paddys River vs Wingello Paddys River vs Sutton Forest Paddys River vs Canyonleigh Paddys River vs Brayton

Other comparisons with Penrose

Penrose vs Bundanoon Penrose vs Exeter Penrose vs Wingello Penrose vs Sutton Forest
Full data on Paddys River Full data on Penrose
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or