Picton vs Thirlmere

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Picton: a median of $1.2 million, against $1 million in Thirlmere, though rent is higher in Thirlmere. On these figures, Thirlmere tends to suit 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

Picton

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (10 vs 5)
  • has more childcare (9 vs 5)
  • But Thirlmere carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 53/100)

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

First-home buyers

Thirlmere

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($901,250 vs $1,612,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,005,000 vs $1,200,000)
  • But Picton leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 31%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Picton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 25%)
  • has cheaper rent ($375/wk vs $420/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Picton

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (65/100 vs 34/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (73 min vs 80 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (88.5 km vs 94.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Thirlmere

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 53/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 15%)
  • But Picton is more walkable (65/100 vs 34/100)

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

Investors

Thirlmere

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (23.2% vs 9.7%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Picton Thirlmere
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.

Picton Thirlmere
Walkability 65 / 34
Picton — Walkability: 65/100 Thirlmere — Walkability: 34/100
Safety 47 / 63
Picton — Safety: 47/100 Thirlmere — Safety: 63/100
Low fire risk 86 / 6
Picton — Low fire risk: 86/100 Thirlmere — Low fire risk: 6/100

Demographics

Picton has higher household incomes ($113,412 vs $88,816); Thirlmere rents higher ($420/wk vs $375/wk).

Picton Thirlmere
Population 5,282
+6% vs other
 4,986
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.7% +23.2%
Median age 38
same for both
Median household income $113,412/yr
+22% vs other
 $88,816/yr
Median weekly rent $375/wk $420/wk
+12% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Picton Thirlmere
0-4 6.7% / 7.0%
Picton — 0-4: 6.7% Thirlmere — 0-4: 7.0%
5-14 13.7% / 12.4%
Picton — 5-14: 13.7% Thirlmere — 5-14: 12.4%
15-19 6.2% / 5.8%
Picton — 15-19: 6.2% Thirlmere — 15-19: 5.8%
20-24 6.1% / 6.6%
Picton — 20-24: 6.1% Thirlmere — 20-24: 6.6%
25-34 12.4% / 13.7%
Picton — 25-34: 12.4% Thirlmere — 25-34: 13.7%
35-44 12.3% / 10.7%
Picton — 35-44: 12.3% Thirlmere — 35-44: 10.7%
45-54 14.6% / 11.1%
Picton — 45-54: 14.6% Thirlmere — 45-54: 11.1%
55-64 13.3% / 11.4%
Picton — 55-64: 13.3% Thirlmere — 55-64: 11.4%
65-74 9.6% / 11.0%
Picton — 65-74: 9.6% Thirlmere — 65-74: 11.0%
75-84 4.1% / 6.7%
Picton — 75-84: 4.1% Thirlmere — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ 1.2% / 3.4%
Picton — 85+: 1.2% Thirlmere — 85+: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Picton 54.2% couple families
Picton — Couple Families: 54.2% Picton — Lone Person: 27.8% Picton — One Parent Families: 14.8% Picton — Group Household: 2.0% Picton — Other Families: 1.2%
Thirlmere 47.7% couple families
Thirlmere — Couple Families: 47.7% Thirlmere — Lone Person: 32.3% Thirlmere — One Parent Families: 17.4% Thirlmere — Group Household: 1.8% Thirlmere — Other Families: 0.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Picton 19.5% renting
Picton — Owned Outright: 32.1% Picton — Mortgage: 48.4% Picton — Renting: 19.5%
Thirlmere 24.7% renting
Thirlmere — Owned Outright: 31.9% Thirlmere — Mortgage: 43.4% Thirlmere — Renting: 24.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Picton Thirlmere
Certificate III & IV 20.1% / 20.7%
Picton — Certificate III & IV: 20.1% Thirlmere — Certificate III & IV: 20.7%
Bachelor Degree 9.7% / 6.9%
Picton — Bachelor Degree: 9.7% Thirlmere — Bachelor Degree: 6.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.6% / 7.2%
Picton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6% Thirlmere — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2%
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / 2.0%
Picton — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% Thirlmere — Postgraduate Degree: 2.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 1.3%
Picton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Thirlmere — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).

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.

Picton Thirlmere
England 4.3% / 3.8%
Picton — England: 4.3% Thirlmere — England: 3.8%
New Zealand 1.2% / 0.9%
Picton — New Zealand: 1.2% Thirlmere — New Zealand: 0.9%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.5%
Picton — Scotland: 0.6% Thirlmere — Scotland: 0.5%
South Africa 0.5% / —
Picton — South Africa: 0.5% Thirlmere — South Africa: not among its largest
Lebanon — / 0.5%
Picton — Lebanon: not among its largest Thirlmere — Lebanon: 0.5%
Ireland 0.4% / —
Picton — Ireland: 0.4% Thirlmere — Ireland: not among its largest
Philippines — / 0.4%
Picton — Philippines: not among its largest Thirlmere — Philippines: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Picton 90.1% houses
Picton — Houses: 90.1% Picton — Townhouses: 4.8% Picton — Flats / Apartments: 5.1%
Thirlmere 90.1% houses
Thirlmere — Houses: 90.1% Thirlmere — Townhouses: 9.1% Thirlmere — Flats / Apartments: 0.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Picton Thirlmere
Median house price $1,200,000 $1,005,000
Median unit price $510,000 —
Median land price $1,612,500 $901,250
Typical days to sell (houses) 37 days
from 51 sales
 28 days
from 95 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Picton Thirlmere
3 bed $916K / $905K
Picton — 3 bed: $916K (27 sales) Thirlmere — 3 bed: $905K (37 sales)

27 vs 37 sales

4 bed $1.21M / $1.01M
Picton — 4 bed: $1.21M (49 sales) Thirlmere — 4 bed: $1.01M (100 sales)

49 vs 100 sales

5 bed $1.82M / $1.2M
Picton — 5 bed: $1.82M (24 sales) Thirlmere — 5 bed: $1.2M (11 sales)

24 vs 11 sales

6 bed $1.62M / $1.48M
Picton — 6 bed: $1.62M (5 sales) Thirlmere — 6 bed: $1.48M (7 sales)

5 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Picton has more rural and farming land (83% vs 53%); Thirlmere has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 3%).

Picton Thirlmere
Rural and farming 83% 53%
Environmental 3% 30%
Residential 7% 11%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 5%
Parks and recreation 3% 1%
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

Picton Thirlmere
New dwellings approved 1,338
across Wollondilly
same for both
Approvals change year on year +92%
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.

Picton Thirlmere
Houses 2.9%
$775/wk on $1.39M
 3.1%
$650/wk on $1.1M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Picton Thirlmere
House price Higher than 63% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW
Income Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Schools Higher than 65% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 18% of NSW Higher than 25% of NSW

Liveability

Picton scores higher overall (65 vs 33); Picton is more walkable (65 vs 34).

Picton Thirlmere
Grade B C
Score 65/100 33/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Thirlmere carries more bushfire risk (94 vs 14); Picton carries more crime risk (53 vs 37).

Picton Thirlmere
Bushfire Low
14/100
 High
94/100
Crime Moderate
53/100
 Low
37/100
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 2
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Picton Thirlmere
Inside the suburb 3 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1
same for both

Schools in Picton

  • St Anthony's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Picton High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Picton Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Thirlmere

  • Thirlmere Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Picton Thirlmere
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 1 3
Parks & reserves 10 5
Childcare 9 5
GPs 2
same for both
Pharmacies 2 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 5 1
Fuel stations 2 1
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 9 14

Mobility

Thirlmere sits further from the CBD (94.9 km vs 88.5 km).

Picton Thirlmere
Walkability score 65/100 34/100
Distance to Sydney 88.5 km 94.9 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 73 min 80 min
Public transport score 75/100
Rail · Bus
 66/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 60.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 38.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2571
 0.6%
postcode 2572
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 75
postcode 2571
 50
postcode 2572

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.

Picton Thirlmere
Car (driver) 61.3% / 66.8%
Picton — Car (driver): 61.3% Thirlmere — Car (driver): 66.8%
Worked from Home 31.8% / 26.6%
Picton — Worked from Home: 31.8% Thirlmere — Worked from Home: 26.6%
Car (passenger) 3.6% / 4.6%
Picton — Car (passenger): 3.6% Thirlmere — Car (passenger): 4.6%
Walked Only 2.0% / 1.4%
Picton — Walked Only: 2.0% Thirlmere — Walked Only: 1.4%
Train 1.1% / 0.6%
Picton — Train: 1.1% Thirlmere — Train: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.8%).

Setting

Picton Thirlmere
Elevation 189 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 325 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 34.0 km 36.5 km

NBN connectivity

Picton Thirlmere
Connectivity score 65/100 74/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 40%
2,552 premises
 54%
2,610 premises

Climate

Picton Thirlmere
Annual rainfall 817 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Picton Thirlmere
PM2.5 4.8 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 12.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.11 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Picton Thirlmere
Average residential rate $2,099/yr
same for both
Council Wollondilly
same for both

Federal electorate

Picton Thirlmere
Division Hume
same for both
Member Angus Taylor
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Picton Thirlmere
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Picton

Acreage

Thirlmere

Acreage River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Picton

Picton vs Tahmoor Picton vs Wilton Picton vs Razorback Picton vs Mount Hunter Picton vs Mowbray Park

Other comparisons with Thirlmere

Thirlmere vs Tahmoor Thirlmere vs Buxton Thirlmere vs Lakesland Thirlmere vs Couridjah Thirlmere vs Mowbray Park
Full data on Picton Full data on Thirlmere
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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