Purlewaugh vs Rocky Glen
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Rocky Glen: a median of $272,000, against $170,000 in Purlewaugh, though rent is higher in Purlewaugh. On these figures, Purlewaugh tends to suit people living alone, families with children, and couples, while Rocky Glen suits older residents.
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
Rocky Glen
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 74/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 69%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Purlewaugh
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (38% vs 86%)
- has cheaper houses ($170,000 vs $272,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rocky Glen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $170/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Purlewaugh
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (333 min vs 361 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (468.1 km vs 505.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Rocky Glen
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 74/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (37% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Purlewaugh and Rocky Glen 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
Purlewaugh rents higher ($170/wk vs $0/wk); Purlewaugh has higher household incomes ($74,724 vs $48,516).
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 81 +20% vs other | 65 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -19.8% | -18.8% |
| Median age | 54 | 56 |
| Median household income | $74,724/yr +35% vs other | $48,516/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $170/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.6%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (20.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $170,000 | $272,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 96% |
| Environmental | 3% | 4% |
| 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
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 10 across Warrumbungle same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -75% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 3% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 42% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 3% of NSW | Higher than 12% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 98% of NSW | Higher than 90% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 1% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 7% of NSW |
Liveability
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Purlewaugh carries more crime risk (74 vs 15); Rocky Glen carries more bushfire risk (73 vs 26).
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 26/100 | High 73/100 |
| Crime | High 74/100 | Low 15/100 |
| 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
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Waterways | 5 | 7 |
Mobility
Rocky Glen sits further from the CBD (505.6 km vs 468.1 km).
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 468.1 km | 505.6 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 333 min | 361 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2357 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 88 postcode 2357 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.8%).
Setting
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 510 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 465 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 21 premises | 0% 24 premises |
Climate
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 761 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.2°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $671/yr same for both | |
| Council | Warrumbungle same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Parkes same for both | |
| Member | Jamie Chaffey same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Purlewaugh | Rocky Glen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Purlewaugh
Rocky Glen
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Purlewaugh
Other comparisons with Rocky Glen
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.