Rock Forest vs Lewis Ponds
Lewis Ponds is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 48 in Rock Forest. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Rock Forest, about half of households are couple families. In Lewis Ponds, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Rock Forest: a median of $1.23 million, against $784,000 in Lewis Ponds. On these figures, Lewis Ponds tends to suit families with children, couples, 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
Lewis Ponds
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 60%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Lewis Ponds
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($784,500 vs $1,225,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Rock Forest
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (198 min vs 217 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (229.2 km vs 247.2 km)
- But Lewis Ponds is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Lewis Ponds
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lewis Ponds
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-13.6% vs -24.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Rock Forest and Lewis Ponds 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
Rock Forest skews older (48 vs 44).
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 149 +15% vs other | 127 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -24.7% | -13.6% |
| Median age | 48 | 44 |
| Median household income | $109,564/yr +3% vs other | $105,820/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $203/wk +1% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (3.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,225,000 | $784,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 177 across Bathurst | 29 across Cabonne |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% | -43% |
Ranking within NSW
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 75% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 56% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
Liveability
Lewis Ponds is more walkable (8 vs 0).
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Rock Forest carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 24).
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 45/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 57/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| 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
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 12 | 18 |
Mobility
Lewis Ponds sits further from the CBD (247.2 km vs 229.2 km).
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 229.2 km | 247.2 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 198 min | 217 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2795 | 0.6% postcode 2800 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2795 | 48 postcode 2800 |
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 (86.2%).
Setting
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 776 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 705 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 24/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 78 premises | 0% 56 premises |
Climate
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 666 mm | 894 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.4°C | 26.3°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.1°C | 2.2°C |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.3 µg/m³ | 6.0 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | — | 10.8 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | — | 0.4 pphm |
Council rates
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,301/yr | $750/yr |
| Council | Bathurst | Cabonne |
Federal electorate
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Rock Forest | Lewis Ponds | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Rock Forest
Other comparisons with Lewis Ponds
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.