Rock Forest vs The Rocks
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 The Rocks, most households are couple families. On these figures, The Rocks tends to suit families with children, couples, and 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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs 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
The Rocks
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (224 km vs 229.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
The Rocks
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 24%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
The Rocks
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.7% vs -24.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Rock Forest and The Rocks 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 has more residents (149 vs 70); The Rocks has higher household incomes ($173,316 vs $109,564).
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 149 +53% vs other | 70 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -24.7% | +16.7% |
| Median age | 48 | 49 |
| Median household income | $109,564/yr | $173,316/yr +58% vs other |
| 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 (12.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,225,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — | $3,475,000 |
| Median land price | — | $1,750,000 |
Zoning mix
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 97% |
| Environmental | 0% | 3% |
| 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 | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 177 across Bathurst same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 64% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 98% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 56% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 46% of NSW |
Liveability
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Rock Forest carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 0).
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 45/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 57/100 | — |
| 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 | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 12 | 5 |
Mobility
Rock Forest sits further from the CBD (229.2 km vs 224 km).
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 229.2 km +2% vs other | 224 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 198 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2795 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2795 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 (80.6%).
Setting
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 776 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 856 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 24/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 78 premises | 0% 27 premises |
Climate
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 666 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,301/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bathurst same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Rock Forest | The Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 The Rocks
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.