Rock Forest vs Watton
Watton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 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 Watton, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Rock Forest: a median of $1.23 million, against $570,000 in Watton, though rent is higher in Watton. On these figures, Rock Forest tends to suit older residents, while Watton suits 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
Watton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 57/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Watton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($570,000 vs $1,225,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rock Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($203/wk vs $360/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Watton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (18/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Watton
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (18/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 57/100)
- But Rock Forest has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 14%)
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
Rock Forest and Watton 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 63); Watton rents higher ($360/wk vs $203/wk).
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 149 +58% vs other | 63 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -24.7% | -22.2% |
| Median age | 48 | 41 |
| Median household income | $109,564/yr | $134,316/yr +23% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $203/wk | $360/wk +77% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.6%).
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 (7.9%).
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 (27.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,225,000 | $570,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 177 across Bathurst same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 19% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 90% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 68% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 27% of NSW |
Liveability
Watton is more walkable (18 vs 0).
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Rock Forest carries more crime risk (57 vs 25); Rock Forest carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 20).
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 45/100 | Low 20/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 57/100 | Low 25/100 |
| 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 | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 12 | 6 |
Mobility
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 18/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 229.2 km | 229.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 198 min | 196 min |
| 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 | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 776 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 727 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 24/100 | 18/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 78 premises | 0% 19 premises |
Climate
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,301/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bathurst same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Rock Forest | Watton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Rock Forest
Watton
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Rock Forest
Other comparisons with Watton
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.