Rouse Hill vs The Ponds

In both, most households own their home and most households are couple families. In The Ponds, the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, The Ponds tends to suit families with children and couples.

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

The Ponds

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 80/100)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 1)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (84% vs 54%)
  • But Rouse Hill has more childcare (15 vs 5)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Rouse Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 23%)
  • has cheaper rent ($500/wk vs $643/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

The Ponds

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (42 min vs 50 min)
  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 73/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (42.6 km vs 45.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Rouse Hill has more GPs (10 vs 3)
  • The Ponds carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 80/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Rouse Hill and The 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.

Rouse Hill The Ponds
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.

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Walkability 73 / 82
Rouse Hill — Walkability: 73/100 The Ponds — Walkability: 82/100
Safety 20 / 78
Rouse Hill — Safety: 20/100 The Ponds — Safety: 78/100
Low fire risk 85 / 100
Rouse Hill — Low fire risk: 85/100 The Ponds — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

The Ponds has more residents (16,315 vs 11,349); The Ponds rents higher ($643/wk vs $500/wk).

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Population 11,349 16,315
+44% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +42.5% +39.1%
Median age 34 35
Median household income $137,436/yr $170,820/yr
+24% vs other
Median weekly rent $500/wk $643/wk
+29% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Rouse Hill The Ponds
0-4 6.3% / 7.7%
Rouse Hill — 0-4: 6.3% The Ponds — 0-4: 7.7%
5-14 14.6% / 21.7%
Rouse Hill — 5-14: 14.6% The Ponds — 5-14: 21.7%
15-19 8.2% / 6.2%
Rouse Hill — 15-19: 8.2% The Ponds — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 8.0% / 4.1%
Rouse Hill — 20-24: 8.0% The Ponds — 20-24: 4.1%
25-34 14.4% / 9.3%
Rouse Hill — 25-34: 14.4% The Ponds — 25-34: 9.3%
35-44 17.7% / 25.0%
Rouse Hill — 35-44: 17.7% The Ponds — 35-44: 25.0%
45-54 15.1% / 12.3%
Rouse Hill — 45-54: 15.1% The Ponds — 45-54: 12.3%
55-64 8.4% / 5.5%
Rouse Hill — 55-64: 8.4% The Ponds — 55-64: 5.5%
65-74 4.8% / 4.8%
Rouse Hill — 65-74: 4.8% The Ponds — 65-74: 4.8%
75-84 2.1% / 2.5%
Rouse Hill — 75-84: 2.1% The Ponds — 75-84: 2.5%
85+ 0.6% / 0.9%
Rouse Hill — 85+: 0.6% The Ponds — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Rouse Hill 60.8% couple families
Rouse Hill — Couple Families: 60.8% Rouse Hill — Lone Person: 20.3% Rouse Hill — One Parent Families: 14.1% Rouse Hill — Group Household: 3.4% Rouse Hill — Other Families: 1.4%
The Ponds 81.6% couple families
The Ponds — Couple Families: 81.6% The Ponds — Lone Person: 7.6% The Ponds — One Parent Families: 9.1% The Ponds — Group Household: 1.4% The Ponds — Other Families: 0.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Rouse Hill 40.1% renting
Rouse Hill — Owned Outright: 16.1% Rouse Hill — Mortgage: 43.9% Rouse Hill — Renting: 40.1%
The Ponds 22.8% renting
The Ponds — Owned Outright: 12.5% The Ponds — Mortgage: 64.7% The Ponds — Renting: 22.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Bachelor Degree 18.6% / 20.6%
Rouse Hill — Bachelor Degree: 18.6% The Ponds — Bachelor Degree: 20.6%
Postgraduate Degree 8.3% / 11.7%
Rouse Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 8.3% The Ponds — Postgraduate Degree: 11.7%
Certificate III & IV 10.5% / 5.6%
Rouse Hill — Certificate III & IV: 10.5% The Ponds — Certificate III & IV: 5.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 6.8%
Rouse Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% The Ponds — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 1.7%
Rouse Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% The Ponds — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).

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.

Rouse Hill The Ponds
India 6.2% / 22.6%
Rouse Hill — India: 6.2% The Ponds — India: 22.6%
Philippines 3.6% / 3.5%
Rouse Hill — Philippines: 3.6% The Ponds — Philippines: 3.5%
China 4.4% / 2.6%
Rouse Hill — China: 4.4% The Ponds — China: 2.6%
England 2.3% / 1.6%
Rouse Hill — England: 2.3% The Ponds — England: 1.6%
South Africa 2.1% / 1.5%
Rouse Hill — South Africa: 2.1% The Ponds — South Africa: 1.5%
Pakistan 1.3% / 2.3%
Rouse Hill — Pakistan: 1.3% The Ponds — Pakistan: 2.3%
Sri Lanka — / 1.9%
Rouse Hill — Sri Lanka: not among its largest The Ponds — Sri Lanka: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Rouse Hill 54.4% houses
Rouse Hill — Houses: 54.4% Rouse Hill — Townhouses: 19.9% Rouse Hill — Flats / Apartments: 25.6%
The Ponds 83.7% houses
The Ponds — Houses: 83.7% The Ponds — Townhouses: 15.7% The Ponds — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Median house price $1,600,000 $1,610,000
Median unit price $665,000 —
Median land price $1,600,000 $1,685,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 181 sales
 24 days
from 200 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.

Rouse Hill The Ponds
3 bed $1.36M / $1.23M
Rouse Hill — 3 bed: $1.36M (20 sales) The Ponds — 3 bed: $1.23M (33 sales)

20 vs 33 sales

4 bed $1.59M / $1.6M
Rouse Hill — 4 bed: $1.59M (136 sales) The Ponds — 4 bed: $1.6M (151 sales)

136 vs 151 sales

5 bed $1.75M / $1.82M
Rouse Hill — 5 bed: $1.75M (38 sales) The Ponds — 5 bed: $1.82M (59 sales)

38 vs 59 sales

6 bed $2.33M / $1.93M
Rouse Hill — 6 bed: $2.33M (5 sales) The Ponds — 6 bed: $1.93M (5 sales)

5 vs 5 sales

Zoning mix

Rouse Hill has more industrially zoned land (13% vs 0%).

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Residential 49% 73%
Infrastructure and transport 13% 16%
Industrial 13% 0%
Other and special use 11% 0%
Parks and recreation 10% 8%
Environmental 0% 4%
Commercial 3% 0%
Rural and farming 2% 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

Rouse Hill The Ponds
New dwellings approved 2,325
across Blacktown
same for both
Approvals change year on year -18%
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.

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Houses 3.5%
$900/wk on $1.35M
 3.3%
$950/wk on $1.49M
Units 5.7%
$700/wk on $640K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Rouse Hill The Ponds
House price Higher than 65% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Income Higher than 91% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Schools Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 42% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 89% of NSW —

Liveability

The Ponds scores higher overall (89 vs 63); The Ponds is more walkable (82 vs 73).

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Grade B A+
Score 63/100 89/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Rouse Hill carries more bushfire risk (15 vs 0); Rouse Hill carries more crime risk (80 vs 22).

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Bushfire Low
15/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
80/100
 Low
22/100
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
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Inside the suburb 4
same for both
Rated above peers 1 2
Rated at peers 3 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Rouse Hill

  • Ironbark Ridge Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Rouse Hill Anglican College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Rouse Hill High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Rouse Hill Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in The Ponds

  • Riverbank Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • The Ponds High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • John Palmer Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • The Ponds School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Supermarkets 4 2
Cafes & restaurants 23 7
Parks & reserves 16 20
Childcare 15 5
GPs 10 3
Pharmacies 4 0
Banks & Bank@Post 8 0
Fuel stations 3 0
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 11 4

Mobility

Rouse Hill sits further from the CBD (45.4 km vs 42.6 km).

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Walkability score 73/100 82/100
Distance to Sydney 45.4 km
+6% vs other
 42.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 50 min 42 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 805.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 128.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.1%
postcode 2155
 3.8%
postcode 2769
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 2155
 83
postcode 2769

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.

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Worked from Home 49.8% / 59.8%
Rouse Hill — Worked from Home: 49.8% The Ponds — Worked from Home: 59.8%
Car (driver) 41.2% / 33.2%
Rouse Hill — Car (driver): 41.2% The Ponds — Car (driver): 33.2%
Train 3.7% / 3.9%
Rouse Hill — Train: 3.7% The Ponds — Train: 3.9%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / 2.2%
Rouse Hill — Car (passenger): 3.1% The Ponds — Car (passenger): 2.2%
Walked Only 1.2% / 0.3%
Rouse Hill — Walked Only: 1.2% The Ponds — Walked Only: 0.3%
Bus 0.9% / 0.6%
Rouse Hill — Bus: 0.9% The Ponds — Bus: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.8%).

Setting

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Elevation 52 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 54 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 31.1 km 32.9 km

NBN connectivity

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Connectivity score 88/100 95/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 76%
6,011 premises
 90%
5,243 premises

Climate

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Annual rainfall 932 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Rouse Hill The Ponds
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 15.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.53 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Average residential rate $1,157/yr
same for both
Council Blacktown
same for both

Federal electorate

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Division Greenway
same for both
Member Michelle Rowland
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Rouse Hill The Ponds
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Rouse Hill

Outer Parks River

The Ponds

Family Multicultural Outer Parks Professionals River Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Rouse Hill

Rouse Hill vs North Kellyville Rouse Hill vs Kellyville Ridge Rouse Hill vs Beaumont Hills Rouse Hill vs Riverstone Rouse Hill vs Tallawong Rouse Hill vs Box Hill

Other comparisons with The Ponds

The Ponds vs Quakers Hill The Ponds vs Schofields The Ponds vs Kellyville Ridge The Ponds vs Stanhope Gardens The Ponds vs Tallawong The Ponds vs Parklea
Full data on Rouse Hill Full data on The Ponds
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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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