Somerton vs Rushes Creek
Somerton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 48 in Rushes Creek. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Somerton, about half of households are couple families. In Rushes Creek, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Rushes Creek: a median of $505,000, against $340,000 in Somerton, though rent is higher in Somerton. On these figures, Somerton tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while Rushes Creek suits people living alone.
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
Rushes Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 84/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Somerton
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 37%)
- has cheaper houses ($340,000 vs $505,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rushes Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($190/wk vs $285/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Somerton
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (19/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (441.1 km vs 470.3 km)
- has a shorter drive in (320 min vs 330 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Somerton is more walkable (19/100 vs 0/100)
- Rushes Creek carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 84/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Somerton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-1.8% vs -7.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Somerton and Rushes Creek 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
Somerton has more residents (272 vs 98); Somerton rents higher ($285/wk vs $190/wk).
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 272 +64% vs other | 98 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.8% | -7.5% |
| Median age | 38 | 48 |
| Median household income | $75,660/yr +12% vs other | $66,612/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $285/wk +33% vs other | $190/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (18.8%).
Property market
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $340,000 | $505,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 390 across Tamworth same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -35% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 16% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 29% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 96% of NSW | Higher than 81% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 30% of NSW | Higher than 5% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
Liveability
Somerton is more walkable (19 vs 0).
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Somerton carries more crime risk (84 vs 21).
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 32/100 | Low 33/100 |
| Crime | High 84/100 | Low 21/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Somerton
- Somerton Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Rushes Creek
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 15 | 2 |
Mobility
Rushes Creek sits further from the CBD (470.3 km vs 441.1 km).
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 19/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 441.1 km | 470.3 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 320 min | 330 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2340 | 0.1% postcode 2346 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2340 | 50 postcode 2346 |
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 (70.5%).
Setting
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 327 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 397 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 109 premises | 0% 36 premises |
Climate
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 626 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 32.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,397/yr same for both | |
| Council | Tamworth same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Somerton | Rushes Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Rushes Creek
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Somerton
Other comparisons with Rushes Creek
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.