South West Rocks vs Fishermans Reach
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In South West Rocks, about half of households are people living alone. In Fishermans Reach, the large majority of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Fishermans Reach: a median of $885,000, against $755,000 in South West Rocks, though rent is higher in South West Rocks. On these figures, Fishermans Reach tends to suit 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
South West Rocks
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (43% vs 24%)
- carries lower crime risk (77/100 vs 96/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- South West Rocks has cheaper houses ($755,000 vs $885,000)
- Fishermans Reach leaves households under less mortgage stress (30% vs 36%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Fishermans Reach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $323/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
South West Rocks
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (45/100 vs 8/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (453.1 km vs 467.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (304 min vs 313 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
South West Rocks
ahead on 5 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (45/100 vs 8/100)
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (19% vs 9%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
South West Rocks
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.9% vs -8.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
South West Rocks and Fishermans Reach 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
South West Rocks has more residents (5,058 vs 144); South West Rocks has higher household incomes ($50,960 vs $38,428).
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,058 +97% vs other | 144 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.9% | -8.3% |
| Median age | 58 | 59 |
| Median household income | $50,960/yr +25% vs other | $38,428/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $323/wk +23% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.7%).
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 (6.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $755,000 | $885,000 |
| Median unit price | $600,000 | — |
| Median land price | $345,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 66 days from 43 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Fishermans Reach has more land zoned for conservation (74% vs 40%); Fishermans Reach has more rural and farming land (25% vs 7%).
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 40% | 74% |
| Residential | 33% | 0% |
| Rural and farming | 7% | 25% |
| Parks and recreation | 17% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 144 across Kempsey same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +380% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.2% $580/wk on $940K | — |
| Units | 3.2% $430/wk on $710K | — |
Ranking within NSW
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 34% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 3% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 37% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 35% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 30% of NSW | — |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 6% of NSW | — |
Liveability
South West Rocks is more walkable (45 vs 8).
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 21/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Fishermans Reach carries more bushfire risk (74 vs 54); Fishermans Reach carries more crime risk (96 vs 77).
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 54/100 | High 74/100 |
| Crime | High 77/100 | High 96/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 18/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in South West Rocks
- South West Rocks Public School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Fishermans Reach
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 3 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 10 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 2 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 3 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 3 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Beaches | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 same for both | |
Mobility
Fishermans Reach sits further from the CBD (467.7 km vs 453.1 km).
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 45/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 453.1 km | 467.7 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 304 min | 313 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2431 | 0.4% postcode 2441 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 2431 | 72 postcode 2441 |
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 (73.7%).
Setting
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.5 km 1.5 km to a named beach | 1.7 km 3.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 67/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 37% 3,947 premises | 0% 100 premises |
Council rates
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,447/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kempsey same for both | |
Federal electorate
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| South West Rocks | Fishermans Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 South West Rocks
Other comparisons with Fishermans Reach
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.