Tarana vs O'connell
O'Connell is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 48 in Tarana. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Tarana, about half of households are people living alone. In O'Connell, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in O'Connell: a median of $1.19 million, against $890,000 in Tarana, though rent is higher in Tarana. On these figures, Tarana tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while O'Connell suits 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
O'Connell
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 51%)
- But Tarana carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 24/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Tarana
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($890,000 vs $1,193,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
O'Connell
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 15%)
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $280/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Tarana
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (180 km vs 203.8 km)
- has a shorter drive in (168 min vs 177 min)
- But O'Connell is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Tarana carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 24/100)
- O'connell is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
O'Connell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.8% vs 9.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Tarana and O'connell 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
O'Connell has more residents (653 vs 187); O'Connell has higher household incomes ($134,056 vs $97,500).
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 187 | 653 +249% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.4% | +14.8% |
| Median age | 48 | 43 |
| Median household income | $97,500/yr | $134,056/yr +37% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $280/wk +11% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).
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 (3.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $890,000 | $1,193,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,010,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 32 days from 7 sales |
Zoning mix
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 91% |
| Residential | 0% | 9% |
| Environmental | 5% | 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
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 21 across Oberon same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 42% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 90% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 1% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 71% of NSW same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 35% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
Liveability
O'Connell is more walkable (14 vs 0).
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 56/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
O'Connell carries more crime risk (24 vs 13).
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 23/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Crime | Low 13/100 | Low 24/100 |
| 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
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Tarana
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in O'connell
- O'Connell Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 same for both | |
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 17 | 27 |
Mobility
O'Connell sits further from the CBD (203.8 km vs 180 km).
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 180 km | 203.8 km +13% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 168 min | 177 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2787 | 0.4% postcode 2795 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 2787 | 47 postcode 2795 |
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 (73.6%).
Setting
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 785 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 719 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 25/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 77 premises | 0% 263 premises |
Climate
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 738 mm | 644 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — | 28.4°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | — | 1.2°C |
Council rates
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $975/yr same for both | |
| Council | Oberon same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Tarana | O'connell | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Tarana
Other comparisons with O'connell
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.