The Rock vs Brookdale
Brookdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 42 in The Rock. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Brookdale, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, The Rock tends to suit older residents, while Brookdale 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- The Rock has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
- Brookdale is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 58%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Brookdale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper land ($22,892 vs $294,950)
Weighs land prices.
Renters
Brookdale
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (6% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $245/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
The Rock
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (67/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (486.7 km vs 490.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
The Rock
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (67/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 6%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Brookdale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (92.3% vs 9.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
The Rock and Brookdale 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
The Rock has more residents (1,347 vs 50); Brookdale has higher household incomes ($142,948 vs $70,616).
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,347 +96% vs other | 50 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.0% | +92.3% |
| Median age | 42 | 39 |
| Median household income | $70,616/yr | $142,948/yr +102% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $245/wk +39% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).
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 (16.9%).
Property market
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $455,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $294,950 | $22,892 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 54 days from 12 sales | — |
Zoning mix
The Rock has more rural and farming land (96% vs 85%).
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 85% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 15% |
| Environmental | 1% | 0% |
| Residential | 1% | 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
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 7 across Lockhart | 548 across Wagga Wagga |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% | +139% |
Gross rental yield
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.6% $540/wk on $615K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 12% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 92% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 87% of NSW | Higher than 24% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 89% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 92% of NSW | — |
Liveability
The Rock is more walkable (67 vs 0).
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 46/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 19/100 | Low 10/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 54/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| 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
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 The Rock
- The Rock Central School Government · Combined at peers
Schools in Brookdale
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 23 | 7 |
Mobility
Brookdale sits further from the CBD (490.8 km vs 486.7 km).
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 67/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 486.7 km | 490.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 312 min | 313 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2655 | 0.3% postcode 2656 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 70 postcode 2655 | 61 postcode 2656 |
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 (84.0%).
Setting
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 217 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 171 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 558 premises | 0% 22 premises |
Climate
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 565 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.4°C same for both | |
Council rates
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $394/yr | $1,254/yr |
| Council | Lockhart | Wagga Wagga |
Federal electorate
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| The Rock | Brookdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
The Rock
Brookdale
More comparisons
Other comparisons with The Rock
Other comparisons with Brookdale
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.