West Pennant Hills vs Cherrybrook

Comparing West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook, NSW: Cherrybrook carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 14); Cherrybrook is more walkable (83 vs 72).

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

  • West Pennant Hills has more parks and reserves (27 vs 12)
  • Cherrybrook has more schools rated above their peers (4 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • West Pennant Hills has cheaper units ($985,000 vs $1,600,000)
  • Cherrybrook has cheaper land ($1,950,000 vs $2,375,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

West Pennant Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($641/wk vs $695/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Cherrybrook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (83/100 vs 72/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Cherrybrook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (83/100 vs 72/100)

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

West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
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.

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Walkability 72 / 83
West Pennant Hills — Walkability: 72/100 Cherrybrook — Walkability: 83/100
Safety 83 / 82
West Pennant Hills — Safety: 83/100 Cherrybrook — Safety: 82/100
Low fire risk 86 / 66
West Pennant Hills — Low fire risk: 86/100 Cherrybrook — Low fire risk: 66/100

Demographics

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Population 16,620 19,082
+15% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.5% +1.7%
Median age 43
same for both
Median household income $160,056/yr
+5% vs other
 $152,048/yr
Median weekly rent $641/wk $695/wk
+8% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
0-4 4.7% / 3.7%
West Pennant Hills — 0-4: 4.7% Cherrybrook — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 13.6% / 14.7%
West Pennant Hills — 5-14: 13.6% Cherrybrook — 5-14: 14.7%
15-19 6.6% / 7.8%
West Pennant Hills — 15-19: 6.6% Cherrybrook — 15-19: 7.8%
20-24 6.1% / 5.9%
West Pennant Hills — 20-24: 6.1% Cherrybrook — 20-24: 5.9%
25-34 8.1% / 7.2%
West Pennant Hills — 25-34: 8.1% Cherrybrook — 25-34: 7.2%
35-44 12.8% / 13.4%
West Pennant Hills — 35-44: 12.8% Cherrybrook — 35-44: 13.4%
45-54 13.4% / 14.7%
West Pennant Hills — 45-54: 13.4% Cherrybrook — 45-54: 14.7%
55-64 14.8% / 13.8%
West Pennant Hills — 55-64: 14.8% Cherrybrook — 55-64: 13.8%
65-74 12.9% / 10.8%
West Pennant Hills — 65-74: 12.9% Cherrybrook — 65-74: 10.8%
75-84 5.3% / 5.3%
West Pennant Hills — 75-84: 5.3% Cherrybrook — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 1.8% / 2.7%
West Pennant Hills — 85+: 1.8% Cherrybrook — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

West Pennant Hills 72.1% couple families
West Pennant Hills — Couple Families: 72.1% West Pennant Hills — Lone Person: 15.4% West Pennant Hills — One Parent Families: 10.4% West Pennant Hills — Group Household: 1.1% West Pennant Hills — Other Families: 1.0%
Cherrybrook 73.1% couple families
Cherrybrook — Couple Families: 73.1% Cherrybrook — Lone Person: 14.7% Cherrybrook — One Parent Families: 10.8% Cherrybrook — Group Household: 0.9% Cherrybrook — Other Families: 0.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

West Pennant Hills 12.5% renting
West Pennant Hills — Owned Outright: 45.0% West Pennant Hills — Mortgage: 42.5% West Pennant Hills — Renting: 12.5%
Cherrybrook 15.3% renting
Cherrybrook — Owned Outright: 40.6% Cherrybrook — Mortgage: 44.1% Cherrybrook — Renting: 15.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
China 8.6% / 9.6%
West Pennant Hills — China: 8.6% Cherrybrook — China: 9.6%
India 4.3% / 8.8%
West Pennant Hills — India: 4.3% Cherrybrook — India: 8.8%
England 2.9% / 3.4%
West Pennant Hills — England: 2.9% Cherrybrook — England: 3.4%
Sri Lanka 1.9% / 3.1%
West Pennant Hills — Sri Lanka: 1.9% Cherrybrook — Sri Lanka: 3.1%
Malaysia 1.6% / 2.8%
West Pennant Hills — Malaysia: 1.6% Cherrybrook — Malaysia: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.6%).

Qualifications

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

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Bachelor Degree 24.1% / 24.3%
West Pennant Hills — Bachelor Degree: 24.1% Cherrybrook — Bachelor Degree: 24.3%
Postgraduate Degree 11.4% / 12.8%
West Pennant Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 11.4% Cherrybrook — Postgraduate Degree: 12.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 8.1%
West Pennant Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Cherrybrook — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Certificate III & IV 6.5% / 5.4%
West Pennant Hills — Certificate III & IV: 6.5% Cherrybrook — Certificate III & IV: 5.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.7% / 2.5%
West Pennant Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7% Cherrybrook — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

West Pennant Hills 90.8% houses
West Pennant Hills — Houses: 90.8% West Pennant Hills — Townhouses: 6.5% West Pennant Hills — Flats / Apartments: 2.7%
Cherrybrook 81.5% houses
Cherrybrook — Houses: 81.5% Cherrybrook — Townhouses: 17.2% Cherrybrook — Flats / Apartments: 1.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Median house price $2,542,500 $2,370,000
Median unit price $985,000 $1,600,000
Median land price $2,375,000 $1,950,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 196 sales
 22 days
from 152 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.

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
3 bed $1.8M / $1.76M
West Pennant Hills — 3 bed: $1.8M (55 sales) Cherrybrook — 3 bed: $1.76M (50 sales)

55 vs 50 sales

4 bed $2.42M / $2.38M
West Pennant Hills — 4 bed: $2.42M (101 sales) Cherrybrook — 4 bed: $2.38M (91 sales)

101 vs 91 sales

5 bed $2.94M / $2.71M
West Pennant Hills — 5 bed: $2.94M (114 sales) Cherrybrook — 5 bed: $2.71M (69 sales)

114 vs 69 sales

Zoning mix

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Residential 66% 69%
Environmental 22% 20%
Parks and recreation 6% 8%
Rural and farming 5% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 2%
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

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
New dwellings approved 2,648
across The Hills
 260
across Hornsby
Approvals change year on year -4% -79%

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.

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Houses 2.9%
$1,250/wk on $2.23M
 2.8%
$1,175/wk on $2.21M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
House price Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Income Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 100% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 98% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 13% of NSW

Liveability

Cherrybrook is more walkable (83 vs 72).

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Grade A+
same for both
Score 87/100
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Cherrybrook carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 14).

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Bushfire Low
14/100
 Low
34/100
Crime Low
17/100
 Low
18/100
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 3
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Inside the suburb 2 4
Rated above peers 1 4
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Western Sydney University - Parramatta, 7.7 km
 1
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 9.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.3% 4.6%

Schools in West Pennant Hills

  • West Pennant Hills Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Hills Montessori School Independent · Primary

Schools in Cherrybrook

  • Cherrybrook Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Cherrybrook Technology High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • John Purchase Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Tangara School for Girls Independent · Combined above peers

Amenities in the suburb

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 3 6
Parks & reserves 27 12
Childcare 11
same for both
GPs 4 3
Pharmacies 2
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 2 1
EV chargers 0 2
Waterways 17 12

Mobility

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Walkability score 72/100 83/100
Distance to Sydney 28.2 km 29.2 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 30 min 31 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
 94/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 715.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 813.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.4%
postcode 2125
 3.4%
postcode 2126
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 2125
 51
postcode 2126

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.

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Worked from Home 58.1% / 60.4%
West Pennant Hills — Worked from Home: 58.1% Cherrybrook — Worked from Home: 60.4%
Car (driver) 35.7% / 31.9%
West Pennant Hills — Car (driver): 35.7% Cherrybrook — Car (driver): 31.9%
Car (passenger) 2.2% / 2.2%
West Pennant Hills — Car (passenger): 2.2% Cherrybrook — Car (passenger): 2.2%
Train 1.5% / 2.9%
West Pennant Hills — Train: 1.5% Cherrybrook — Train: 2.9%
Bus 1.9% / 1.6%
West Pennant Hills — Bus: 1.9% Cherrybrook — Bus: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.4%).

Setting

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Elevation 100 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 146 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 20.9 km 21.0 km

NBN connectivity

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Connectivity score 74/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 3%
5,842 premises
 11%
6,463 premises

Climate

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Annual rainfall 1,021 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³ 5.4 µg/m³
PM10 16.9 µg/m³ 14.2 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.83 pphm 0.23 pphm

Council rates

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Average residential rate $1,204/yr $1,488/yr
Council The Hills Hornsby

Federal electorate

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Division Mitchell Berowra
Member Alex Hawke Julian Leeser
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

West Pennant Hills

Easy Commute Large Blocks Multicultural Outer Parks Premium Professionals Quiet River Transport Hub

Cherrybrook

Easy Commute Multicultural Outer Parks Premium Professionals Quiet Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with West Pennant Hills

West Pennant Hills vs Castle Hill West Pennant Hills vs Baulkham Hills West Pennant Hills vs Carlingford West Pennant Hills vs Beecroft West Pennant Hills vs North Rocks West Pennant Hills vs Pennant Hills

Other comparisons with Cherrybrook

Cherrybrook vs Castle Hill Cherrybrook vs Dural Cherrybrook vs Pennant Hills Cherrybrook vs Westleigh
Full data on West Pennant Hills Full data on Cherrybrook
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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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