Rocky River NSW 2358

Rocky River is a rural locality in New South Wales, 460 km from Sydney CBD, around 5 hours 55 minutes by car. Population is 297; the median age is 48 and the median household income is $69,836 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population grew 10.0% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $220 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,387. The area shows high bushfire risk. Walkability is low.

This locality is too small to rate.

The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 297. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.

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Median Land Price

Q4 2025

Rocky River's land market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $410,000 in the December 2025 quarter, roughly 40% above where it sat a year earlier. That said, only eight sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level. Zoom out: prices have climbed roughly 290% over the past decade — 14.6% per year on average.

Land

$410,000

last 5 quarters
↑ +40.2% year-on-year
↑ +290.5% over 2015–2025 (+14.6%/yr compound)

Based on 8 recorded sales in the quarter.

Houses

$477,500

last 5 quarters
↓ −22.0% year-on-year
↓ −30.0% over 2015–2025 (−3.5%/yr compound)

Based on 6 recorded sales in the quarter.

Rental Market

Rent agreed on new leases

Jul–Sep 2026
All rentals
$500/wk
32 bonds
+51% since 2021

Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2358 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

152 Affordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 20% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2358.

SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

1 crash

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.

Council Flood Studies

Uralla Shire Council has published 1 flood study on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Rocky River is very car-dependent on foot — at 6/100, nearly all errands require a car.

6
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km 21
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Rocky River.

20
out of 100
Bottom 2% in NSW
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
3.2 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
1.0 arrivals/hr
Saturday
0.0 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
3.5 min
Span of service
8.5 hours

Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Rocky River.

27
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
109
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 81%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 19%

NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.

Amenities

No amenities mapped in this locality boundary.

Uralla: council population

The whole council area, not just Rocky River · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
6,179
+1.0% in a year
Change
+61
people since 2024
Density
1.9
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+1
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+46
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+14
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
5/10
4/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
6/10
5/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
3/10
2/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Rocky River is home to 297 residents, with a median age of 48, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $70,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.0%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

297

10.0% since 2016

Median Age

48

2.0% since 2016

Median Household Income

$69,836/yr

35.7% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$220/wk

14.0% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,387/mo

7.5% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.4

4.3% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$34,892/yr

24.5% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

3.0%

69.1% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

3.8%

66.1% since 2016

Total Dwellings

105

1.9% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

88.9%

6.7% since 2016

Houses

100.0%

no change since 2016

Rental Stress

16.4%

15.9% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

23.8%

32.0% since 2016

Work From Home

18.7%

98.9% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 105 (100.0%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 57 (57.6%)
Mortgage 31 (31.3%)
Renting 11 (11.1%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
71.4%
English Spoken at Home
81.8%
Employment Rate
50.8%
7.5% since 2016
Completed Year 12
35.4%

Occupations

Community & Personal Service 25 (19.1%)
Technicians & Trades 24 (18.3%)
Professionals 20 (15.3%)
Managers 18 (13.7%)
Labourers 17 (13.0%)
Sales 16 (12.2%)
Clerical & Administrative 7 (5.3%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 3 (2.3%)

Religion

Christianity 155 (52.2%)
No Religion 92 (31.0%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 7 (2.4%)
Scotland 5 (1.7%)

Age Distribution

0-4 8 (2.7%)
5-14 33 (11.1%)
15-19 26 (8.8%)
20-24 21 (7.1%)
25-34 19 (6.4%)
35-44 34 (11.4%)
45-54 43 (14.5%)
55-64 46 (15.5%)
65-74 50 (16.8%)
75-84 17 (5.7%)
85+ 8 (2.7%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 30 (41.1%)
Couple Families 28 (38.4%)
One Parent Families 15 (20.5%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 77 (72.0%)
Worked from Home 20 (18.7%)
Car (passenger) 10 (9.3%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 50 (16.8%)
Bachelor Degree 24 (8.1%)
Postgraduate Degree 18 (6.1%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 16 (5.4%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 3 (2.9%)
1 car 27 (26.5%)
2 cars 36 (35.3%)
3 cars 17 (16.7%)
4+ cars 18 (17.6%)

Council Rates

Uralla
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $699 a year through Uralla based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$699/yr
43% below the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Rocky River's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 100%

Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Uralla

The whole council area, not just Rocky River · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 17 new dwellings were approved across Uralla. That mix is 15 houses and 2 units.

Trailing 12 months
17dwellings
Houses
15
detached dwellings
Units
2
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Armidale Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.

Air Quality

MODERATE

PM2.5 averaged 6.7 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 7 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.

PM10 averaged 9 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0.

From the Armidale monitoring station, 21.8 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Uralla (Dumaresq St), 6.0 km

Moderate rainfall.

Elevation
949 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Annual rainfall
684 mm
75 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
—
Winter min (Jul)
—

Elevation is the ground at the locality centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.

EV adoption

0.2%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.09% in 2021
+0.0 points this year
Bottom 13% in NSW

In postcode 2358, 6 of 3,381 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.4% (47 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.6%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.09%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.12%
2024
0.15%
2025
0.18%

Rooftop solar

52
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.7 kW each

In postcode 2358, 876 rooftop-solar systems totalling 5.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,671 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 54 went up in the last year.

Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
56
2020
78
2021
58
2022
60
2023
73
2024
69
2025
48
2026
35

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.

Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).

Verify eligibility with Revenue NSW

Mortgage repayments

Q4-2025 median
I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$2,138
Loan amount
$328,000
Total interest over 30 years
$441,793
Deposit
$82,000
Stamp duty
$12,637
Cash needed at settlement
$94,637

Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW

The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.

Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.

Federal Electorate

Division of New England

Currently held by Barnaby Joyce The Nationals

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Barnaby Joyce 32.9% 67.1% -1.9
2022 Barnaby Joyce 33.6% 66.4% -1.2
2019 Barnaby Joyce 32.4% 67.6% +1.2

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Northern Tablelands District

Currently held by Brendan Moylan The Nationals — elected at the Jun 2024 by-election, after the results below

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Adam Marshall NP 83.8%
2019 Adam Marshall NP 82.8%
2015 Adam Marshall NP 77.1%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.

Looking at a specific address in Rocky River?

Every figure above is a locality average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.

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Nearby suburbs

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Common questions about Rocky River

What natural hazards affect Rocky River?

Rocky River has a high recorded bushfire history (77/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Rocky River?

Rocky River, NSW had a population of 297 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Rocky River, NSW?

The postcode for Rocky River, NSW is 2358.

How far is Rocky River from Sydney?

Rocky River is 460 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 357 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Rocky River?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Rocky River was $69,836 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.

What is the median weekly rent in Rocky River?

There are too few current rental listings in Rocky River for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $220, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Rocky River?

The median age of residents in Rocky River was 48 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Rocky River at risk of bushfire?

Rocky River has a high recorded bushfire history (77/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.

Is Rocky River walkable?

Rocky River scores 6/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.

What is the air quality in Rocky River?

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Rocky River (Armidale) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.7 µg/m³ and PM10 of 9.0 µg/m³. That puts Rocky River below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

What is the weather like in Rocky River?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Rocky River, Uralla (Dumaresq St) (6 km away), 684 mm of rain a year over 75 rainy days over 2006-2026.

What is the median land price in Rocky River?

The median sale price for land lots in Rocky River was $410,000 in the Q4 2025 quarter, based on 8 recorded sales.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Rocky River?

First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does Rocky River belong to?

Rocky River sits within the Uralla local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Rocky River?

The average residential rates bill through Uralla is $699 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Rocky River?

Across Uralla, 17 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Which federal electorate is Rocky River in?

Rocky River sits within the federal Division of New England, currently held by Barnaby Joyce (The Nationals).

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Data freshness

Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.

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Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
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