Hill Top
With just 115 residents spread across 39.67 square kilometres, Hill Top sits at 2.9 people per km2, one of the sparsest rural localities in NSW. The most telling combination is an $820,000 median house price alongside a 20% vacancy rate, suggesting a semi-rural retreat profile rather than a conventional residential market. Household income ranks at the 79.4th percentile nationally, high relative to the settlement's size. Every home is a separate house and 54.3% are owned outright, a share above both state and national averages. A median age of 43, which is 3.0 years above the national figure, and a 32.5% volunteering rate point to an established, long-term owner-occupier community.
Population
2,792
Median Age
35.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,924/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
22
Median House
$852K
12m to Jun 2026 (PSI)
The median house price is $820,000, with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 16.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold and lower than most NSW markets. All dwellings are separate houses and 55.6% have four or more bedrooms, offering substantial space compared to typical state stock. Prices moved from $795,000 in 2024 to $830,000 in 2025, a 4.4% annual gain. Outright owners make up 54.3% of households, above the national average, pointing to a settled low-turnover base. Monthly repayments average $1,500 against a $2,100 weekly household income. The 20% vacancy rate warrants investigation, as it may indicate properties used as rural retreats rather than permanent homes.
For Buyers
The median house price is $820,000, with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 16.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold and lower than most NSW markets. All dwellings are separate houses and 55.6% have four or more bedrooms, offering substantial space compared to typical state stock. Prices moved from $795,000 in 2024 to $830,000 in 2025, a 4.4% annual gain. Outright owners make up 54.3% of households, above the national average, pointing to a settled low-turnover base. Monthly repayments average $1,500 against a $2,100 weekly household income. The 20% vacancy rate warrants investigation, as it may indicate properties used as rural retreats rather than permanent homes.
For Investors
The rental market is thin: just 11.4% of dwellings are rented, well below the national rate of around 30%, and $620 weekly rent produces a gross yield of roughly 3.9% against the $820,000 median. The 20% vacancy rate is the critical risk, indicating a material share of dwellings are unoccupied at any given time. Only 19 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, covering sheds and secondary dwellings, so new supply is minimal. Low renter demand combined with high vacancy means returns depend heavily on capital appreciation. The 4.4% price gain from $795,000 to $830,000 over the most recent year is the main return story.
Development Activity
Total DAs
145
Last 12 Months
22
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+10.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Hill Top iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Hill Top Public School
K-6 · 120 students
Demographics
The community skews Anglo-Celtic: English (52 residents) leads ancestry, followed by Scottish (15), German (13) and Irish (10). Overseas-born residents account for 17.3%, which is 4.3 percentage points below the national rate. The median age of 43 is 3.0 years above the national figure. University qualifications reach 29.4%, just 0.7 points below national. Average household size of 2.8 is slightly above the national average, and 54.2% of families are couples with children. The volunteering rate of 32.5% is notably high, indicating strong community engagement relative to typical NSW suburbs.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.9%
Houses
N/A
Townhouse
0.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Every dwelling is a separate house, a 100% detached rate that sets Hill Top apart from nearly all NSW suburbs where apartments and semi-detached stock typically account for 30% or more. Larger homes dominate: 55.6% have four or more bedrooms and 44.4% have three. Tenure skews ownership-heavy: 54.3% own outright, 34.3% carry a mortgage and just 11.4% rent, well below the national renter average. The median rose from $795,000 in 2024 to $830,000 in 2025, a 4.4% compound annual gain. Monthly repayments average $1,500, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 16.5%. The 20% vacancy rate is the main anomaly, pointing to part-time occupancy across a significant share of stock.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General (12m to Jun 2026 (PSI))
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (January to March 2026), NSW Rental Bond Board (DCJ). Census 2021 median: $435.
$680
Bond data Mar 2026 · houses $750 · units $520
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$838
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.1%
Unoccupied
52
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.0%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
22.8%
Couples, no children
2,403
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce is small but senior: Managers (18) and Professionals (11) are the top occupation groups, atypical for a rural settlement of this scale. By industry, Arts leads at 17.1%, above national norms, followed by Education and Other Services at 14.3% each, Agriculture at 11.4% and Manufacturing at 8.6%. The full-time employment rate is 53.8% and participation is 75.6%. Household income at the 79.4th percentile nationally exceeds what the local industry mix alone implies, pointing to residents who commute or work remotely in higher-paying roles rather than depending on the immediate local economy.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.5%
Part-time
32.0%
Participation
63.1%
Employed
1,307
Occupations
Top Industries
University
17.8%
Postgraduate
3.6%
Born Overseas
12.2%
Dwellings
969
Transport to Work
Car dependence is near-total: 92.3% of residents drive to work, above the national average, because the 39.67 km2 rural footprint at 2.9 people per km2 makes public transport unviable. Walking and cycling account for 7.7% of commutes. Crime statistics are unavailable, most likely because the population of 115 falls below the threshold for reliable local-area figures. Housing costs are manageable relative to income: the mortgage-to-income ratio of 16.5% and rent-to-income of 29.5% both sit below the 30% stress level, which is favourable compared to most NSW markets.
Drive
93.8%
Public Transport
0.9%
Walk / Cycle
0.9%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Hill Top compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hill Top a good suburb to live in?
Hill Top suits buyers seeking low-density rural living with manageable housing costs. The mortgage-to-income ratio is 16.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold, and household income sits at the 79.4th percentile nationally.
What is the median house price in Hill Top?
The median house price is $820,000. Prices rose from $795,000 in 2024 to $830,000 in 2025, a gain of 4.4% over one year. All dwellings are separate houses with no apartments. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,500 and weekly rent averages $620.
What schools are in Hill Top?
With 115 residents across 39.67 km2, families rely on schools in neighbouring localities. About 14.3% of local workers are employed in the Education sector, and university qualifications reach 29.4%, broadly in line with the national average.
Is Hill Top safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Hill Top, most likely because the population of 115 is too small for reliable suburb-level figures. As indirect indicators, household income at the 79.4th percentile nationally and an outright ownership rate of 54.3% are both associated with lower-disadvantage, more stable environments.
Is Hill Top good for property investment?
Prices rose 4.4% from $795,000 to $830,000 over the most recent year, supporting a capital growth case. Weekly rent of $620 against an $820,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.9%. The 20% vacancy rate is the main risk, signalling a large share of part-time or unoccupied holdings. Renters make up only 11.4% of households, limiting the tenant pool significantly.
How is Hill Top's population changing?
The Census population is 115 across 39.67 km2. The 79.8% residency retention rate points to a stable, settled community with a 20.2% turnover rate. The median age of 43 is 3.0 years above the national figure. The 20% vacancy rate suggests a portion of dwellings serve as second homes, suppressing the permanent resident count.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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