Rouse Hill, NSW 2155

friendly, close to everything, convenient

If you want to be subjected to crime, robberies and an overall plain suburb then Rouse Hill may be for you but personally, I find my experience was unsatisfactory. I have been prone to many robberies and as a woman I feel it unsafe to walk through certain areas of the suburb. It is also an area with not enough greenery and all houses are just a copy and paste of eachother with no character or individuality in the slightest. Looks like a utopian movie set.

It’s been great so far, quiet neighbourhood, feeling safe, really friendly neighbours and away from noisy school kids.

Our kid is 11 and goes to selective so no need for a school catchment, and the house we bought is far enough from any school so it’s pretty safe and quiet.

Shopping centres 5 minutes drive, gym is 2k away and village centre is 1.6km away. Really happy.

Very nice neighbourhood with plenty of amenities and most importantly the Town Centre Shopping centre which is the best in Sydney. Also Parklea Market a stone throw away for fresh food and veggies and everything you need.
Lots of great Restaurants and international cuisine.
30 mins travel to Chatswood with train.
Convenience!

Very convenient, everything you need is in walking distance. Nice pleasant weather compared to CBD, less windy and less humid. Beautiful affordable big houses, most of them nearly new with more amenities.

The current over development and lack of good schools has led to this suburbs unfortunate demise. A lot of settling has to be done to live here without stress. The apartment complexes here have been built very cheaply, everyone who lives in different units have the same complaints in regards to doors not closing properly and ventilation being poor. On top of that the council has no provided many amenities to take a walk outside there aren’t parks nearby etc just poorly built apartment complexes and fast food restaurants… no proper walk paths in some places. transport outside the metro is inconsistent and inefficient. Schools do not have great reputation behaviour and academics wise.
Better to live somewhere else honestly the distance from major city/suburbs as well not worth it😬

Rouse Hill has a wonderful rich history from the early settlers and sandstones in rows in an unusual oval in Rouse Hill Cemetery on Aberdour Avenue. Family names that have been named as suburbs and landmarks throughout the area dating back to the 1870's donated on land from Robert Rouse. There is are many places of interest for new residents to the area to enjoy. Rouse Hill Town Centre, Rouse Hill Village, Aberdeen House, Rouse Hill Regional Park and the Rouse Hill Estate is a Sydney living museum, the house and farm chronicles six generations of the changing times. Rouse Hill community is friendly and approachable. Streets have walkways, sporting and dog parks nearby. It is a large suburb, complete with the new Metro, beautiful homes on good sized blocks, bus access and T-Way. Cinema, Restaurants and Cafes... there is so much more to discover in Rouse Hill that has stood the test of time. A great investment and place to call home.

Depressed Zoomers dressed in the latest stussy x supreme collab are the main demographic to fill the local shopping centres. Not a single drop of character or soul can be found in this place. Apartment complexes pop up like warts on the once lovely countryside views. A glimpse of what's to come for Australia's dystopian future.

Before moving in Rouse Hill and purchasing a property here, I have been researching it for almost 6 months. Research gets you to check and verify the reality as against the speculations (good or bad). Few important points listed below why we chose this suburb. Note that these are solely my opinion about the suburb based on our requirements to find a place for our family.
** Positives -
A) 2018-19 property crash opened up the doors to the first time buyer like us. There is an average 8% fall in the 5 bed houses and around 9% fall in 4 bed houses. Units/townhouses are down by 11-13% based on the location. Considering the price trends in 2019, the area across the Windsor road (Blacktown Council - Kellyville Ridge, Stanhope Gardens, Glenwood, The Ponds, Schofields) has seen significant price fall up to 15-20% in similar sized properties.
B) Despite property value crash, the median price is relatively stable for houses in Rouse Hill having growth of around 20% from 2014 to 2019.
C) Rouse Hill Metro Station (NWRL). The Caddies Creek area is being developed for businesses and housing giving rise to jobs and ease of transport which has been a grey area for this suburb.
D) Well built and good quality houses (structurally) with generous plot sizes.
E) It has 4 major schools and couple of good private schools. This point is debatable based on each and very parent's requirement.
F) Great sense of community and neighborhood as experienced first hand. It is a cosmopolitan area with people coming from all walks of life and bring multicultural facets as against a single major ethnic community. Relatively Safe area at night for strolls unless you go out in a bush.
G) Rouse Hill Village and Rouse Hill Town Center are buzzing these days due to growth corridor. Lot of child recreation activities as well as day care centers available for the working mums & dads. Plan of a new hospital has been finalised by the council for the people living around this area. Castle Hill and The Ponds shopping centers are at a good driving distance.
H) Bush Trails and Parks in the area for humans and animals (most favorite is the dog)
I) Access to rural areas getaways around the suburb. Access to city (CBD) going folks is now better with metro opening up in May 2019. Schofields Road is getting busy these days but still not as bad as M2/M7 in either direction.
J) By having multiple visits in the area, we could see established families in high % as compared to the transient crowd. People are busy in their own profession and that is a good indicator about the demand vs affordability index. Lot of established old people living here.
K) Future development shall be limited in and around heritage areas in the suburb. Details as per -https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/-/media/Files/DPE/Reports/north-west-rail-link-rouse-hill-station-structure-plan-a-vision-for-rouse-hill-station-surrounds-2013-09.pdf?la=en

**Negatives -
A) High rises around the Rouse Hill Metro station leading to crowded streets and car parking issues. Parramatta in making.
B) Windsor road will be more busy when the train station is operational.
C) City is still 1 hr away in non-peak timing. This can get worse if traveling by your own transport.
D) Proximity to Kellyville and Beaumont Hills affecting prices of the property. Some property prices are high without any logic or market trends. Still expensive.
E) Couple of incidents related to burglary and assault in last one year, however, the rest of the mob (99%) is in peace and mind their own business.

As we live in this suburb, we will experience few more good or not-so-good points based on actual experiences. They say "Home is where your Heart is" and I agree with it 100%. We now call Rouse Hill our home.
Thanks -

On the plus side, the schools are decent and Rouse Hill Town Centre is a great little shopping centre. Most houses and yards are well presented and maintained. Unfortunately, the greed of council has allowed developers to build as many high rise apartments as they can jam in there. I have no idea who is going to buy them because you move to an area on the outskirts for space! If you want to live in a shoe box why not be near the coast or city? Forget about commuting out of the area because you will spend upwards of 4 hours a days in the car. When I first moved here (in 2004) it was lovely. Semi-rural, great community feel, now it's just another over populated suburb with no infrastructure. As soon as my kids finish school - I'm out!

Safe, friendly place to live. Convenient modern shopping centre with a town square and regular markets and events . A good variety of cafes , restaurants and a Reading cinema with standard and Gold Class seats. Lots of parks and play areas for families. So easy to travel to Sydney on the T way bus and the new train link (with services every 4 minutes opening May 2019). It really is a lovely place to live.

Rouse hill is really good with having about 5 shopping centres in the area and 6 schools in the are including primary and high school

Best place I have ever lived

We have just moved in the new Rouse Hill community few month ago, everything is just what we expected.

Walking distance to excellent school, childcare and public transport. First day when we moved in Rouse hill, neighbour knocked our door and asked if we needed help and invited us to join their dinner, it makes you feel comfortable and safe to live in the community with those lovely people.

This area is great for young professional and young family with kids, as the properties in Rouse Hill are still affordable, there will not be much pressure for young family and young people who have just worked for few years without much savings. You can have bigger house by paying affordable price, and it will not drop down your living quality. People who work in CBD can catch express bus and take 50 mins-1 hr to CBD

Railway will be completed in 2 years time and Rouse Hill shopping centre is just next to future railway station, kids can go to Ironbark Ridge primary school, which has good reputation in Rouse Hill. So, it pretty much has everything that people need in handy location.

Rouse Hill is known for a few things. For one, it's safe and very family oriented. There are many first home buyers, new housing developments and allot of parks. Secondly it has THE BEST shopping center and restaurant area in the ENTIRE of Sydney. Rouse Hill shopping center is second to none. Basically they've built a little commercial district within a relatively light residential neighborhood, they've brought everything into it and allowed everyone to really get together. Rouse Hill is also very close to Castle Hill which is another very safe and beautiful place with amazing shopping centers also.

The down sides are that it's very far from Sydney. Once you live in Rouse Hill, you are kinda stuck in Rouse Hill, depression and lack of things to do set in fairly quickly. Don't get me wrong, the shopping centers ARE amazing and for a young person that'll last you for a while, but sooner or later you'll want to go somewhere, but exactly where can you go? The city is far. Secondly there are dangerous snakes here (red belly) which is a big chip off the beautiful statue. They've build Rouse Hill because of housing demand in the middle of nowhere, the wild life is still adjusting to what humanity has done. The house prices in this neighborhood are also astronomical, is it worth it? Well... If Chinese investors didn't inflate house prices -- surely not, I doubt many sane people would actually live out here. However with the monster of Sydney house prices and over purchasing of houses, Rouse Hill stands in a league of its own. There is also a commute from this area to go anywhere, basically it means that you must have a car, if you rely on public transport to go anywhere, you're screwed.

Lastly, I wouldn't live here personally, I wouldn't even live in Castle Hill. These are amazing places to visit and really enjoy for a day, the "wow" factor of doing shopping and meeting awesome people is great, but by the end of it, you wanna go home, "home" being somewhere where there is some form of life.

OK so the housing land blocks are small, I won't argue there, but considering how many parks and facilities there are around, and that most people don't seem to use their backyards often (except my partner and I who found it very easy to accommodate indoor/outdoor cats and house bunnies) we didn't really find it that disturbing. At minimal cost we extended the fence height and planted nice vines around so keep privacy in our small home. Much better than an apartment! Depending on where exactly in Rouse Hill will make a difference; we're in the New Rouse Hill where council has smartened up on certain issues like drainage and water usage. The internet is lightening fast and far better than Baulkham HIlls which had endless TV/mobile/internet reception issues.

The shopping centre is very well planned, and I think should be the aim for most semi-urban/regional centre shopping hubs. As someone previously mentioned yes, there is a noticeable difference with the "types" of socio-economic people visiting the centre; but don't assume that says anything about the person. I've seen rudeness and ignorance, and kindness and heart from both sides. Given that The Ponds is expanding, I think if you're the type to worry about "blacktown council" people then I guess you needn't really worry as they will stay over there.

On the subject of The Ponds, there's a LOT of dodgy builders out there and it would appear (my and others' experiences...) that a lot of the building going on over there (houses, apartments, the works) is potentially a money trap. I wouldn't buy there if I had any sort of choice.

Regarding the rail link, I think the good will outweigh the bad.

Long term investment I believe will hold up although I can see it going down a little at the point of writing (10/15). My pick would be in the new pocket of RH, and get land if you can, however small it is! I'm probably biased though but besides the peak hour traffic irritations, I've enjoyed living here :)

I used to live in Merrylands and thought Rouse Hill would be a good place to live and invest because of north west rail link. I bought a house in Rouse Hill and now regret it. I just found Rouse Hill is really middle of no where. Whenever you go, you have to drive extra to get to Rouse Hill and you always have to rely on your own transportation, which is very inconvenient. The road hasn't been properly built and it always got road congestion. Now I am calculating when I can sell my house without losing the money and then move somewhere else.

it's relatively new and like all new things do needs community support which is what i think Rouse Hill has in abundance. It's important that we keep the "buy australian" mantra going and show that giving the Aussie a Fair Go is exactly that. I love the local crafts and people around this area and reckon with more people showing up to these markets it will grow, become a great alternative Family Activity and help support the local community!

Firstly here are the basic Pros and Cons:

The Pros:
People in the area seem decent.
Nice new modern houses.
Decent amount of trees/scenery, decent. (Not for long)
Clean Suburb (but I’m guessing, not for long)

The Cons:
I must say, I am disappointed.
Like someone said in above posts that you are paying good money…for something that’s in the middle of nowhere… nearly out in the sticks.
Crime rate is average (NOT, low as you might expect..)
Getting around, anywhere… is a total B-I@#^H
Traffic/roads surrounding this suburb is beyond ridiculous.

Ok here is my detailed review of what I've just mentioned:

I’ve now lived in Rouse Hill for approx. 7 months but I definitely have several complaints to make!

I previously lived in the Merrylands area.
Being near Parramatta, the CENTRE of Sydney…getting around was basically easy. Now I have a taste of travelling like the HILL folks…
I used to travel opposite the Traffic on Old Windsor Rd (one of the Main/Big/Important Roads in the Hills area.) I used to feel sorry seeing the people sitting in traffic bumper-to-bumper on Old Windsor road heading north after James Ruse drive whilst I went opposite, towards Parramatta. It’s ironic that now I am a part of the unfortunate people I used to pity.

The area is GROWING just wayyyyyyy too fast for the infrastructure (worse than any other part in Sydney)

The M2 motorway (the BACKBONE and SPINE of in the Hills) is currently under construction. They are upgrading to have an extra lane. Believe me, from what I can see at this end… its not going to be enough for the way it’s growing. With the THOUSANDS of new home and land package being erected, the M2, even with it’s future additional lane, will not withstand the THOUSANDS / tens of thousands of extra people on the roads.

I’ve read in The Daily Telegraph last week that the government is reviewing the Motorways to ease the crowding. I work in both Nth Sydney and Sydney on a rotating roster.
It currently costs me $4.95 each way, (so $9.90 a day which equates to $49.50 per week.) And that’s just the M2. If I work in North Sydney, I also take the Lane Cove tunnel, which is even more expensive.
The article states that the M2 is being reviewed for users to be charged at a per KM rate. And even if they decide not to go with that, they have already confirmed in concrete that with the extra lane, the price will be going up to at least $6 each way.

It’s sad and really bothers me to find that EVERY single, SQUARE METRE in Rouse Hill, Kellyville etc is just getting snatched up by greedy developers building those little display-villages. (Which would eventually be sold out as homes.) Yes, any bush land with nice trees, grass land…a bit of scenery…..Goooone…. scaffolded, fenced and under construction.

The land is generally small here…averaging about 450 sq. m. It’s built this way so the developers save more land to build more dwellings. It’s the way the game goes…. A total Real-estate TIME BOMB/ MELTDOWN.

The Rouse Hill Town Center is a nice shopping center…
There are several surrounding bushlands, Theres some old looking trees that would be at least a hundred years old. But unfortunately they are currently being all mowed down for a development called “The New Rouse Hill”… which unfortunately is going to be high density dwelling. So, even though you may live in a beautiful home in The New Rouse Hill, you won’t be able to talk in your own backyard at a normal volume without all your surrounding neighbours hearing every word. And good luck to you if your neighbor has an annoying yappy dog. With the tiny backyards and courtyards, you will be living in each other’s laps.
It’s not like the older suburbs where there were more adequate spacing around houses parks etc… it’s now…every livable land… buy buy buy, build build build, traffic traffic traffic!

A railway line for the Hills area has already been confirmed and Rouse Hill will be one of the stations. All the Hills newspapers hype about value of land and houses rising with the building of the railway.
I mean, so what?... it ONLY matters if you are planning to sell your house or land.
I’m actually TOTALLY AGAINST the railway development.

If you’re not planning to sell and plan on living in this area and settle with a family… your land value wont make much difference to you.

Haven’t anyone noticed that railway stations is where ALL THE TROUBLE in suburbs start?(crime and Graffiti). Has anyone seen the train stations after school hours???? It’s like a Jungle (Mt Druitt and Blacktown -areas nearby).

Having a railway station, there will be more affordable units/apartments, lower income families and people of lower socio-economic backgrounds will live in those apartments. Trains means that people who can’t afford a vehicle can finally move into this suburb. And thus, more low class residents tend to result in more crime, poverty, dirtiness, etc. At the moment, Rouse Hill is very clean, but after the railways are built im worried that the low class trailer trash move in, going to be dirty and full of scum. Just simply look at Blacktown and Mount Druitt as an example. In fact, Mount Druitt has the highest rate of registered sex offenders in all of NSW. And it’s really not that far from the Hills… So once they build the railway lines.. The scum from Mount Druitt will be able to travel easily to Rouse Hill and to pray on the innocent women and children. (since there’s a big shopping center here)

So people who think that a train station is a good thing…if you look at it in other ways…it’s NOT.
It’s better off without a train station.

Crime rate is actually average… you would think it’s would be low due to it being a white collar area and people that live here with an average to higher income.
Its an actual fact and noted by residents here that scum from Blacktown, Mount Druitt and Rooty Hill and the other lower social areas come and pray on this area as they know that residents in the Rouse Hill/ Kellyville / Beaumont Hills, etc areas are usually well off.
To be honest, I've actually heard of LESS break ins when I was in Merrylands.

I can’t see myself living here for a long time as in just a few years, this area will be over populated and traffic will be at a complete stand still. They already call the M2 “The Hills Carpark” but what they don’t tell you is that it’s a carpark on Old Windsor Road, Windsor Road and all the other major roads in the Hills.

I can see why people say they want to eventually move to a rural or coastal area and settle down.

It has bad bus services. Bad people. To over poluted. The schools are horrible and the worst thing is that horrible shopping centre.

Sadly, if you move out there the transport is bad, the roads are not built to cope with the amount of housing that has gone up there in the last 10 years, there is no train and despite labor promising there would be for decades this has not happened. The buses are expensive and random and if you drive you can expect to pay expensive tolls for roads that are more like carparks. It really is a disgrace in this day and age, we moved away so we could regain our life as we were spending 20 hours a week each sitting in traffic not to mention the fuel and tolls which equated to around $200 per week per car after tax! We bit the bullet and decided to get a bigger mortgage in a suburb with better transport and low and behold we are actually financially better off this way!! If you google the topic for transport out there you will see how bad it is, A current affair has run several programs on people eating their breakfast in the car and the difficulty in juggling childcare pick up and drop ofss to get to work on time etc, it seriously is very bad.

The shopping centres are vast and plentiful if that is your thing, there are 3 pubs to choose from, all very big and pricey for a pub with what is on offer, you could go to a nice restaurant and have proper table service for the same price, I just don't understand how that stacks up.

There is definitely segregation with the different cultures there and you have a huge difference between the socio economics in the area from the "haves" and the "have nots", the place is serious real estate suicide as no one has made ay money o property in that area for the last 9 years, houses that were selling off the plan for $415k in 2002 are selling today for $555k, so much for realestate doubling every 7-10 years, people who rented for the last decade have saved a lot of money as they dont have to pay rates, insurance, mortgage, water rates or repairs, and there is no indication that this area will go up in value anytime soon seeing the inadequate transportation and roads in the area. I suspect that most of the good reviews here are from people who are trying to sell their house and are bombing forums talking up the suburb. I still own a house there and it has taken 10 years for it to become neutrally geared, the agents in the area are very slack at manageing properties and if you do decide to rent out your house expect to have issues with every second tenant you get.

I suspect that the crime rate will only get worse as it has been creeping up over the years, the area is full of massive double storey houses and the people who live there and cant afford to buy their own homes are stuck with big rents because they all want a nice new big house despite not being able to afford it.

Rent default is huge compared to other suburbs which you can check for yourself on other websites and mortgage default is higher than most other suburbs in the whole of Australia!

Despite all the big shops, pubs and houses the reality is that it is out in whoop whoop, the schools are average, it takes 2 hours to get to the closest beach and in summer it is as hot as hell so you better like having a huge electricity bill with the air con going 24-7 just to stay sane. The locals like to refer to themselves in the bracket of " the northside" which is a laugh but hey I am just as amused with people who live at sutherland referring to themselves as coming from " the shire".

The baulkham hills shire children cant afford to stay in baulkham hills so they all move to kellyville, rouse hill and quakers hill for no other reason than to stay in their " insular penisular".

Do your homework, drive around the streets, go to the shoppig centres, do a drive to the city in peak hour, check the council rates and insurance and go on RP Data or onthehouse so you can see how badly this suburb has performed over the years, real estate suicide that you will have to wait for 15 years to get out so you dont lose oney when other suburbs have tripled in that time. Actual house sales values below.
Warilla/Sheelharbour 2002 House value $140k 2012 House Value $350k 150% increase
Woolooware 2002 House value $515k 2012 House Value $985k 85% increase
Minto 2002 House Value $195k 2012 House value $385k 95% increase
Parramatta 2002 House value $295k 2012 House value $620k 110% increas

Rouse Hill 2002 House Value $425k 2012 Hosue Value $565k 35% increase in 10 YEARS!!

Because Rouse Hill is a classy fresh young suburb with lots of services around (i.e. shopping centre, sport stadiums, buses network, bush views, parks and water lakes,...).
We have moved to Rouse Hill in 2009. We love it... school is nearby and my husband works in the Norwest Business centre in Bella Vista.
Now they talking about the new Rail Link to the city, which some say it has been up for talk for some time and nothing has happened. Whether it happens or not, we believe the area will keep on booming and house prices has a lot to go in the next decade.

I have moved to Rouse Hill in 2002 where average price house was around $450K. Now, there are houses in Rouse Hill selling for the million dollars mark. The area is definitely growing in the presence of good schools, shopping centres and sports activities.

My sister lives in Rouse Hill. The suburb has lots of potential and growth.

Very Safe area, Great Value,Great People & Neigbours, We love this area and all ours friends around us. Great Shopping Centre and Great Places to Dine Out

All the boxes are ticked except TRANSPORT but a change of goverment will change that & get the heavy rail line that was was why we came here in the first place (2001) the local state member Ray Williams does try & keep the bastards honest & does a lot for the underdog with out the fanfair. The RHTC has been a big plus for the area. Were else can you walk to rhtc jump on a bus & be at the olympic stadem (syd royal show,league afl or soccor, rock stars etc within half an hour to fourty mins by bus & return overall a great place to live & raise a family

Rouse Hill is a suburb of Sydney 42 kilometres north west of the CBD. It is within the Hills Shire and City of Blacktown local government areas and in the Hills District. It has a population of just under 6,500, 36% of whom are under 18 and 6% of whom are over 60.

Historically, the area is associated with a convict uprising resulting in the deaths of many of the rebels either by the military or by execution after the event. There is a memorial to those who fell at this time in the Castlebrook Lawn Cemetery and Crematorium in Rouse Hill.

There is a large new shopping centre – the Rouse Hill Town Centre. Here residents and visitors alike will find all the facilities they need – supermarkets, department stores, eateries, specialty stores, cinemas, medical facilities. This complex is at the centre of a new residential area.

Public transport is not great in the area. Many households have two or more cars. There is a rapid bus transit service to Parramatta Railway Station.

The children are well catered for as far as schools go. There are two public primary schools, a public high school, a private primary and secondary school and a Catholic primary school is scheduled for opening in 2010.

Rouse Hill – a suburb that has everything close at hand.

Rouse Hill is a nice, new and clean suburb. It is a very new residential and commercial development area and every building around here looks spick and span almost to the point of sterile. Rouse Hill has all the amenities that a family will need - from cafes, restaurants, shopping mall, library, banks and etc, you name it and they have it. There is a good mix of both apartment living and houses around this area. However, the houses are typical of the "MacMansion types" and sometimes whole streets can look very similar.

The only drawback with Rouse Hill is the lack of transport and its distance from the city. On a good day, it can take up to fifty minutes just to get into Sydney city. It is also a good thirty minutes drive to Parramatta. There are no trains around this area, only buses. The only real way to get around Rouse Hill is by car. I have to say that the roads here are wide and easy to navigate but I will not recommend living here if you have to work in the city.