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Suburb profile ·Dungog LGA · NSW ·2420

Dungog NSW 2420

Dungog is in Dungog LGA, NSW, postcode 2420, with population 1,983.

The read

Income-first

There are enough stretched or weaker signals here that you should assume trade-offs rather than a clean story. Use compare mode to see whether the downside is price, local quality, or weaker momentum before treating it as a target suburb.

$600/wk
Rising
+33.3% YoY
Mar 2025 → May 2026 · 15 periods
NSW Fair Trading · postcode 2420 · May 2026
$600
$415
Mar 2025May 2026
Why it fits

Gross yield screens at about 5.3%. Entry price sits in the lower-cost range for a first-pass screen. School coverage gives the page a stronger family/livability signal.

Median house
$585K
House median, latest period
2.5%YoY D3 vs AU
Median rent
$600/wk
Income-stretched rent market
33.3%YoY D10 vs AU
Gross yield
5.3%
Strong yield band
D10 vs AU
Population
1,983
2K local footprint
D8 vs AU
Schools
3
Matched school context
D9 vs AU
Drive to city
3h 22m
235.8 km to Sydney CBD · free-flow
Solar
941
60 added 12mo · 6MW
Price cycleRising
LowPeak

7.1% below peak · 185.4% above its low

See trend depth →

Price history

Houses to Q4'25 · Units to 2009 — house and unit medians are released on separate cycles, so their latest period can differ.

Trend & investor depth

Cycle positionRising
Low · 2006Peak · 2023

7.1% below peak · 185.4% above its low

Price growth (compound)% per year
3-yr
-1.3%
5-yr
+9.0%
10-yr
+8.3%
Affordability trajectoryWorsening
Price
+16.9%/yr
Income
+4.8%/yr

Growth in median price vs median household income — worsening — prices outgrowing incomes.

Indicative cashflow-$108/wk (-$5,616/yr) · interest-only @ 6.2%, 80% LVR
Market turnover4.6% of homes traded/yr (41 sales · -16% vs 3-yr avg)
Value vs advantage-6% vs suburbs of similar SEIFA advantage (decile 2)

Indicative cashflow is interest-only and excludes tax — use the calculator for a full projection. Turnover divides recorded sales by an estimated household count (population over average household size).

Investment grade

Agrade · 87/100 · top 13% of 3,605AU suburbs
Peer distributionstronger than 87% of AU suburbs
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth56
Rental yield94
Stability45
Volatility-14.5ppCycle+2.0Affordability-1.5

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer · stability drivers signed (+ = steadier)

Relative grade across Australian suburbs, combining qp's capital-growth (multi-year CAGR + cycle timing), rental-yield, and stability (price volatility + cycle + affordability) metrics via a three-pillar property-scoring method with an imbalance penalty. Within-Australia relative, indicative only — not financial advice.

Investor profile

Who invests in Dungog

Owner-occupied 75%Rented 25%
Investor activityATO
Negatively geared4.9%
114 of 324 landlords
Avg rental loss$6,444/yr
Landlords (rental income)324
Reported capital gains196
Investor exposure index(moderate vs national)62.5/100
The read

Owner-occupier stronghold

73% of homes here are owner-occupied and 24% rented, with 5% of landlords negatively geared.

Why it fits

73% owner-occupied — owner-occupiers hold longer and absorb rate shocks, supporting price stability.

ABS Census 2021 tenure (G37), ATO postcode rental statistics, and QuickProperty's investor-exposure index. Owner-occupied = owned outright + with a mortgage.

Mortgage affordability

62%
of household income to service a new loan
14.4 yrs
to save a 20% deposit
Severe
housing-stress band
Rent vs buyRoughly even

New-loan repayment $2,806/mo vs median rent $2,600/mo (+8% · +$48/wk)

If rates move

At 4.0%: $2,234/mo (-572) · at 6.0% (current): $2,806/mo · at 8.0%: $3,434/mo (+628)

Assumes a 20% deposit and a 30-year principal-and-interest loan at the current RBA new owner-occupier variable rate, against median weekly household income (ABS Census 2021). Stress bands follow the 30% / 45%-of-income thresholds used in ANZ-CoreLogic and AIHW reporting. Rent vs buy compares that repayment with the suburb's median advertised rent; it excludes rates, insurance, maintenance and deposit opportunity cost.

Stronger alternatives nearby

Higher yield

similar price · cross-LGA

Stronger 5-yr growth

similar price · cross-LGA

More affordable

lower price-to-income

Alternatives are similar-priced suburbs (0.7–1.4x this suburb's median) in other council areas that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Affordability

Buying
10.8x
median home price as a multiple of annual household income
Stretched
Renting
57%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
High stress

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,300/mo, while renters pay about $2,600/mo — renting runs $1,300/mo higher on these medians.

Median price
$585K
Household income · yr
$54K
Median rent · wk
$600
Owner mortgage · mo
$1,300
Gross yield
5.3%

Household income

$54K household · yr-34% vs NSW suburb median
Personal
$30K
Family
$70K
Household
$54K
Household income distribution (ABS Census 2021 · weekly)18% could service the median house
Under $300
25
$300-649
185
$650-999
169
$1,000-1,499
167
$1,500-1,999
77
$2,000-2,999
99
$3,000-3,999
38
$4,000+
33

Serviceability line: a household needs about $2,158/wk to hold a new loan on the median house at 30% of income (20% deposit, 30-year P&I, current RBA rate).

At the median asking rent, about 79% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $2,000/wk income).

Median taxable income trend (ATO, 2018-19 – 2022-23)$43K → $52K

Housing stock and tenure

Tenure (855 households)2.7% social housing
Owned outright
45%
Owned with mortgage
28%
Rented
24%
Dwelling structure9.1% of dwellings unoccupied on census night
Separate house
94%
Townhouse / semi
4%
Flat / apartment
1%

Getting to work: 78% drive, 1% public transport, 4% walk or cycle, 14% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).

Schools

Total3
Avg ICSEA946
Students899
Catholic1
Government2
  • Dungog Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 914
  • Dungog High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 937
  • St Joseph's Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 986

Livability

75/ 100 livability index

Top 25% most liveable of 4,565Australian suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 75% of Australian suburbs
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access58
Public transport (26 stops)63
Schools & hospitals81

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within Australian suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Crime April 2025 - March 2026
209
2,110 per 100k
D3 vs AU

Crime

Rate · per 100k2,110
Total incidents209· April 2025 - March 2026
  • Assault5859%
  • Sexual Offences1717%
  • Robbery00%
  • Break And Enter2323%

Bushfire exposure

Low exposure ~13.5%
~13.5% of the suburb is Bush Fire Prone Land · ~2.9% Category 1 (highest hazard)

Estimated exposure to NSW RFS Bush Fire Prone Land (CC BY), point-sampled across the suburb. This shows how much of the suburb sits within the official hazard layer — it is not a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) rating or a property-level assessment. Obtain a BAL assessment (AS 3959) for an individual property.

Planning zones

Dominant zone General Residential
Residential 55% Public / Open space 20% Rural / Green wedge 11% Other 5% Industrial 2% Commercial / Mixed 1%
Residential density: Standard

Land-use mix estimated by point-sampling the suburb against NSW EPI Land Zoning polygons (CC BY 4.0). This is a suburb-level snapshot of planning zones, not a parcel-level zoning certificate or development advice. Check the relevant planning scheme for an individual property.

Population outlook

9,722 people · 202211,556 by 2032 (+18.9%)

ABS population projection (2022 base) for the Dungog SA2 statistical area — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Full data detail Census · ATO · ABS · state datasets
Dungog NSW — Property Data and Demographics

Dungog is a close-knit residential community in New South Wales within the Dungog local government area (postcode 2420). The area has roughly 1,983 residents and an older-leaning population, with a median age of 52. Households earn a median income of $54K per year, with an average household size of 2.2 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement into the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.9% year-on-year at the LGA level. NSW employment has moved +1.2% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. NSW also had 35 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 17 underway, and 67 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are technicians & trades, labourers, community & personal service. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and retail trade. The top ancestries reported are Australian, English, Irish.

The median house price in Dungog is $585,000, having eased back by 2.5% over the past year. Units have a median price of $201,000. The current median weekly rent is $600. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 5.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,300.

Dungog is served by 3 schools, including 2 primary, 1 secondary. The average ICSEA score is 946, which is below the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 1 rail station, 25 bus stops. Healthcare facilities include 1 public hospital. The crime rate in the Dungog LGA is below average at 2,110 incidents per 100,000 population.

Looking at the investment signals, Dungog shows a gross rental yield of approximately 5.3%, rated as high yield. Property prices sit below the state median ($585K/$1.5M), which can point to relative value. The price-to-income ratio of 10.8x is considered stretched. House prices have moved -2.5% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.9% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Rental Yield5.3% High Yield
Price vs State$585K/$1.5M Below Median
Affordability10.8x Stretched
Price Momentum-2.5% Falling
Pop. Growth+1.9%· Stable
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentNSW
Mortgage · mth$1,300
Rent · wk(Census)$300
Market rent · wk(2026-05)$600
Gross yield2.7%
Price / income10.8x
Sales vol (latest Q)(2025-Q4)10
Population growth · Dungog LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)10,102
5-year growth+1.3% CAGR
YoY change+1.9%
20012025
Development · Dungog LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)47
Houses47
YoY change+0%
Employment · Dungog LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)3.4%
YoY change+0pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 2420ATO
Negatively geared4.9%
114 of filers
Avg rental loss$6,444/yr
Landlords (rental income)324
Reported capital gains196
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population1,983
Median age52
Household size2.2
HH income · wk$1,045
Personal income · wk$582
Persons / bedroom0.7
IncomeATO 22-23
Median income$51,548
Mean income$64,350
Earners6,162
YoY change+7.9%
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)2/10
Education (IEO)1/10
Economic (IER)2/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)2/10
Income momentumCensus 16→21
HH income · wk$842 → $1,045
Change+24.1%
vs NSW median+3.5 pp
Median rent+24.5%
stablevs NSW 2016–21
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations3
Cafes & dining4
iga1
TransportGTFS
Rail stations1
Bus stops25
Dungog Ambulance Station, Mary St
Hospitals · Dungog LGAAIHW
Public1
Private0
Dungog Hospitalpublic · in suburb
Aged care · Dungog LGAGEN
Facilities1
Residential places65
Lara Aged Care65 places · in suburb
Childcare · Dungog LGAACECQA
Services8
Approved places260
Exceeding NQS3
Joeys Pre-School & Early Learning Centre59 places · in suburb
Thrive Kids Clarence Town OOSH44 places
Dungog Community Pre-School Kindergarten35 places · in suburb
Paterson OOSH35 places
Hunter Mobile Preschool - Vacy OSHC30 places
Paterson Valley Community Pre-School27 places
+2 more in Dungog LGA
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Dungog has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
NSW price medians are parser-guarded official records.

Official sale records parsed from cached Bulk PSI ZIP files with parser guardrails for token sales, non-house zoning, and low-value strata component records

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
NSW Valuer General · 2025-Q4 · Official sale records parsed from cached Bulk PSI ZIP files with parser guardrails for token sales, non-house zoning, and low-value strata component records
medium stability · automated · every update · weekly
Available
Market rent
NSW Fair Trading · 2026-05 · State market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Crime
BOCSAR · April 2025 - March 2026 · Area-level release dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · release-based
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 3 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · 1 hospitals matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
GTFS feeds · 26 matched stops/stations
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.

Dungog FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Dungog in?

    Dungog is in the Dungog Local Government Area, NSW, postcode 2420. Council-level context for Dungog LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Dungog?

    The current median house price in Dungog, NSW is $585K, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.

  3. What is the typical weekly rent in Dungog?

    The median weekly rent in Dungog is $600/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  4. What does the rent signal say about Dungog?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 61% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  5. Is Dungog a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Dungog show: High Yield, Below Median, Stretched. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  6. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Dungog?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  7. How often is the Dungog data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.