Alison vs Brookfield

Brookfield is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 53 in Alison. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Alison, about half of households are people living alone. In Brookfield, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Brookfield: a median of $855,000, against $340,000 in Alison, though rent is higher in Alison. On these figures, Alison tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Brookfield suits couples.

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

Brookfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 40%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Alison has cheaper houses ($340,000 vs $855,000)
  • Brookfield leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 37%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Brookfield

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (6% vs 20%)
  • has cheaper rent ($130/wk vs $270/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Brookfield

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (152 min vs 165 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (200.3 km vs 213.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Alison

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 19%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Alison

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (30.3% vs 9.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Alison Brookfield
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.

Alison Brookfield
Walkability 15 / 10
Alison — Walkability: 15/100 Brookfield — Walkability: 10/100
Low fire risk 80 / 82
Alison — Low fire risk: 80/100 Brookfield — Low fire risk: 82/100

Demographics

Brookfield has more residents (224 vs 99); Alison rents higher ($270/wk vs $130/wk).

Alison Brookfield
Population 99 224
+126% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +30.3% +9.3%
Median age 53 47
Median household income $71,500/yr $106,548/yr
+49% vs other
Median weekly rent $270/wk
+52% vs other
 $130/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Alison Brookfield
0-4 — / 7.1%
Alison — 0-4: not among its largest Brookfield — 0-4: 7.1%
5-14 13.1% / 8.0%
Alison — 5-14: 13.1% Brookfield — 5-14: 8.0%
15-19 — / 4.5%
Alison — 15-19: not among its largest Brookfield — 15-19: 4.5%
20-24 5.1% / 8.5%
Alison — 20-24: 5.1% Brookfield — 20-24: 8.5%
25-34 3.0% / 10.3%
Alison — 25-34: 3.0% Brookfield — 25-34: 10.3%
35-44 8.1% / 12.9%
Alison — 35-44: 8.1% Brookfield — 35-44: 12.9%
45-54 20.2% / 14.7%
Alison — 45-54: 20.2% Brookfield — 45-54: 14.7%
55-64 15.2% / 21.0%
Alison — 55-64: 15.2% Brookfield — 55-64: 21.0%
65-74 23.2% / 10.3%
Alison — 65-74: 23.2% Brookfield — 65-74: 10.3%
75-84 7.1% / 7.1%
Alison — 75-84: 7.1% Brookfield — 75-84: 7.1%
85+ 4.0% / 1.8%
Alison — 85+: 4.0% Brookfield — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).

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.

Alison Brookfield
England 3.0% / 3.1%
Alison — England: 3.0% Brookfield — England: 3.1%
New Zealand — / 1.8%
Alison — New Zealand: not among its largest Brookfield — New Zealand: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Alison 28.6% couple families
Alison — Couple Families: 28.6% Alison — Lone Person: 48.6% Alison — One Parent Families: 11.4% Alison — Group Household: 11.4% Alison — Other Families: 0.0%
Brookfield 52.5% couple families
Brookfield — Couple Families: 52.5% Brookfield — Lone Person: 20.0% Brookfield — One Parent Families: 17.5% Brookfield — Group Household: 0.0% Brookfield — Other Families: 10.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Alison 100.0% houses
Alison — Houses: 100.0% Alison — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Brookfield 98.3% houses
Brookfield — Houses: 98.3% Brookfield — Flats / Apartments: 1.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Alison Brookfield
Certificate III & IV 14.1% / 21.0%
Alison — Certificate III & IV: 14.1% Brookfield — Certificate III & IV: 21.0%
Bachelor Degree 18.2% / 9.4%
Alison — Bachelor Degree: 18.2% Brookfield — Bachelor Degree: 9.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 10.3%
Alison — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Brookfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.3%
Postgraduate Degree 6.1% / 2.7%
Alison — Postgraduate Degree: 6.1% Brookfield — Postgraduate Degree: 2.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / 1.3%
Alison — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% Brookfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Alison 24.3% renting
Alison — Owned Outright: 54.1% Alison — Mortgage: 21.6% Alison — Renting: 24.3%
Brookfield 0.0% renting
Brookfield — Owned Outright: 47.5% Brookfield — Mortgage: 52.5% Brookfield — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Property market

Alison Brookfield
Median house price $340,000 $855,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Alison Brookfield
Rural and farming 97% 99%
Environmental 1%
same for both
Infrastructure and transport 1% 0%
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

Alison Brookfield
New dwellings approved 55
across Dungog
same for both
Approvals change year on year -23%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Alison Brookfield
House price Higher than 9% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW
Income Higher than 36% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 65% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 61% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 54% of NSW Higher than 48% of NSW

Liveability

Alison Brookfield
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Alison Brookfield
Bushfire Low
20/100
 Low
18/100
Crime — Low
25/100
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 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Alison Brookfield
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Alison Brookfield
Waterways 5 4

Mobility

Alison sits further from the CBD (213.2 km vs 200.3 km).

Alison Brookfield
Walkability score 15/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 213.2 km
+6% vs other
 200.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 165 min 152 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2420
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 52
postcode 2420
same for both

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.

Alison Brookfield
Car (driver) 70.0% / 67.1%
Alison — Car (driver): 70.0% Brookfield — Car (driver): 67.1%
Worked from Home 30.0% / 32.9%
Alison — Worked from Home: 30.0% Brookfield — Worked from Home: 32.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.0%).

Setting

Alison Brookfield
Elevation 65 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 51 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 31.1 km 24.8 km

NBN connectivity

Alison Brookfield
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
50 premises
 0%
84 premises

Climate

Alison Brookfield
Annual rainfall 1,327 mm 996 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 30.0°C
Winter min (Jul) — 7.1°C

Council rates

Alison Brookfield
Average residential rate $1,646/yr
same for both
Council Dungog
same for both

Federal electorate

Alison Brookfield
Division Lyne
same for both
Member Alison Penfold
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Alison Brookfield
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Alison

Affordable Retirees Rural

Brookfield

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Alison

Alison vs Dungog Alison vs Glen William Alison vs Fosterton Alison vs Tabbil Creek

Other comparisons with Brookfield

Brookfield vs Clarence Town Brookfield vs Wallarobba Brookfield vs Glen William
Full data on Alison Full data on Brookfield
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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