Allandale vs Lovedale

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lovedale, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lovedale: a median of $2.17 million, against $1.6 million in Allandale. On these figures, Allandale tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Lovedale 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

Lovedale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (83/100 vs 93/100)

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

First-home buyers

Allandale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,600,000 vs $2,175,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Allandale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (117 min vs 127 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (169.2 km vs 176.4 km)
  • But Lovedale is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Lovedale

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 19%)
  • carries lower crime risk (83/100 vs 93/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Lovedale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (3.5% vs -6.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Allandale Lovedale
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.

Allandale Lovedale
Walkability 0 / 8
Allandale — Walkability: 0/100 Lovedale — Walkability: 8/100
Safety 7 / 17
Allandale — Safety: 7/100 Lovedale — Safety: 17/100
Low fire risk 80 / 56
Allandale — Low fire risk: 80/100 Lovedale — Low fire risk: 56/100

Demographics

Lovedale has more residents (502 vs 68).

Allandale Lovedale
Population 68 502
+638% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -6.8% +3.5%
Median age 49 50
Median household income $110,448/yr $112,424/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $330/wk $340/wk
+3% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Allandale Lovedale
0-4 — / 5.8%
Allandale — 0-4: not among its largest Lovedale — 0-4: 5.8%
5-14 14.7% / 11.6%
Allandale — 5-14: 14.7% Lovedale — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 11.8% / 4.0%
Allandale — 15-19: 11.8% Lovedale — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 — / 5.4%
Allandale — 20-24: not among its largest Lovedale — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 8.8% / 9.4%
Allandale — 25-34: 8.8% Lovedale — 25-34: 9.4%
35-44 5.9% / 9.8%
Allandale — 35-44: 5.9% Lovedale — 35-44: 9.8%
45-54 20.6% / 14.3%
Allandale — 45-54: 20.6% Lovedale — 45-54: 14.3%
55-64 17.6% / 17.3%
Allandale — 55-64: 17.6% Lovedale — 55-64: 17.3%
65-74 19.1% / 17.5%
Allandale — 65-74: 19.1% Lovedale — 65-74: 17.5%
75-84 — / 5.6%
Allandale — 75-84: not among its largest Lovedale — 75-84: 5.6%
85+ — / 2.0%
Allandale — 85+: not among its largest Lovedale — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Allandale 40.9% couple families
Allandale — Couple Families: 40.9% Allandale — Lone Person: 31.8% Allandale — One Parent Families: 27.3% Allandale — Group Household: 0.0%
Lovedale 56.7% couple families
Lovedale — Couple Families: 56.7% Lovedale — Lone Person: 26.9% Lovedale — One Parent Families: 13.5% Lovedale — Group Household: 2.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Allandale 0.0% renting
Allandale — Owned Outright: 40.7% Allandale — Mortgage: 59.3% Allandale — Renting: 0.0%
Lovedale 14.4% renting
Lovedale — Owned Outright: 49.1% Lovedale — Mortgage: 36.5% Lovedale — Renting: 14.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Allandale Lovedale
Certificate III & IV 20.6% / 14.9%
Allandale — Certificate III & IV: 20.6% Lovedale — Certificate III & IV: 14.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 13.3%
Allandale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Lovedale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 13.3%
Bachelor Degree 7.4% / 12.5%
Allandale — Bachelor Degree: 7.4% Lovedale — Bachelor Degree: 12.5%
Postgraduate Degree 4.4% / 5.6%
Allandale — Postgraduate Degree: 4.4% Lovedale — Postgraduate Degree: 5.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).

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.

Allandale Lovedale
England 8.8% / 4.4%
Allandale — England: 8.8% Lovedale — England: 4.4%
New Zealand — / 1.6%
Allandale — New Zealand: not among its largest Lovedale — New Zealand: 1.6%
India — / 1.2%
Allandale — India: not among its largest Lovedale — India: 1.2%
Canada — / 1.0%
Allandale — Canada: not among its largest Lovedale — Canada: 1.0%
Malaysia — / 0.8%
Allandale — Malaysia: not among its largest Lovedale — Malaysia: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Allandale 100.0% houses
Allandale — Houses: 100.0%
Lovedale 100.0% houses
Lovedale — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Property market

Allandale Lovedale
Median house price $1,600,000 $2,175,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) — 58 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Lovedale has more land zoned for conservation (13% vs 0%).

Allandale Lovedale
Rural and farming 87% 80%
Environmental 0% 13%
Infrastructure and transport 8% 5%
Residential 5% 2%
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

Allandale Lovedale
New dwellings approved 719
across Cessnock
same for both
Approvals change year on year -31%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Allandale Lovedale
House price Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
Income Higher than 75% of NSW —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 36% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 55% of NSW Higher than 34% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 37% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW

Liveability

Lovedale is more walkable (8 vs 0).

Allandale Lovedale
Grade — C
Score — 35/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Lovedale carries more bushfire risk (44 vs 20); Allandale carries more crime risk (93 vs 83).

Allandale Lovedale
Bushfire Low
20/100
 Moderate
44/100
Crime High
93/100
 High
83/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
 Moderate
50/100
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Allandale Lovedale
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

Allandale Lovedale
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Waterways 4 6

Mobility

Lovedale sits further from the CBD (176.4 km vs 169.2 km).

Allandale Lovedale
Walkability score 0/100 8/100
Distance to Sydney 169.2 km 176.4 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 117 min 127 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2320
 0.4%
postcode 2325
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 2320
 51
postcode 2325

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.

Allandale Lovedale
Car (driver) 51.2% / 56.1%
Allandale — Car (driver): 51.2% Lovedale — Car (driver): 56.1%
Worked from Home 39.5% / 36.3%
Allandale — Worked from Home: 39.5% Lovedale — Worked from Home: 36.3%
Walked Only 9.3% / 4.7%
Allandale — Walked Only: 9.3% Lovedale — Walked Only: 4.7%
Car (passenger) — / 2.8%
Allandale — Car (passenger): not among its largest Lovedale — Car (passenger): 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (56.1%).

Setting

Allandale Lovedale
Elevation 101 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 51 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 36.1 km 39.8 km

NBN connectivity

Allandale Lovedale
Connectivity score 26/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
31 premises
 1%
264 premises

Climate

Allandale Lovedale
Annual rainfall 804 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.1°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Allandale Lovedale
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³ —
PM10 17.5 µg/m³ 19.5 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.72 pphm —

Council rates

Allandale Lovedale
Average residential rate $1,405/yr
same for both
Council Cessnock
same for both

Federal electorate

Allandale Lovedale
Division Hunter
same for both
Member Dan Repacholi
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Allandale Lovedale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Allandale

River Rural

Lovedale

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Allandale

Allandale vs Greta Allandale vs Lochinvar Allandale vs Bishops Bridge Allandale vs Keinbah Allandale vs Oswald Allandale vs Harpers Hill

Other comparisons with Lovedale

Lovedale vs Cessnock Lovedale vs Greta Lovedale vs North Rothbury Lovedale vs Pokolbin Lovedale vs Nulkaba Lovedale vs Sawyers Gully
Full data on Allandale Full data on Lovedale
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or