Belconnen vs Dunlop
Belconnen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 30 against 36 in Dunlop. In Belconnen, most households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. In Dunlop, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Belconnen is closer to the city centre: 13.2 km, against 17.6 km. On these figures, Belconnen tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Dunlop suits families with children and 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
Dunlop
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more separate houses rather than flats (92% vs 0%)
- carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 90/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 25%)
- But Belconnen has more parks and reserves (12 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Belconnen
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (66% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($430/wk vs $465/wk)
- But Dunlop leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 24%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Belconnen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (13.2 km vs 17.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Belconnen
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (100% vs 8%)
- has more GPs (9 vs 0)
- But Dunlop carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 90/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Belconnen and Dunlop drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Dunlop has higher household incomes ($130,156 vs $92,352); Dunlop skews older (36 vs 30).
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,502 +15% vs other | 7,265 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — | +0.9% |
| Median age | 30 | 36 |
| Median household income | $92,352/yr | $130,156/yr +41% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $430/wk | $465/wk +8% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (37.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.5%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $910,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $627,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 21 days from 114 sales |
Development activity
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3,750 across Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -48% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.5% $750/wk on $874K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within ACT
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 8% of ACT | Higher than 62% of ACT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 17% of ACT | Higher than 19% of ACT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 17% of ACT | Higher than 14% of ACT |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 66% of ACT | Higher than 75% of ACT |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 67% of ACT |
Liveability
Dunlop scores higher overall (38 vs 24).
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | C |
| Score | 24/100 | 38/100 |
| Socio-economic band | — | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Dunlop carries more bushfire risk (35 vs 0); Belconnen carries more crime risk (90 vs 23).
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 35/100 |
| Crime | High 90/100 | Low 23/100 |
| Flood | High 76/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 2 UC - Canberra, Bruce, 6.4 km | 1 UC - Canberra, Bruce, 8.7 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 7.6% | 1.4% |
Schools in Belconnen
- University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra Government · Secondary
Schools in Dunlop
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 18 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 87 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 12 | 0 |
| Childcare | 8 | 0 |
| GPs | 9 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 5 | 0 |
| Police stations | 4 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 9 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 0 |
| Beaches | 6 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 4 |
Mobility
Dunlop sits further from the CBD (17.6 km vs 13.2 km).
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 26/100 | 31/100 |
| Distance to Canberra | 13.2 km | 17.6 km +33% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 25 min same for both | |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 455.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 99.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 2.1% postcode 2615 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 40 postcode 2615 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.3%).
Setting
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 613 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 567 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 69/100 | 76/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the building | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 20% 5,370 premises | 56% 2,728 premises |
Climate
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 622 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 0.8°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 11.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.41 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,105/yr same for both | |
| Council | Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Fenner same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Leigh same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Belconnen | Dunlop | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | Not offered same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | None same for both | |
Tags
Dunlop
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Belconnen
Other comparisons with Dunlop
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.