Blacktown vs Doonside

In both, most homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. In Blacktown, most households own their home. In Doonside, about half of households rent. Blacktown is closer to the city centre: 36.3 km, against 40.6 km.

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

Blacktown

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (41 vs 6)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (18 vs 5)
  • has more childcare (38 vs 12)
  • But Doonside has more separate houses rather than flats (89% vs 65%)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

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

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Doonside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $400/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Blacktown

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (94/100 vs 77/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (36 min vs 42 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (36.3 km vs 40.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Blacktown

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (20 vs 3)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (35% vs 11%)
  • is more walkable (94/100 vs 77/100)

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

Investors

Blacktown

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.0% vs 1.2%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Blacktown Doonside
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.

Blacktown Doonside
Walkability 94 / 77
Blacktown — Walkability: 94/100 Doonside — Walkability: 77/100
Safety 14 / 23
Blacktown — Safety: 14/100 Doonside — Safety: 23/100
Low fire risk 100 / 72
Blacktown — Low fire risk: 100/100 Doonside — Low fire risk: 72/100

Demographics

Blacktown has more residents (50,961 vs 13,614); Blacktown rents higher ($400/wk vs $350/wk).

Blacktown Doonside
Population 50,961
+73% vs other
 13,614
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.0% +1.2%
Median age 34 36
Median household income $92,248/yr
+11% vs other
 $82,264/yr
Median weekly rent $400/wk
+12% vs other
 $350/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Blacktown Doonside
0-4 7.1% / 6.0%
Blacktown — 0-4: 7.1% Doonside — 0-4: 6.0%
5-14 12.2% / 13.2%
Blacktown — 5-14: 12.2% Doonside — 5-14: 13.2%
15-19 5.1% / 6.3%
Blacktown — 15-19: 5.1% Doonside — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 8.0% / 6.9%
Blacktown — 20-24: 8.0% Doonside — 20-24: 6.9%
25-34 18.3% / 14.8%
Blacktown — 25-34: 18.3% Doonside — 25-34: 14.8%
35-44 15.9% / 13.9%
Blacktown — 35-44: 15.9% Doonside — 35-44: 13.9%
45-54 11.0% / 12.9%
Blacktown — 45-54: 11.0% Doonside — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 9.7% / 11.8%
Blacktown — 55-64: 9.7% Doonside — 55-64: 11.8%
65-74 6.8% / 9.1%
Blacktown — 65-74: 6.8% Doonside — 65-74: 9.1%
75-84 4.1% / 3.9%
Blacktown — 75-84: 4.1% Doonside — 75-84: 3.9%
85+ 1.9% / 1.2%
Blacktown — 85+: 1.9% Doonside — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Blacktown 49.7% couple families
Blacktown — Couple Families: 49.7% Blacktown — Lone Person: 25.6% Blacktown — One Parent Families: 16.6% Blacktown — Group Household: 5.7% Blacktown — Other Families: 2.4%
Doonside 45.4% couple families
Doonside — Couple Families: 45.4% Doonside — Lone Person: 23.4% Doonside — One Parent Families: 24.4% Doonside — Group Household: 3.9% Doonside — Other Families: 2.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Blacktown 44.8% renting
Blacktown — Owned Outright: 22.4% Blacktown — Mortgage: 32.8% Blacktown — Renting: 44.8%
Doonside 46.8% renting
Doonside — Owned Outright: 22.8% Doonside — Mortgage: 30.4% Doonside — Renting: 46.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Blacktown Doonside
Bachelor Degree 14.5% / 12.1%
Blacktown — Bachelor Degree: 14.5% Doonside — Bachelor Degree: 12.1%
Certificate III & IV 9.5% / 10.6%
Blacktown — Certificate III & IV: 9.5% Doonside — Certificate III & IV: 10.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 6.6%
Blacktown — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Doonside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Postgraduate Degree 6.7% / 3.6%
Blacktown — Postgraduate Degree: 6.7% Doonside — Postgraduate Degree: 3.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.1% / 0.7%
Blacktown — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1% Doonside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.5%).

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.

Blacktown Doonside
India 16.6% / 6.5%
Blacktown — India: 16.6% Doonside — India: 6.5%
Philippines 5.5% / 10.5%
Blacktown — Philippines: 5.5% Doonside — Philippines: 10.5%
Fiji 1.9% / 3.3%
Blacktown — Fiji: 1.9% Doonside — Fiji: 3.3%
New Zealand 1.8% / 2.3%
Blacktown — New Zealand: 1.8% Doonside — New Zealand: 2.3%
Nepal 1.2% / 1.4%
Blacktown — Nepal: 1.2% Doonside — Nepal: 1.4%
China 2.4% / —
Blacktown — China: 2.4% Doonside — China: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Blacktown 65.4% houses
Blacktown — Houses: 65.4% Blacktown — Townhouses: 18.6% Blacktown — Flats / Apartments: 16.0%
Doonside 89.3% houses
Doonside — Houses: 89.3% Doonside — Townhouses: 8.3% Doonside — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Blacktown Doonside
Median house price $1,135,500 $1,090,000
Median unit price $455,000 —
Median land price $1,152,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 489 sales
 23 days
from 55 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Blacktown Doonside
2 bed $984K / $917K
Blacktown — 2 bed: $984K (46 sales) Doonside — 2 bed: $917K (6 sales)

46 vs 6 sales

3 bed $1.08M / $1.02M
Blacktown — 3 bed: $1.08M (315 sales) Doonside — 3 bed: $1.02M (75 sales)

315 vs 75 sales

4 bed $1.2M / $1.14M
Blacktown — 4 bed: $1.2M (155 sales) Doonside — 4 bed: $1.14M (39 sales)

155 vs 39 sales

5 bed $1.26M / $1.26M
Blacktown — 5 bed: $1.26M (37 sales) Doonside — 5 bed: $1.26M (9 sales)

37 vs 9 sales

6 bed $1.3M / $1.26M
Blacktown — 6 bed: $1.3M (13 sales) Doonside — 6 bed: $1.26M (7 sales)

13 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Blacktown has more industrially zoned land (11% vs 0%).

Blacktown Doonside
Residential 67% 61%
Infrastructure and transport 13% 8%
Industrial 11% 0%
Parks and recreation 7% 6%
Commercial 1%
same for both
Planning zones cover 100% of Blacktown and 76% of Doonside. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Blacktown Doonside
New dwellings approved 2,325
across Blacktown
same for both
Approvals change year on year -18%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Blacktown Doonside
Houses 3.4%
$690/wk on $1.05M
 3.5%
$700/wk on $1.04M
Units 6.5%
$575/wk on $460K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Blacktown Doonside
House price Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
Income Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW
Schools Higher than 38% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 99% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 98% of NSW —

Liveability

Blacktown is more walkable (94 vs 77).

Blacktown Doonside
Grade B
same for both
Score 53/100 51/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Doonside carries more bushfire risk (28 vs 0).

Blacktown Doonside
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
28/100
Crime High
86/100
 High
77/100
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 13
within 5 km
 12
within 5 km

Schools

Blacktown Doonside
Inside the suburb 18 5
Rated above peers 3 2
Rated at peers 8 1
Rated below peers 5 2

Schools in Blacktown

  • Blacktown Boys High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Blacktown Girls High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Tyndale Christian School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Blacktown South Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Blacktown West Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Evans High School Government · Secondary at peers

Schools in Doonside

  • Doonside High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • St John Vianney's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Crawford Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Doonside Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Mountain View Adventist College Independent · Combined below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Blacktown Doonside
Supermarkets 10 2
Cafes & restaurants 26 4
Parks & reserves 41 6
Childcare 38 12
GPs 20 3
Pharmacies 13 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 8 1
Fuel stations 5 1
Waterways 8 1

Mobility

Doonside sits further from the CBD (40.6 km vs 36.3 km).

Blacktown Doonside
Walkability score 94/100 77/100
Distance to Sydney 36.3 km 40.6 km
+12% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 36 min 42 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 93/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 1259.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 192.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 2148
 0.9%
postcode 2767
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 35
postcode 2148
 61
postcode 2767

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.

Blacktown Doonside
Car (driver) 52.4% / 55.8%
Blacktown — Car (driver): 52.4% Doonside — Car (driver): 55.8%
Worked from Home 31.7% / 26.7%
Blacktown — Worked from Home: 31.7% Doonside — Worked from Home: 26.7%
Train 6.6% / 9.1%
Blacktown — Train: 6.6% Doonside — Train: 9.1%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 6.2%
Blacktown — Car (passenger): 4.8% Doonside — Car (passenger): 6.2%
Bus 2.5% / 1.3%
Blacktown — Bus: 2.5% Doonside — Bus: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.8%).

Setting

Blacktown Doonside
Elevation 71 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 44 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 31.1 km 34.3 km

NBN connectivity

Blacktown Doonside
Connectivity score 100/100 88/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 98%
21,218 premises
 53%
4,933 premises

Climate

Blacktown Doonside
Annual rainfall 932 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Blacktown Doonside
PM2.5 6.7 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.88 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Blacktown Doonside
Average residential rate $1,157/yr
same for both
Council Blacktown
same for both

Federal electorate

Blacktown Doonside
Division Mcmahon Chifley
Member Chris Bowen Ed Husic
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Blacktown Doonside
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Blacktown

Easy Commute Multicultural Outer Parks Transport Hub Urban

Doonside

Easy Commute Multicultural Outer Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Blacktown

Blacktown vs Seven Hills Blacktown vs Kings Langley Blacktown vs Lalor Park Blacktown vs Marayong Blacktown vs Woodcroft Blacktown vs Prospect

Other comparisons with Doonside

Doonside vs Quakers Hill Doonside vs Rooty Hill Doonside vs Woodcroft Doonside vs Glendenning Doonside vs Dean Park Doonside vs Bungarribee
Full data on Blacktown Full data on Doonside
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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