Broadwater vs Dungarubba
Dungarubba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 50 in Broadwater. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Broadwater, about half of households are people living alone. In Dungarubba, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Broadwater tends to suit older residents, while Dungarubba 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
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Broadwater has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- Dungarubba is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 43%)
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
- Broadwater has cheaper land ($227,500 vs $435,000)
- Dungarubba leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 34%)
Weighs land prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Dungarubba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 23%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Dungarubba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Broadwater has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 6%)
- Dungarubba is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Broadwater
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.7% vs -11.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Broadwater and Dungarubba 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
Broadwater has more residents (670 vs 52); Dungarubba has higher household incomes ($84,448 vs $55,692).
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 670 +92% vs other | 52 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.7% | -11.9% |
| Median age | 50 | 37 |
| Median household income | $55,692/yr | $84,448/yr +52% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Property market
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $710,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $227,500 | $435,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 88 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Dungarubba has more rural and farming land (87% vs 26%); Broadwater has more land zoned for conservation (72% vs 13%).
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 26% | 87% |
| Environmental | 72% | 13% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 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
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Richmond Valley | 138 across Lismore |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% | +0% |
Ranking within NSW
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 17% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 53% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 66% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
Liveability
Dungarubba is more walkable (8 vs 0).
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 13/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 59/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| Crime | — | High 80/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 60/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Broadwater
- Broadwater Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Dungarubba
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Beaches | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 21 | 2 |
Mobility
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 705.8 km | 704.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 459 min | 456 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2472 | 0.6% postcode 2480 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 79 postcode 2472 | 69 postcode 2480 |
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 (72.5%).
Setting
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.6 km 3.0 km to a named beach | 9.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 270 premises | 0% 23 premises |
Climate
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,557 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 11.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,282/yr | $1,487/yr |
| Council | Richmond Valley | Lismore |
Federal electorate
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Broadwater | Dungarubba | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Broadwater
Dungarubba
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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.