Dalton vs Oolong
Oolong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 48 in Dalton. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dalton, about half of households are couple families. In Oolong, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Dalton tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Oolong 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Dalton carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 48/100)
- Oolong is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 64%)
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
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
Oolong
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (161 min vs 166 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (250.5 km vs 252.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dalton
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 48/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 13%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Dalton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (17.9% vs -11.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dalton and Oolong 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
Dalton has more residents (230 vs 54); Oolong has higher household incomes ($97,500 vs $79,612).
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 230 +77% vs other | 54 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +17.9% | -11.5% |
| Median age | 48 | 43 |
| Median household income | $79,612/yr | $97,500/yr +22% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +5% vs other | $285/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.9%).
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 (24.1%).
Property market
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $410,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $420,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 98% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 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
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 44 across Upper Lachlan same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +175% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 11% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 92% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 81% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 23% of NSW |
Liveability
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Oolong carries more bushfire risk (20 vs 0); Oolong carries more crime risk (48 vs 24).
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 20/100 |
| Crime | Low 24/100 | Moderate 48/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Schools in Dalton
- Dalton Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Oolong
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 13 | 6 |
Mobility
Dalton sits further from the CBD (252.8 km vs 250.5 km).
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 12/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 252.8 km | 250.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 166 min | 161 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 2581 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 2581 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 (67.9%).
Setting
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 567 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 621 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 45 premises | 0% 5 premises |
Climate
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 840 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $636/yr same for both | |
| Council | Upper Lachlan same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dalton | Oolong | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Dalton
Other comparisons with Oolong
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.