Dalwood vs Rous
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Rous: a median of $2.24 million, against $2 million in Dalwood, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Dalwood tends to suit people living alone.
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
Rous
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (81% vs 60%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (107% vs 96%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Dalwood
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (15% vs 34%)
- has cheaper houses ($2,000,000 vs $2,236,250)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Dalwood
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 26%)
- has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $440/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Dalwood sits closer to the CBD (732.4 km vs 735 km)
- Rous is more walkable (32/100 vs 14/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Rous
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (32/100 vs 14/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Rous
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.3% vs -6.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dalwood and Rous 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
Dalwood has higher household incomes ($113,412 vs $87,724); Rous rents higher ($440/wk vs $380/wk).
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 218 | 230 +6% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.8% | +1.3% |
| Median age | 50 | 48 |
| Median household income | $113,412/yr +23% vs other | $87,724/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $380/wk | $440/wk +16% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
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 (18.3%).
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 (5.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,000,000 | $2,236,250 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $830,000 |
Zoning mix
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 88% | 82% |
| Other and special use | 7% | 16% |
| Environmental | 4% | 1% |
| 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
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 69% of NSW | Higher than 87% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 78% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 8% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
Liveability
Rous is more walkable (32 vs 14).
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | — | Low 28/100 |
| 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
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Dalwood
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Rous
- Rous Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 3 | 8 |
Mobility
Rous sits further from the CBD (735 km vs 732.4 km).
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 32/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 732.4 km | 735 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 476 min | 477 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2477 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 75 postcode 2477 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 (52.6%).
Setting
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 164 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 181 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.8 km | 12.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 97 premises | 0% 102 premises |
Council rates
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dalwood | Rous | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Dalwood
Other comparisons with Rous
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.