Dargan vs Hartley
Hartley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 62 in Dargan. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dargan, most households are people living alone. In Hartley, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Hartley: a median of $1.37 million, against $895,000 in Dargan, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Dargan tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Hartley 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
Hartley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (63% vs 29%)
- carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 58/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Dargan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($895,000 vs $1,367,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Dargan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $283/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Dargan
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (118 min vs 143 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (133 km vs 158.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Dargan has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 20%)
- Hartley carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 58/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hartley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.9% vs -11.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dargan and Hartley 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
Hartley rents higher ($283/wk vs $0/wk); Hartley has more residents (478 vs 83).
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 83 | 478 +476% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -11.7% | +16.9% |
| Median age | 62 | 48 |
| Median household income | $60,320/yr | $99,112/yr +64% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | — | $283/wk (not reported on the other side) |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (6.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $895,000 | $1,367,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Hartley has more rural and farming land (70% vs 0%); Dargan has more land zoned for conservation (73% vs 23%).
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 73% | 23% |
| Rural and farming | 0% | 70% |
| Residential | 18% | 5% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 9% | 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
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 55 across Lithgow same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 11% of NSW | Higher than 45% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 40% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 46% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
Liveability
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Dargan carries more crime risk (58 vs 43); Dargan carries more bushfire risk (98 vs 88).
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 98/100 | High 88/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 58/100 | Moderate 43/100 |
| 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 | 2 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 3 |
| Waterways | 6 | 14 |
Mobility
Hartley sits further from the CBD (158.4 km vs 133 km).
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 133 km | 158.4 km +19% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 118 min | 143 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 2786 | 0.5% postcode 2790 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 39 postcode 2786 | 36 postcode 2790 |
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 (74.1%).
Setting
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,016 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 761 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 66 premises | 0% 186 premises |
Climate
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,147 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.2°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,150/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lithgow same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dargan | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Dargan
Other comparisons with Hartley
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.