Dargan vs Hartley Vale
Hartley Vale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 57 against 62 in Dargan. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Hartley Vale: a median of $1.25 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.
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 Vale
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 58/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (42% vs 29%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (119% vs 100%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Dargan has cheaper houses ($895,000 vs $1,245,000)
- Hartley Vale leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 28%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Dargan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Hartley Vale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (129.4 km vs 133 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hartley Vale
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 58/100)
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- But Dargan has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 23%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hartley Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (20.0% vs -11.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dargan and Hartley Vale 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 Vale rents higher ($300/wk vs $0/wk); Hartley Vale has higher household incomes ($88,816 vs $60,320).
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 83 | 84 +1% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -11.7% | +20.0% |
| Median age | 62 | 57 |
| Median household income | $60,320/yr | $88,816/yr +47% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | — | $300/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 (9.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $895,000 | $1,245,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Hartley Vale has more rural and farming land (23% vs 0%).
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 73% | 74% |
| Rural and farming | 0% | 23% |
| Residential | 18% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 9% | 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
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 55 across Lithgow same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 65% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 11% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 40% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 46% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
Liveability
Hartley Vale is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Dargan carries more crime risk (58 vs 0).
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 98/100 | High 91/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 58/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Waterways | 6 | 5 |
Mobility
Dargan sits further from the CBD (133 km vs 129.4 km).
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 133 km +3% vs other | 129.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 118 min same for both | |
| 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 Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,016 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 811 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 22/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 66 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,150/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lithgow same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dargan | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Vale
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.