Daroobalgie vs Parkes
Daroobalgie is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 39 in Parkes. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Daroobalgie, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Daroobalgie tends to suit 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
Parkes
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (32 vs 0)
- has more childcare (8 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)
- But Daroobalgie has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 88%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Parkes
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 28%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Daroobalgie
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 19%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $260/wk)
- But Parkes has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 19%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Parkes
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (293 min vs 311 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (354.6 km vs 373.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Parkes
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more GPs (3 vs 0)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Daroobalgie and Parkes 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
Parkes has more residents (11,324 vs 88); Daroobalgie has higher household incomes ($106,548 vs $72,852).
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 88 | 11,324 +12768% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — | -0.7% |
| Median age | 36 | 39 |
| Median household income | $106,548/yr +32% vs other | $72,852/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $260/wk +30% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).
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 (21.6%).
Property market
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $470,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $270,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 40 days from 94 sales |
Zoning mix
Daroobalgie has more rural and farming land (97% vs 78%); Parkes has more land zoned for conservation (12% vs 0%).
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 78% |
| Environmental | 0% | 12% |
| Other and special use | 0% | 5% |
| Residential | 0% | 3% |
| Industrial | 2% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 31 across Forbes | 15 across Parkes |
| Approvals change year on year | +125% | -100% |
Gross rental yield
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.7% $450/wk on $495K |
| Units | — | 3.6% $245/wk on $350K |
Ranking within NSW
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 72% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| Schools | — | Higher than 83% of NSW |
| Walkability | Higher than 18% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 88% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 12% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 72% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| Rental yield (units) | — | Higher than 14% of NSW |
Liveability
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 32/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Parkes carries more bushfire risk (47 vs 19).
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 19/100 | Moderate 47/100 |
| Crime | High 91/100 | High 89/100 |
| 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
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 6 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 3 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Daroobalgie
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Parkes
- Holy Family Parish School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Middleton Public School Government · Primary above peers
- Parkes Public School Government · Primary above peers
- Parkes Christian School Independent · Combined at peers
- Parkes East Public School Government · Primary at peers
- Parkes High School Government · Secondary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 4 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 4 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 32 |
| Childcare | 0 | 8 |
| GPs | 0 | 3 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 3 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 2 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 5 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 5 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 60 |
Mobility
Daroobalgie sits further from the CBD (373.3 km vs 354.6 km).
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 373.3 km +5% vs other | 354.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 311 min | 293 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2870 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 53 postcode 2870 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 (78.9%).
Setting
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 270 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 342 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 64/100 | 66/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 48% 87 premises | 43% 6,149 premises |
Council rates
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $957/yr | $1,146/yr |
| Council | Forbes | Parkes |
Federal electorate
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Parkes same for both | |
| Member | Jamie Chaffey same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Daroobalgie | Parkes | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Parkes
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Daroobalgie
Other comparisons with Parkes
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.