Dondingalong vs Gum Scrub
Gum Scrub is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 51 in Dondingalong. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Dondingalong tends to suit older residents.
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
- Dondingalong carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 73/100)
- Gum Scrub is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 60%)
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
Dondingalong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $400/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Gum Scrub
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (411.5 km vs 432.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dondingalong
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 13%)
- carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Dondingalong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.2% vs -0.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dondingalong and Gum Scrub 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
Dondingalong has more residents (712 vs 121); Gum Scrub has higher household incomes ($82,316 vs $60,528).
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 712 +83% vs other | 121 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.2% | -0.8% |
| Median age | 51 | 44 |
| Median household income | $60,528/yr | $82,316/yr +36% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk | $400/wk +21% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
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 (4.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $620,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $665,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 40 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 84% same for both | |
| Environmental | 13% | 16% |
| Residential | 3% | 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
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 144 across Kempsey | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings |
| Approvals change year on year | +380% | +33% |
Ranking within NSW
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 24% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 29% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 56% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 35% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 48% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
Liveability
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 19/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Gum Scrub carries more crime risk (73 vs 57).
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 54/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 57/100 | High 73/100 |
| 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
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 7 | 2 |
Mobility
Dondingalong sits further from the CBD (432.2 km vs 411.5 km).
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 432.2 km +5% vs other | 411.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 296 min | 294 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2440 | 0.4% postcode 2441 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 53 postcode 2440 | 72 postcode 2441 |
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 (81.5%).
Setting
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 105 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 45 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 22.6 km | 22 km |
NBN connectivity
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 304 premises | 0% 52 premises |
Council rates
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,447/yr | $1,325/yr |
| Council | Kempsey | Port Macquarie-Hastings |
Federal electorate
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dondingalong | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Dondingalong
Gum Scrub
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Dondingalong
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.