Dongara vs Springfield
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dongara, about half of households are people living alone. In Springfield, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Springfield: a median of $748,000, against $615,000 in Dongara, though rent is higher in Dongara. On these figures, Dongara tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Springfield suits 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
Springfield
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 52/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 53%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Dongara
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($184,000 vs $655,000)
- has cheaper houses ($615,000 vs $747,500)
- But Springfield leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 34%)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Dongara has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 13%)
- Springfield leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 24%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dongara
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 4/100)
- has a shorter drive in (232 min vs 237 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (351 km vs 355.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dongara
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 4/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 19%)
- But Springfield carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 52/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Springfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.7% vs 0.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dongara and Springfield 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
Dongara has more residents (1,393 vs 276); Springfield has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $56,784).
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,393 +80% vs other | 276 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.9% | +8.7% |
| Median age | 51 | 50 |
| Median household income | $56,784/yr | $84,500/yr +49% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $268/wk +7% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.5%).
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 (23.9%).
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%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $615,000 | $747,500 |
| Median unit price | $159,000 | — |
| Median land price | $184,000 | $655,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 33 days from 18 sales | — |
Development activity
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 43 across Irwin same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +57% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.8% $600/wk on $824K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within WA
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 13% of WA | Higher than 47% of WA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 73% of WA | Higher than 66% of WA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 4% of WA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 82% of WA | Higher than 3% of WA |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 20% of WA | — |
Liveability
Dongara is more walkable (17 vs 4).
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 33/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Springfield carries more bushfire risk (67 vs 0); Dongara carries more crime risk (52 vs 14).
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 67/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 52/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 54/100 | Low 18/100 |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 69/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Dongara
- Dongara District High School Government · Combined below peers
Schools in Springfield
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 same for both | |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 3 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Springfield sits further from the CBD (355.6 km vs 351 km).
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 17/100 | 4/100 |
| Distance to Perth | 351 km | 355.6 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 232 min | 237 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 6525 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 6525 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 (81.1%).
Setting
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 15 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 13 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.3 km 3.4 km to a named beach | 3.1 km 3.6 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 70/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 46% 939 premises | 0% 39 premises |
Council rates
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,719/yr same for both | |
| Council | Irwin same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Durack same for both | |
| Member | Melissa Price same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dongara | Springfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $800,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Dongara
Other comparisons with Springfield
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.