Doon Doon vs Rowlands Creek
Doon Doon is the younger of the two, with a median age of 55 against 59 in Rowlands Creek. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Rowlands Creek, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Rowlands Creek: a median of $1.57 million, against $728,000 in Doon Doon, though rent is higher in Doon Doon. On these figures, Doon Doon tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Rowlands Creek suits people living alone.
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
Doon Doon
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 36%)
- carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Doon Doon
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($727,500 vs $1,575,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 33%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rowlands Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($231/wk vs $360/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (28% vs 34%)
- But Doon Doon has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 14%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Doon Doon
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (540 min vs 560 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (790.4 km vs 796.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Doon Doon
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Rowlands Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.5% vs -5.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Doon Doon and Rowlands Creek 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
Doon Doon rents higher ($360/wk vs $231/wk); Doon Doon has higher household incomes ($55,224 vs $43,316).
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 92 +9% vs other | 84 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -5.2% | +13.5% |
| Median age | 55 | 59 |
| Median household income | $55,224/yr +22% vs other | $43,316/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $360/wk +36% vs other | $231/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.4%).
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 (7.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (19.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $727,500 | $1,575,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Rowlands Creek has more land zoned for conservation (65% vs 20%); Doon Doon has more rural and farming land (68% vs 34%).
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 68% | 34% |
| Environmental | 20% | 65% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 11% | 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
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Tweed same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 77% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 64% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
Liveability
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Rowlands Creek carries more crime risk (81 vs 50); Doon Doon carries more bushfire risk (72 vs 61).
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 72/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 50/100 | High 81/100 |
| 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
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 10 | 2 |
Mobility
Rowlands Creek sits further from the CBD (796.9 km vs 790.4 km).
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 790.4 km | 796.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 540 min | 560 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2484 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 76 postcode 2484 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 97 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 182 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 24.1 km | 20.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 24/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 33 premises | 0% 37 premises |
Climate
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,569 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 9.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,745/yr same for both | |
| Council | Tweed same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Doon Doon | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Doon Doon
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.