Dooralong vs Mandalong
Dooralong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 47 in Mandalong. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Dooralong: a median of $2.3 million, against $1.77 million in Mandalong, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Dooralong tends to suit families with children, while Mandalong suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Dooralong is already more of a family suburb (82% vs 70%)
- Mandalong carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 84/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Mandalong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,775,000 vs $2,300,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Mandalong
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (23% vs 10%)
- has cheaper rent ($410/wk vs $500/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dooralong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (106.6 km vs 116 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mandalong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 84/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dooralong and Mandalong 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
Dooralong has higher household incomes ($147,316 vs $99,112); Dooralong rents higher ($500/wk vs $410/wk).
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 350 | 433 +24% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.3% | +1.6% |
| Median age | 42 | 47 |
| Median household income | $147,316/yr +33% vs other | $99,112/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $500/wk +18% vs other | $410/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
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 (23.3%).
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
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,300,000 | $1,775,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Mandalong has more land zoned for conservation (64% vs 24%); Dooralong has more rural and farming land (76% vs 35%).
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 76% | 35% |
| Environmental | 24% | 64% |
| 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
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,441 across Central Coast (NSW) | 1,212 across Lake Macquarie |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% | +2% |
Ranking within NSW
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 97% of NSW | Higher than 68% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 94% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 46% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
Liveability
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Dooralong carries more crime risk (84 vs 60).
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 58/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| Crime | High 84/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| 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 | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 17 |
Mobility
Mandalong sits further from the CBD (116 km vs 106.6 km).
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 106.6 km | 116 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 89 min | 88 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2259 | 0.4% postcode 2264 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2259 | 52 postcode 2264 |
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 (67.7%).
Setting
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 60 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 35 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 20.0 km | 18.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 23/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 45 premises | 0% 154 premises |
Climate
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,272 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 10.6°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ | 5.0 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | 14.8 µg/m³ | 11.6 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.36 pphm | 0.27 pphm |
Council rates
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,409/yr | $1,708/yr |
| Council | Central Coast (NSW) | Lake Macquarie |
Federal electorate
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Dobell | Hunter |
| Member | Emma Mcbride | Dan Repacholi |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dooralong | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Dooralong
Other comparisons with Mandalong
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.