Dorrigo Mountain vs Dorrigo
Dorrigo is the younger of the two, with a median age of 56 against 61 in Dorrigo Mountain. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Dorrigo Mountain: a median of $1.22 million, against $630,000 in Dorrigo. On these figures, Dorrigo Mountain tends to suit people living alone, while Dorrigo 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
Dorrigo
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (70/100 vs 93/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Dorrigo Mountain leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 32%)
- Dorrigo has cheaper houses ($630,000 vs $1,220,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Dorrigo Mountain
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 32%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dorrigo Mountain
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (365 min vs 374 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (540 km vs 547.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dorrigo
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more GPs (3 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (70/100 vs 93/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Dorrigo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.9% vs -10.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dorrigo Mountain and Dorrigo 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
Dorrigo has more residents (1,214 vs 88); Dorrigo Mountain has higher household incomes ($60,112 vs $48,100).
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 88 | 1,214 +1280% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -10.2% | +1.9% |
| Median age | 61 | 56 |
| Median household income | $60,112/yr +20% vs other | $48,100/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $290/wk | $300/wk +3% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.8%).
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 (5.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,220,000 | $630,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $262,500 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 36 days from 17 sales |
Zoning mix
Dorrigo Mountain has more land zoned for conservation (48% vs 1%); Dorrigo has more rural and farming land (89% vs 52%).
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 52% | 89% |
| Environmental | 48% | 1% |
| Residential | 0% | 7% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 40 across Bellingen same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +12% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 9% of NSW |
| Schools | — | Higher than 71% of NSW |
| Walkability | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 45% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 78% of NSW |
Liveability
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 44/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Dorrigo Mountain carries more bushfire risk (39 vs 0); Dorrigo Mountain carries more crime risk (93 vs 70).
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 39/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 93/100 | High 70/100 |
| 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
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 3 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Dorrigo Mountain
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Dorrigo
- Dorrigo Public School Government · Primary above peers
- Mount St John Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Dorrigo High School Government · Secondary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 2 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 5 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 8 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 3 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 6 | 14 |
Mobility
Dorrigo sits further from the CBD (547.4 km vs 540 km).
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 15/100 | 21/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 540 km | 547.4 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 365 min | 374 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2453 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 2453 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 (67.2%).
Setting
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 626 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 744 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 31.7 km | 37.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 71/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 54 premises | 38% 813 premises |
Climate
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,827 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,592/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bellingen same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dorrigo Mountain | Dorrigo | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Dorrigo Mountain
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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.