Dubbo vs Wambangalang

Dubbo is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 51 in Wambangalang. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Wambangalang: a median of $885,000, against $663,000 in Dubbo, though rent is higher in Dubbo. On these figures, Dubbo tends to suit families with children and 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

Dubbo

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (88 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (32 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (24 vs 1)
  • But Wambangalang carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 91/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Dubbo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($663,000 vs $885,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Dubbo has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 24%)
  • Wambangalang has cheaper rent ($230/wk vs $310/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Wambangalang

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (378.7 km vs 402.8 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (307 min vs 324 min)
  • But Dubbo is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Dubbo is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
  • Wambangalang carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 91/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Dubbo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (11.7% vs -23.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Dubbo and Wambangalang drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Dubbo Wambangalang
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Dubbo Wambangalang
Walkability 34 / 0
Dubbo — Walkability: 34/100 Wambangalang — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 9 / 100
Dubbo — Safety: 9/100 Wambangalang — Safety: 100/100
Low fire risk 74 / 45
Dubbo — Low fire risk: 74/100 Wambangalang — Low fire risk: 45/100

Demographics

Dubbo has more residents (43,516 vs 68); Wambangalang skews older (51 vs 35).

Dubbo Wambangalang
Population 43,516
+100% vs other
 68
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.7% -23.6%
Median age 35 51
Median household income $87,880/yr
+15% vs other
 $74,724/yr
Median weekly rent $310/wk
+26% vs other
 $230/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dubbo Wambangalang
0-4 7.4% / —
Dubbo — 0-4: 7.4% Wambangalang — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 14.1% / 11.8%
Dubbo — 5-14: 14.1% Wambangalang — 5-14: 11.8%
15-19 5.8% / 5.9%
Dubbo — 15-19: 5.8% Wambangalang — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 5.8% / 7.4%
Dubbo — 20-24: 5.8% Wambangalang — 20-24: 7.4%
25-34 15.7% / 14.7%
Dubbo — 25-34: 15.7% Wambangalang — 25-34: 14.7%
35-44 12.3% / —
Dubbo — 35-44: 12.3% Wambangalang — 35-44: not among its largest
45-54 11.2% / 16.2%
Dubbo — 45-54: 11.2% Wambangalang — 45-54: 16.2%
55-64 11.1% / 26.5%
Dubbo — 55-64: 11.1% Wambangalang — 55-64: 26.5%
65-74 8.8% / 11.8%
Dubbo — 65-74: 8.8% Wambangalang — 65-74: 11.8%
75-84 5.6% / 7.4%
Dubbo — 75-84: 5.6% Wambangalang — 75-84: 7.4%
85+ 2.2% / 4.4%
Dubbo — 85+: 2.2% Wambangalang — 85+: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Dubbo 36.2% lone person
Dubbo — Lone Person: 36.2% Dubbo — One Parent Families: 18.0% Dubbo — Couple Families: 39.6% Dubbo — Group Household: 4.7% Dubbo — Other Families: 1.5%
Wambangalang 42.9% lone person
Wambangalang — Lone Person: 42.9% Wambangalang — One Parent Families: 57.1% Wambangalang — Couple Families: 0.0% Wambangalang — Group Household: 0.0% Wambangalang — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person One Parent Families Couple Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dubbo 35.1% renting
Dubbo — Owned Outright: 29.3% Dubbo — Mortgage: 35.7% Dubbo — Renting: 35.1%
Wambangalang 23.8% renting
Wambangalang — Owned Outright: 61.9% Wambangalang — Mortgage: 14.3% Wambangalang — Renting: 23.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dubbo 83.2% houses
Dubbo — Houses: 83.2% Dubbo — Townhouses: 9.0% Dubbo — Flats / Apartments: 7.8%
Wambangalang 100.0% houses
Wambangalang — Houses: 100.0% Wambangalang — Townhouses: 0.0% Wambangalang — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Dubbo Wambangalang
Certificate III & IV 15.7% / 13.2%
Dubbo — Certificate III & IV: 15.7% Wambangalang — Certificate III & IV: 13.2%
Bachelor Degree 10.1% / 11.8%
Dubbo — Bachelor Degree: 10.1% Wambangalang — Bachelor Degree: 11.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.1% / 8.8%
Dubbo — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1% Wambangalang — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / —
Dubbo — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Wambangalang — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / —
Dubbo — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Wambangalang — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Property market

Dubbo Wambangalang
Median house price $663,000 $885,000
Median unit price $405,000 —
Median land price $558,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 419 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Wambangalang has more rural and farming land (100% vs 76%).

Dubbo Wambangalang
Rural and farming 76% 100%
Residential 15% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 0%
Environmental 3% 0%
Industrial 2% 0%
Parks and recreation 1% 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

Dubbo Wambangalang
New dwellings approved 405
across Dubbo
same for both
Approvals change year on year -12%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Dubbo Wambangalang
Houses 4.2%
$580/wk on $715K
 —
Units 4.9%
$365/wk on $384K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Dubbo Wambangalang
House price Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
Income Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
Schools Higher than 72% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 30% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 91% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 83% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 64% of NSW —

Liveability

Dubbo is more walkable (34 vs 0).

Dubbo Wambangalang
Grade C —
Score 40/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Dubbo carries more crime risk (91 vs 0); Wambangalang carries more bushfire risk (55 vs 26).

Dubbo Wambangalang
Bushfire Low
26/100
 Moderate
55/100
Crime High
91/100
 None
0/100
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 3
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Dubbo Wambangalang
Inside the suburb 24 1
Rated above peers 8 0
Rated at peers 8 0
Rated below peers 2 0

Schools in Dubbo

  • Buninyong Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Burrabadine Christian Community School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Central West Leadership Academy Independent · Combined above peers
  • Dubbo Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Dubbo School of Distance Education Government · Combined above peers
  • St John's Catholic Primary School Dubbo Catholic · Primary above peers

Schools in Wambangalang

  • Wambangalang Environmental Education Centre Government · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Dubbo Wambangalang
Supermarkets 6 0
Cafes & restaurants 21 0
Parks & reserves 88 0
Childcare 32 0
GPs 17 0
Pharmacies 11 0
Hospitals 4 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 13 0
Fuel stations 12 0
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 125 22

Mobility

Dubbo sits further from the CBD (402.8 km vs 378.7 km).

Dubbo Wambangalang
Walkability score 34/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 402.8 km
+6% vs other
 378.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 324 min 307 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2830
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 72
postcode 2830
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.

Dubbo Wambangalang
Car (driver) 80.5% / 48.6%
Dubbo — Car (driver): 80.5% Wambangalang — Car (driver): 48.6%
Worked from Home 8.9% / 32.4%
Dubbo — Worked from Home: 8.9% Wambangalang — Worked from Home: 32.4%
Car (passenger) 7.3% / 10.8%
Dubbo — Car (passenger): 7.3% Wambangalang — Car (passenger): 10.8%
Walked Only 2.4% / 8.1%
Dubbo — Walked Only: 2.4% Wambangalang — Walked Only: 8.1%
Bus 0.5% / —
Dubbo — Bus: 0.5% Wambangalang — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.5%).

Setting

Dubbo Wambangalang
Elevation 260 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 428 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Dubbo Wambangalang
Connectivity score 84/100 15/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 71%
22,678 premises
 0%
12 premises

Climate

Dubbo Wambangalang
Annual rainfall 603 mm 587 mm
Summer max (Jan) 32.9°C 33.4°C
Winter min (Jul) 3.5°C 5.5°C

Council rates

Dubbo Wambangalang
Average residential rate $1,233/yr
same for both
Council Dubbo
same for both

Federal electorate

Dubbo Wambangalang
Division Parkes
same for both
Member Jamie Chaffey
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Dubbo Wambangalang
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Dubbo

Affordable Rural

Wambangalang

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dubbo

Dubbo vs Narromine Dubbo vs Wongarbon Dubbo vs Geurie Dubbo vs Tomingley Dubbo vs Terramungamine Dubbo vs Brocklehurst

Other comparisons with Wambangalang

Wambangalang vs Tomingley Wambangalang vs Yeoval Wambangalang vs Obley Wambangalang vs Benolong Wambangalang vs Toongi
Full data on Dubbo Full data on Wambangalang
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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.

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