Dunmore vs Kiama Downs

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 Kiama Downs: a median of $1.28 million, against $1.06 million in Dunmore, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Dunmore tends to suit 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

Kiama Downs

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 93/100)
  • has more parks and reserves (5 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Dunmore

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,060,000 vs $1,280,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Dunmore

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($420/wk vs $490/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

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

  • Dunmore sits closer to the CBD (115.3 km vs 117.7 km)
  • Kiama Downs is more walkable (45/100 vs 6/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Kiama Downs

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (45/100 vs 6/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 93/100)

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

Investors

Dunmore

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (52.9% vs 1.7%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Dunmore Kiama Downs
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.

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Walkability 6 / 45
Dunmore — Walkability: 6/100 Kiama Downs — Walkability: 45/100
Safety 7 / 82
Dunmore — Safety: 7/100 Kiama Downs — Safety: 82/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Dunmore — Low fire risk: 100/100 Kiama Downs — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Kiama Downs has more residents (5,087 vs 318); Kiama Downs rents higher ($490/wk vs $420/wk).

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Population 318 5,087
+1500% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +52.9% +1.7%
Median age 41 43
Median household income $115,128/yr
+5% vs other
 $109,356/yr
Median weekly rent $420/wk $490/wk
+17% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dunmore Kiama Downs
0-4 5.3% / 5.6%
Dunmore — 0-4: 5.3% Kiama Downs — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 16.0% / 13.5%
Dunmore — 5-14: 16.0% Kiama Downs — 5-14: 13.5%
15-19 5.0% / 6.3%
Dunmore — 15-19: 5.0% Kiama Downs — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 3.5% / 4.2%
Dunmore — 20-24: 3.5% Kiama Downs — 20-24: 4.2%
25-34 12.9% / 8.9%
Dunmore — 25-34: 12.9% Kiama Downs — 25-34: 8.9%
35-44 13.2% / 12.4%
Dunmore — 35-44: 13.2% Kiama Downs — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 10.1% / 13.2%
Dunmore — 45-54: 10.1% Kiama Downs — 45-54: 13.2%
55-64 16.7% / 14.5%
Dunmore — 55-64: 16.7% Kiama Downs — 55-64: 14.5%
65-74 12.6% / 14.0%
Dunmore — 65-74: 12.6% Kiama Downs — 65-74: 14.0%
75-84 4.4% / 5.3%
Dunmore — 75-84: 4.4% Kiama Downs — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 2.8% / 1.9%
Dunmore — 85+: 2.8% Kiama Downs — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Dunmore 61.5% couple families
Dunmore — Couple Families: 61.5% Dunmore — Lone Person: 20.0% Dunmore — One Parent Families: 9.2% Dunmore — Group Household: 9.2% Dunmore — Other Families: 0.0%
Kiama Downs 58.3% couple families
Kiama Downs — Couple Families: 58.3% Kiama Downs — Lone Person: 24.1% Kiama Downs — One Parent Families: 14.6% Kiama Downs — Group Household: 2.2% Kiama Downs — Other Families: 0.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dunmore 10.8% renting
Dunmore — Owned Outright: 48.0% Dunmore — Mortgage: 41.2% Dunmore — Renting: 10.8%
Kiama Downs 13.6% renting
Kiama Downs — Owned Outright: 47.0% Kiama Downs — Mortgage: 39.4% Kiama Downs — Renting: 13.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Certificate III & IV 16.0% / 16.8%
Dunmore — Certificate III & IV: 16.0% Kiama Downs — Certificate III & IV: 16.8%
Bachelor Degree 12.9% / 14.8%
Dunmore — Bachelor Degree: 12.9% Kiama Downs — Bachelor Degree: 14.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 10.0%
Dunmore — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Kiama Downs — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.0%
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / 4.7%
Dunmore — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% Kiama Downs — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.9% / 2.9%
Dunmore — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9% Kiama Downs — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).

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.

Dunmore Kiama Downs
England 3.5% / 4.2%
Dunmore — England: 3.5% Kiama Downs — England: 4.2%
New Zealand — / 1.5%
Dunmore — New Zealand: not among its largest Kiama Downs — New Zealand: 1.5%
Netherlands 1.3% / —
Dunmore — Netherlands: 1.3% Kiama Downs — Netherlands: not among its largest
Pakistan 0.9% / —
Dunmore — Pakistan: 0.9% Kiama Downs — Pakistan: not among its largest
Indonesia 0.9% / —
Dunmore — Indonesia: 0.9% Kiama Downs — Indonesia: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.8%
Dunmore — Scotland: not among its largest Kiama Downs — Scotland: 0.8%
Germany — / 0.6%
Dunmore — Germany: not among its largest Kiama Downs — Germany: 0.6%
South Africa — / 0.5%
Dunmore — South Africa: not among its largest Kiama Downs — South Africa: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dunmore 94.6% houses
Dunmore — Houses: 94.6% Dunmore — Townhouses: 4.5% Dunmore — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Kiama Downs 92.8% houses
Kiama Downs — Houses: 92.8% Kiama Downs — Townhouses: 5.8% Kiama Downs — Flats / Apartments: 1.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Median house price $1,060,000 $1,280,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $692,500 $695,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 50 days
from 14 sales
 22 days
from 44 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Dunmore Kiama Downs
3 bed $1M / $1.23M
Dunmore — 3 bed: $1M (24 sales) Kiama Downs — 3 bed: $1.23M (37 sales)

24 vs 37 sales

4 bed $1.18M / $1.33M
Dunmore — 4 bed: $1.18M (11 sales) Kiama Downs — 4 bed: $1.33M (45 sales)

11 vs 45 sales

Zoning mix

Dunmore has more rural and farming land (56% vs 0%).

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Rural and farming 56% 0%
Residential 2% 43%
Environmental 37% 33%
Parks and recreation 0% 19%
Infrastructure and transport 4%
same for both
Planning zones cover 100% of Dunmore and 99% of Kiama Downs. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Dunmore Kiama Downs
New dwellings approved 883
across Shellharbour
 159
across Kiama
Approvals change year on year +25% -35%

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.

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Houses 3.6%
$860/wk on $1.25M
 3.3%
$850/wk on $1.34M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Dunmore Kiama Downs
House price Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Income Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 35% of NSW

Liveability

Kiama Downs is more walkable (45 vs 6).

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Grade — A
Score — 71/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Dunmore carries more crime risk (93 vs 18).

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
93/100
 Low
18/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
19/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 8
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Dunmore Kiama Downs
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 Dunmore

  • Shellharbour Anglican College Independent · Combined below peers

Schools in Kiama Downs

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Parks & reserves 1 5
Childcare 3 2
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Beaches 0 1

Mobility

Kiama Downs sits further from the CBD (117.7 km vs 115.3 km).

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Walkability score 6/100 45/100
Distance to Sydney 115.3 km 117.7 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 100 min 101 min
Public transport score 41/100
Rail · Bus
 73/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 6.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 68.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 5.5 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2529
 1.4%
postcode 2533
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 2529
 47
postcode 2533

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.

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Car (driver) 61.6% / 62.5%
Dunmore — Car (driver): 61.6% Kiama Downs — Car (driver): 62.5%
Worked from Home 32.8% / 32.6%
Dunmore — Worked from Home: 32.8% Kiama Downs — Worked from Home: 32.6%
Car (passenger) 3.2% / 3.3%
Dunmore — Car (passenger): 3.2% Kiama Downs — Car (passenger): 3.3%
Train 2.4% / 0.5%
Dunmore — Train: 2.4% Kiama Downs — Train: 0.5%
Walked Only — / 0.9%
Dunmore — Walked Only: not among its largest Kiama Downs — Walked Only: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.5%).

Setting

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Elevation 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.9 km
3.2 km to a named beach
 802 m
801 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Connectivity score 86/100 100/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 80%
333 premises
 100%
2,015 premises

Climate

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Annual rainfall 974 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Dunmore Kiama Downs
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.37 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Average residential rate $1,788/yr $1,898/yr
Council Shellharbour Kiama

Federal electorate

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Division Whitlam Gilmore
Member Carol Berry Fiona Phillips
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Dunmore Kiama Downs
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Dunmore

Coastal Rural Trains

Kiama Downs

Beach Coastal Large Blocks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dunmore

Dunmore vs Shell Cove Dunmore vs Flinders Dunmore vs Jamberoo Dunmore vs Minnamurra Dunmore vs Croom

Other comparisons with Kiama Downs

Kiama Downs vs Kiama Kiama Downs vs Jamberoo Kiama Downs vs Minnamurra Kiama Downs vs Bombo
Full data on Dunmore Full data on Kiama Downs
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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