Gungal vs Sandy Hollow
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Gungal, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Gungal: a median of $572,000, against $500,000 in Sandy Hollow, though rent is higher in Sandy Hollow. On these figures, Gungal tends to suit couples, while Sandy Hollow 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
Gungal
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 66/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 52%)
- But Sandy Hollow has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Sandy Hollow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($500,000 vs $572,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Gungal
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $240/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sandy Hollow
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (195 min vs 208 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (274.6 km vs 288.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Gungal carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 66/100)
- Sandy Hollow is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Sandy Hollow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.2% vs -30.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Gungal and Sandy Hollow 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
Sandy Hollow rents higher ($240/wk vs $200/wk).
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 186 | 188 +1% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -30.6% | +11.2% |
| Median age | 45 | 44 |
| Median household income | $69,316/yr +2% vs other | $67,600/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $240/wk +20% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
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 (4.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $572,500 | $500,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $372,500 |
Zoning mix
Gungal has more rural and farming land (72% vs 48%); Sandy Hollow has more land zoned for conservation (51% vs 27%).
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 72% | 48% |
| Environmental | 27% | 51% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 41 across Upper Hunter | 71 across Muswellbrook |
| Approvals change year on year | -20% | +13% |
Ranking within NSW
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 19% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 68% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 77% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 16% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 19% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
Liveability
Sandy Hollow is more walkable (17 vs 0).
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Sandy Hollow carries more crime risk (66 vs 12); Sandy Hollow carries more bushfire risk (83 vs 71).
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 71/100 | High 83/100 |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | Moderate 66/100 |
| 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
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Gungal
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Sandy Hollow
- Sandy Hollow Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 21 | 7 |
Mobility
Gungal sits further from the CBD (288.7 km vs 274.6 km).
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 17/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 288.7 km +5% vs other | 274.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 208 min | 195 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2333 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 42 postcode 2333 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 (76.9%).
Setting
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 254 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 127 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 48 premises | 0% 29 premises |
Climate
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 631 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.4 µg/m³ | — |
| PM10 | 13.6 µg/m³ | 15.5 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.31 pphm | — |
Council rates
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $968/yr | $936/yr |
| Council | Upper Hunter | Muswellbrook |
Federal electorate
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Gungal | Sandy Hollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Gungal
Sandy Hollow
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Gungal
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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.