Hilldale vs Martins Creek
Martins Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 45 in Hilldale. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hilldale, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Martins Creek: a median of $1.18 million, against $610,000 in Hilldale, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Hilldale tends to suit couples 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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
- Hilldale has cheaper houses ($610,000 vs $1,180,500)
- Martins Creek leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 33%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Hilldale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $335/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Martins Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (192.2 km vs 199.9 km)
- has a shorter drive in (149 min vs 154 min)
- But Hilldale is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hilldale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hilldale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-1.0% vs -9.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hilldale and Martins Creek 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
Martins Creek has more residents (351 vs 193); Hilldale skews older (45 vs 40).
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 193 | 351 +82% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.0% | -9.5% |
| Median age | 45 | 40 |
| Median household income | $80,600/yr +4% vs other | $77,220/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $335/wk +12% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).
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 (3.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $610,000 | $1,180,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 94% |
| Residential | 0% | 3% |
| Environmental | 0% | 2% |
| 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
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 55 across Dungog same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 21% of NSW same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 48% of NSW | Higher than 45% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 82% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 61% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
Liveability
Hilldale is more walkable (14 vs 0).
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Martins Creek carries more bushfire risk (47 vs 37).
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 37/100 | Moderate 47/100 |
| Crime | Low 26/100 | Low 19/100 |
| 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
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Hilldale
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Martins Creek
- Martins Creek Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 18 | 6 |
Mobility
Hilldale sits further from the CBD (199.9 km vs 192.2 km).
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 199.9 km +4% vs other | 192.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 154 min | 149 min |
| Public transport score | 28/100 Rail · Bus | 29/100 Rail · Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 4.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 5.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 2 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2420 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 2420 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 (76.2%).
Setting
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 116 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 152 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 35.6 km | 31.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 92 premises | 0% 146 premises |
Climate
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 996 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,646/yr same for both | |
| Council | Dungog same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hilldale | Martins Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hilldale
Other comparisons with Martins Creek
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.