Kembla Heights vs Dombarton
Kembla Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 54 in Dombarton. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kembla Heights, the large majority of households rent. In Dombarton, the large majority of households own their home and most households are couple families. On these figures, Kembla Heights tends to suit renters, share households, and families with children, while Dombarton suits couples and older residents.
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
Dombarton
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 86/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 51%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Dombarton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 28%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $355/wk)
- But Kembla Heights has a bigger rental market to choose from (100% vs 13%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Kembla Heights
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (35/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (86.2 km vs 99.2 km)
- has a shorter drive in (85 min vs 95 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dombarton
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 86/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 16%)
- But Kembla Heights is more walkable (35/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Dombarton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-11.0% vs -26.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Kembla Heights and Dombarton 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
Dombarton has higher household incomes ($108,888 vs $65,780); Dombarton has more residents (130 vs 88).
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 88 | 130 +48% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -26.1% | -11.0% |
| Median age | 44 | 54 |
| Median household income | $65,780/yr | $108,888/yr +66% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $355/wk +15% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.4%).
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 (9.2%).
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 (20.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 95% | 91% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 6% |
| Rural and farming | 4% | 0% |
| Residential | 0% | 3% |
| 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
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,476 across Wollongong same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -31% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 77% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
Liveability
Kembla Heights is more walkable (35 vs 0).
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Kembla Heights carries more crime risk (86 vs 15).
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 82/100 | High 91/100 |
| Crime | High 86/100 | Low 15/100 |
| 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 | 5 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 UOW Wollongong, 7.8 km | None |
Amenities in the suburb
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Dombarton sits further from the CBD (99.2 km vs 86.2 km).
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 35/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 86.2 km | 99.2 km +15% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 85 min | 95 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 2526 | 0.7% postcode 2530 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2526 | 54 postcode 2530 |
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 (83.8%).
Setting
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 254 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 193 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 8.0 km | 11.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 17/100 | 32/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 7 premises | 2% 41 premises |
Climate
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 19.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.45 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,751/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wollongong same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cunningham | Whitlam |
| Member | Alison Byrnes | Carol Berry |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Kembla Heights | Dombarton | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Kembla Heights
Other comparisons with Dombarton
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.