Merrygoen vs Dunedoo
Merrygoen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 51 in Dunedoo. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Merrygoen, most households are people living alone. In Dunedoo, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Merrygoen tends to suit people living alone, while Dunedoo suits 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
Dunedoo
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (45% vs 37%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices.
Renters
Merrygoen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dunedoo
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (43/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (290 min vs 343 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (354.9 km vs 399.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dunedoo
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (43/100 vs 0/100)
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Dunedoo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-10.2% vs -31.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Merrygoen and Dunedoo 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
Dunedoo has more residents (1,097 vs 79); Dunedoo rents higher ($200/wk vs $150/wk).
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 79 | 1,097 +1289% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -31.3% | -10.2% |
| Median age | 41 | 51 |
| Median household income | $46,800/yr | $51,220/yr +9% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $200/wk +33% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (22.8%).
Property market
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $412,000 | $412,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 55 days from 5 sales |
Zoning mix
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 93% |
| Environmental | 0% | 7% |
| 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
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 10 across Warrumbungle same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -75% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 7.0% $470/wk on $350K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 11% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 8% of NSW | Higher than 12% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 19% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 83% of NSW |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 27% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 10% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 100% of NSW |
Liveability
Dunedoo is more walkable (43 vs 0).
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 27/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Dunedoo carries more bushfire risk (32 vs 0).
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Crime | High 88/100 | High 84/100 |
| 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
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Merrygoen
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Dunedoo
- Dunedoo Central School Government · Combined above peers
- St Michael's Catholic Primary School Dunedoo Catholic · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 3 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 8 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 2 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 3 |
| Waterways | 3 | 96 |
Mobility
Merrygoen sits further from the CBD (399.6 km vs 354.9 km).
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 43/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 399.6 km +11% vs other | 354.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 343 min | 290 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2831 | 0.2% postcode 2844 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — postcode 2831 | 64 postcode 2844 |
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 (66.4%).
Setting
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 497 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 381 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 19 premises | 0% 556 premises |
Climate
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 640 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 32.2°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $671/yr same for both | |
| Council | Warrumbungle same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Parkes same for both | |
| Member | Jamie Chaffey same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Merrygoen | Dunedoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Merrygoen
Dunedoo
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Merrygoen
Other comparisons with Dunedoo
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.