Rushforth vs Shannondale
Shannondale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 47 in Rushforth. In both, the large majority of households own their home. In Rushforth, the large majority of homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. In Shannondale, about half of homes are flats or apartments and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Rushforth: a median of $885,000, against $575,000 in Shannondale, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Rushforth tends to suit older residents, while Shannondale suits people living alone, families with children, 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
Rushforth
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 46%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (76% vs 54%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Shannondale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($575,000 vs $885,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Shannondale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $420/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Rushforth
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (618.3 km vs 627.4 km)
- has a shorter drive in (419 min vs 424 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Rushforth has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 8%)
- Shannondale has more units and townhouses to downsize into (46% vs 24%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Rushforth
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.3% vs -14.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Rushforth and Shannondale 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
Rushforth has more residents (285 vs 76); Rushforth skews older (47 vs 36).
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 285 +73% vs other | 76 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.3% | -14.6% |
| Median age | 47 | 36 |
| Median household income | $79,248/yr +10% vs other | $71,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $420/wk +10% vs other | $380/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.6%).
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 (3.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $885,000 | $575,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $350,000 |
Zoning mix
Shannondale has more land zoned for conservation (22% vs 2%); Rushforth has more rural and farming land (97% vs 77%).
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 77% |
| Environmental | 2% | 22% |
| 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
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 246 across Clarence Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -80% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 19% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 8% of NSW | Higher than 46% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 78% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 17% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 66% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
Liveability
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Shannondale carries more bushfire risk (90 vs 80).
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 80/100 | High 90/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 41/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| 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
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 15 | 2 |
Mobility
Shannondale sits further from the CBD (627.4 km vs 618.3 km).
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 618.3 km | 627.4 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 419 min | 424 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2460 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 60 postcode 2460 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 43 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 57 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 41.8 km | 42.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 48/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 20% 109 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,060 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 8.3°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,380/yr same for both | |
| Council | Clarence Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Rushforth | Shannondale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Shannondale
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Rushforth
Other comparisons with Shannondale
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.