Suntop vs Walmer
Walmer is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 47 in Suntop. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses and the large majority of households are couple families. In Suntop, the large majority of households own their home. In Walmer, about half of households rent. Houses cost more in Suntop: a median of $680,000, against $470,000 in Walmer, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Walmer tends to suit families with children, 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
Walmer
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 60/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 80%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 81%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Walmer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($470,000 vs $680,000)
Weighs house prices.
Renters
Walmer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($185/wk vs $270/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Walmer
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (293 min vs 307 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (362.8 km vs 374 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Walmer
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 60/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 18%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Walmer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (36.8% vs -12.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Suntop and Walmer 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
Suntop rents higher ($270/wk vs $185/wk); Suntop skews older (47 vs 39).
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 61 +15% vs other | 52 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -12.9% | +36.8% |
| Median age | 47 | 39 |
| Median household income | $117,000/yr +9% vs other | $106,548/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $270/wk +31% vs other | $185/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.6%).
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 (24.6%).
Property market
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $680,000 | $470,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 99% |
| 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
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 405 across Dubbo same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -12% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| Income | — | Higher than 72% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 27% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 8% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
Liveability
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Suntop carries more crime risk (60 vs 35).
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 11/100 | Low 12/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 60/100 | Low 35/100 |
| 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
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 5 | 1 |
Mobility
Suntop sits further from the CBD (374 km vs 362.8 km).
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 6/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 374 km +3% vs other | 362.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 307 min | 293 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2820 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 50 postcode 2820 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 (74.3%).
Setting
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 380 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 392 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 24/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 22 premises | 0% 15 premises |
Climate
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 641 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 32.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,233/yr same for both | |
| Council | Dubbo same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Suntop | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Suntop
Walmer
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Suntop
Other comparisons with Walmer
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.