Upper Dartbrook vs Middle Brook

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Upper Dartbrook, about half of households are couple families. In Middle Brook, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Upper Dartbrook: a median of $1.15 million, against $924,000 in Middle Brook, though rent is higher in Middle Brook. On these figures, Middle Brook 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

Upper Dartbrook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 23/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Middle Brook

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 34%)
  • has cheaper houses ($923,750 vs $1,150,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Upper Dartbrook

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($235/wk vs $400/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 20%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Middle Brook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a shorter drive in (216 min vs 221 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Upper Dartbrook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 23/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Middle Brook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (15.6% vs 4.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Upper Dartbrook and Middle Brook drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Walkability 0 / 0
Upper Dartbrook — Walkability: 0/100 Middle Brook — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 90 / 77
Upper Dartbrook — Safety: 90/100 Middle Brook — Safety: 77/100
Low fire risk 62 / 55
Upper Dartbrook — Low fire risk: 62/100 Middle Brook — Low fire risk: 55/100

Demographics

Middle Brook has more residents (260 vs 152); Middle Brook rents higher ($400/wk vs $235/wk).

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Population 152 260
+71% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.1% +15.6%
Median age 42 44
Median household income $95,836/yr $102,336/yr
+7% vs other
Median weekly rent $235/wk $400/wk
+70% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
0-4 6.6% / 6.9%
Upper Dartbrook — 0-4: 6.6% Middle Brook — 0-4: 6.9%
5-14 18.4% / 14.6%
Upper Dartbrook — 5-14: 18.4% Middle Brook — 5-14: 14.6%
15-19 4.6% / 6.5%
Upper Dartbrook — 15-19: 4.6% Middle Brook — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 — / 4.6%
Upper Dartbrook — 20-24: not among its largest Middle Brook — 20-24: 4.6%
25-34 11.8% / 6.9%
Upper Dartbrook — 25-34: 11.8% Middle Brook — 25-34: 6.9%
35-44 11.8% / 13.8%
Upper Dartbrook — 35-44: 11.8% Middle Brook — 35-44: 13.8%
45-54 12.5% / 17.3%
Upper Dartbrook — 45-54: 12.5% Middle Brook — 45-54: 17.3%
55-64 19.1% / 12.7%
Upper Dartbrook — 55-64: 19.1% Middle Brook — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 9.2% / 10.0%
Upper Dartbrook — 65-74: 9.2% Middle Brook — 65-74: 10.0%
75-84 5.9% / 6.2%
Upper Dartbrook — 75-84: 5.9% Middle Brook — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 2.0% / 1.2%
Upper Dartbrook — 85+: 2.0% Middle Brook — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Upper Dartbrook 50.0% couple families
Upper Dartbrook — Couple Families: 50.0% Upper Dartbrook — Lone Person: 36.8% Upper Dartbrook — One Parent Families: 13.2%
Middle Brook 66.1% couple families
Middle Brook — Couple Families: 66.1% Middle Brook — Lone Person: 33.9% Middle Brook — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Upper Dartbrook 20.0% renting
Upper Dartbrook — Owned Outright: 42.2% Upper Dartbrook — Mortgage: 37.8% Upper Dartbrook — Renting: 20.0%
Middle Brook 13.9% renting
Middle Brook — Owned Outright: 45.6% Middle Brook — Mortgage: 40.5% Middle Brook — Renting: 13.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Upper Dartbrook 100.0% houses
Upper Dartbrook — Houses: 100.0%
Middle Brook 103.4% houses
Middle Brook — Houses: 103.4%
Houses

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Certificate III & IV 21.1% / 18.8%
Upper Dartbrook — Certificate III & IV: 21.1% Middle Brook — Certificate III & IV: 18.8%
Bachelor Degree 12.5% / 7.3%
Upper Dartbrook — Bachelor Degree: 12.5% Middle Brook — Bachelor Degree: 7.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.9% / 5.0%
Upper Dartbrook — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.9% Middle Brook — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / —
Upper Dartbrook — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Middle Brook — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.5%
Upper Dartbrook — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Middle Brook — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

Property market

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Median house price $1,150,000 $923,750
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $405,000

Zoning mix

Upper Dartbrook has more rural and farming land (86% vs 56%); Middle Brook has more land zoned for conservation (41% vs 14%).

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Rural and farming 86% 56%
Environmental 14% 41%
Residential 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

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
New dwellings approved 41
across Upper Hunter
same for both
Approvals change year on year -20%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
House price Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
Income Higher than 63% of NSW Higher than 70% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 1% of NSW Higher than 43% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW

Liveability

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Middle Brook carries more crime risk (23 vs 10).

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Bushfire Low
38/100
 Moderate
45/100
Crime Low
10/100
 Low
23/100
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

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
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

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Parks & reserves 1 0
Waterways 76 5

Mobility

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 298.3 km 296.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 221 min 216 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2336
 0.2%
postcode 2337
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 2336
 41
postcode 2337

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.

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Car (driver) 81.5% / 73.5%
Upper Dartbrook — Car (driver): 81.5% Middle Brook — Car (driver): 73.5%
Worked from Home 18.5% / 26.5%
Upper Dartbrook — Worked from Home: 18.5% Middle Brook — Worked from Home: 26.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.5%).

Setting

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Elevation 343 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 429 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Connectivity score 20/100 30/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
50 premises
 0%
99 premises

Climate

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Annual rainfall 631 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 31.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Average residential rate $968/yr
same for both
Council Upper Hunter
same for both

Federal electorate

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Division New England
same for both
Member Barnaby Joyce
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Upper Dartbrook Middle Brook
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Upper Dartbrook

Family River Rural

Middle Brook

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Upper Dartbrook

Upper Dartbrook vs Scone Upper Dartbrook vs Moobi Upper Dartbrook vs Owens Gap Upper Dartbrook vs Warrah Creek Upper Dartbrook vs Big Jacks Creek

Other comparisons with Middle Brook

Middle Brook vs Scone Middle Brook vs Parkville Middle Brook vs Dry Creek
Full data on Upper Dartbrook Full data on Middle Brook
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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