Upper Dartbrook vs Scone

Scone is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 42 in Upper Dartbrook. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Upper Dartbrook, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Upper Dartbrook: a median of $1.15 million, against $655,000 in Scone, though rent is higher in Scone. On these figures, Upper Dartbrook tends to suit families with children and couples, while Scone suits 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Upper Dartbrook carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 79/100)
  • Scone has more parks and reserves (11 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Scone

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($655,000 vs $1,150,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 34%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Upper Dartbrook

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 19%)
  • has cheaper rent ($235/wk vs $290/wk)
  • But Scone has a bigger rental market to choose from (32% vs 20%)

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

Commuting to the city

Scone

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (197 min vs 221 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (274.6 km vs 298.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Upper Dartbrook carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 79/100)
  • Scone is more walkable (71/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Upper Dartbrook and Scone 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 Scone
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 Scone
Walkability 0 / 71
Upper Dartbrook — Walkability: 0/100 Scone — Walkability: 71/100
Safety 90 / 21
Upper Dartbrook — Safety: 90/100 Scone — Safety: 21/100
Low fire risk 62 / 60
Upper Dartbrook — Low fire risk: 62/100 Scone — Low fire risk: 60/100

Demographics

Scone has more residents (5,824 vs 152); Scone rents higher ($290/wk vs $235/wk).

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Population 152 5,824
+3732% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.1% +3.6%
Median age 42 39
Median household income $95,836/yr
+18% vs other
 $78,364/yr
Median weekly rent $235/wk $290/wk
+23% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Upper Dartbrook Scone
0-4 6.6% / 5.4%
Upper Dartbrook — 0-4: 6.6% Scone — 0-4: 5.4%
5-14 18.4% / 14.3%
Upper Dartbrook — 5-14: 18.4% Scone — 5-14: 14.3%
15-19 4.6% / 5.6%
Upper Dartbrook — 15-19: 4.6% Scone — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 — / 4.8%
Upper Dartbrook — 20-24: not among its largest Scone — 20-24: 4.8%
25-34 11.8% / 13.6%
Upper Dartbrook — 25-34: 11.8% Scone — 25-34: 13.6%
35-44 11.8% / 12.9%
Upper Dartbrook — 35-44: 11.8% Scone — 35-44: 12.9%
45-54 12.5% / 12.1%
Upper Dartbrook — 45-54: 12.5% Scone — 45-54: 12.1%
55-64 19.1% / 11.6%
Upper Dartbrook — 55-64: 19.1% Scone — 55-64: 11.6%
65-74 9.2% / 9.6%
Upper Dartbrook — 65-74: 9.2% Scone — 65-74: 9.6%
75-84 5.9% / 6.8%
Upper Dartbrook — 75-84: 5.9% Scone — 75-84: 6.8%
85+ 2.0% / 3.3%
Upper Dartbrook — 85+: 2.0% Scone — 85+: 3.3%

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% Upper Dartbrook — Group Household: 0.0% Upper Dartbrook — Other Families: 0.0%
Scone 38.6% couple families
Scone — Couple Families: 38.6% Scone — Lone Person: 40.0% Scone — One Parent Families: 15.5% Scone — Group Household: 4.5% Scone — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other 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%
Scone 31.8% renting
Scone — Owned Outright: 32.9% Scone — Mortgage: 35.3% Scone — Renting: 31.8%
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% Upper Dartbrook — Townhouses: 0.0% Upper Dartbrook — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Scone 84.3% houses
Scone — Houses: 84.3% Scone — Townhouses: 13.3% Scone — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Certificate III & IV 21.1% / 18.3%
Upper Dartbrook — Certificate III & IV: 21.1% Scone — Certificate III & IV: 18.3%
Bachelor Degree 12.5% / 8.2%
Upper Dartbrook — Bachelor Degree: 12.5% Scone — Bachelor Degree: 8.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.9% / 6.1%
Upper Dartbrook — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.9% Scone — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 0.9%
Upper Dartbrook — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Scone — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.7%
Upper Dartbrook — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Scone — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7%

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

Property market

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Median house price $1,150,000 $655,000
Median unit price — $357,500
Median land price — $300,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 32 days
from 73 sales

Zoning mix

Upper Dartbrook has more rural and farming land (86% vs 73%).

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Rural and farming 86% 73%
Environmental 14%
same for both
Residential 0% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 2%
Parks and recreation 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 Scone
New dwellings approved 41
across Upper Hunter
same for both
Approvals change year on year -20%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Houses — 3.9%
$600/wk on $804K
Units — 5.7%
$450/wk on $408K

Ranking within NSW

Upper Dartbrook Scone
House price Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW
Income Higher than 63% of NSW Higher than 46% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 56% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 1% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 67% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 91% of NSW

Liveability

Scone is more walkable (71 vs 0).

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Grade — C
Score — 39/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Scone carries more crime risk (79 vs 10).

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Bushfire Low
38/100
 Moderate
40/100
Crime Low
10/100
 High
79/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
 High
83/100
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Inside the suburb 0 4
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Upper Dartbrook

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Scone

  • Scone High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Scone Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • St Mary's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Scone Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 7
Parks & reserves 1 11
Childcare 0 4
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 4
Fuel stations 0 4
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 76 38

Mobility

Upper Dartbrook sits further from the CBD (298.3 km vs 274.6 km).

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Walkability score 0/100 71/100
Distance to Sydney 298.3 km
+8% vs other
 274.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 221 min 197 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 Scone
Car (driver) 81.5% / 78.4%
Upper Dartbrook — Car (driver): 81.5% Scone — Car (driver): 78.4%
Worked from Home 18.5% / 9.8%
Upper Dartbrook — Worked from Home: 18.5% Scone — Worked from Home: 9.8%
Car (passenger) — / 6.5%
Upper Dartbrook — Car (passenger): not among its largest Scone — Car (passenger): 6.5%
Walked Only — / 3.9%
Upper Dartbrook — Walked Only: not among its largest Scone — Walked Only: 3.9%
Bicycle — / 1.2%
Upper Dartbrook — Bicycle: not among its largest Scone — Bicycle: 1.2%

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

Setting

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Elevation 343 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 203 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Upper Dartbrook Scone
Connectivity score 20/100 50/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
50 premises
 13%
3,010 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Upper Dartbrook Scone
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

Scone

Affordable Parks River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Upper Dartbrook

Upper Dartbrook vs Middle Brook Upper Dartbrook vs Moobi Upper Dartbrook vs Owens Gap Upper Dartbrook vs Warrah Creek Upper Dartbrook vs Big Jacks Creek

Other comparisons with Scone

Scone vs Aberdeen Scone vs Parkville Scone vs Middle Brook Scone vs Segenhoe Scone vs Moobi Scone vs Dartbrook
Full data on Upper Dartbrook Full data on Scone
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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