NSW · Upper Lachlan Shire Council
Dalton, 2581
Current weather
10.5°CClear sky
70% humidity · 20.7 km/h wind · 13.8° / 7.2° today · 11.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Dalton is a quieter smaller community in Upper Lachlan Shire, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. A strong local centre anchors daily routines, while the surrounding region adds variety for weekends away. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Buses and nearby services make commuting and cross-suburb trips straightforward.
Homes offer solid value for the lifestyle on offer. Occasional new builds add variety while most of the suburb keeps its established look.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and growth momentum lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in safety. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 230
- Median age
- 48
- Median household income / week
- $1,531
- Dwelling vacancy
- 14.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 14 of 94
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Employment rate
- 51.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 3 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 10
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 3
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 43.5
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 115 residents
- State safety percentile
- 19.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +0.3%
Reported offences are unchanged compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Domestic Violence Related Assault7
- Malicious Damage To Property8
- Possession And/Or Use Of Cannabis10
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offences11
- Receiving Or Handling Stolen Goods9
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Period: Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 936
- Dalton Public SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
29 public transport stops in this suburb
- 1598 Jerrawa Rd
- Gunning St At Chapel St
- Loop Rd After Gunning St
- Rugby Rd At Felled Timber Rd
- Rugby Rd Before Felled Timber Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
12 planning-related records
2026· 1 proposal
April 2026
- Demolition; Shed; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation682 DALTON ROAD DALTON 2581Withdrawn
2025· 1 proposal
December 2025
- Demolition; Shed; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation682 DALTON ROAD DALTON 2581Withdrawn
2024· 2 proposals
September 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation135 LOOP ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
January 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure1269 RYE PARK ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
2023· 5 proposals
November 2023
- Subdivision1598 JERRAWA ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
June 2023
- Dwelling201 WALSHS ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
March 2023
- Dwelling9 YOUNG STREET DALTON 2581Determined
February 2023
- Subdivision of land12 BROWN STREET DALTON 2581Determined
January 2023
- Shed6 LOOP ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
2022· 2 proposals
August 2022
- Other1598 JERRAWA ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
June 2022
- Shed6 LOOP ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
2021· 1 proposal
July 2021
- Other1598 JERRAWA ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- St Matthews Anglican ChurchPlace of worship
10 Jobson Street, Dalton
- Dalton Post OfficePost office
30 Gunning Street
- Sports field
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Fossilised RockPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 5
- Parks (OSM)
- 2
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 28.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5590th in Australia
- State rank
- 1754th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #408 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #775 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Dalton Post Officeamenities30 Gunning Streetpost_office
- Sports fieldamenitiespitch
- St Matthews Anglican Churchamenities10 Jobson Street, Daltonplace_of_worship
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime7
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime8
- Possession And/Or Use Of Cannabiscrime10
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offencescrime11
- Receiving Or Handling Stolen Goodscrime9
- 1598 Jerrawa Rdtransport
- Gunning St At Chapel Sttransport
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Upper Lachlan Shire Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.