Get a property report and suburb profile for any property in Dunlop

Dunlop is a quiet, residential suburb on Canberra’s northern fringe with tree-lined streets, predominantly detached homes and easy access to open parkland. Playgrounds, sporting ovals and walking and cycling paths that run through pockets of native bush give a semi-rural touch to everyday life, and local shopping and community facilities are close at hand while larger retail and services are a short drive away.

Home to 7,265 people, Dunlop is weighted towards couple families with children, who make up 54.4% of families, and most dwellings are owner-occupied (about 81.5%). Transport Canberra buses, including route R2, connect to Belconnen and the city, and there is nearby open-space access toward Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve. There are no significant new infrastructure or development projects reported at this time. Whether Dunlop suits you comes down to what you want from a suburb.

Measured against what a typical local household earned at the last Census (about $2,503 a week), a median house price of $902,000 in Dunlop works out to about 6.9 times a typical local household's annual income at the last Census, which places buying a house well above local incomes. By contrast, the average house rent of $710 a week would take roughly 28.4% of that weekly household income, a moderate share (just under a third), so renting a house looks less stretched than buying on these figures.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

For someone weighing up Dunlop as an investment, the available house figures show both capital and rental gains over the past year. Median house values rose 7.9% over the 12 months, a solid increase, while house rents climbed 5.2%, also a solid rise, so capital growth outpaced rental income during this period.

Which of those movements matters most will depend on your own goals and circumstances — for example whether you are focused on rental income or on capital growth.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.