Dural, NSW 2158

A semi-rural suburb roughly 36 km north-west of the Sydney CBD, lying partly in The Hills Shire and partly in Hornsby Shire, on the historic convict-built Old Northern Road. At the 2021 census Dural had 7,900 residents — 64.1% born in Australia — with a median age of 45 and a median weekly household income of $2,482, well above the national figure; 81% of homes were owner-occupied. It is famous as a heartland of Sydney garden nurseries and rural-residential acreage: Swane's Nurseries, one of Sydney's best-known plant nurseries, has occupied a 15-hectare site at 490 Galston Road in Dural since the 1940s, with display gardens and a cafe (Swane's; Man of Many). Dural retains a village character around Old Northern Road (its village shopping centre and markets sit at 644–662 Old Northern Road), and Round Corner is a locality in the south-western part of the suburb. The name comes from Dooral-Dooral, an Aboriginal name meaning 'a smoking hollow tree', applied by Surveyor Richard Dundiate's 1817 map to an area that then included Glenorie, Galston, Arcadia and Middle Dural.

At a Glance

Transport

Dural has no railway station or metro stop; it is connected to Castle Hill metro station, Cherrybrook metro station and Pennant Hills railway station by bus services operated by CDC NSW, which has a depot on New Line Road next to McDonald's in Dural. Bus route 639 runs from Maraylya to Dural and Castle Hill via Kenthurst, linking Dural village to Castle Hill station on the Sydney Metro. Old Northern Road is the suburb's main arterial, carrying traffic south to Castle Hill and the M2 and north towards Glenorie.

Schools

Dural has five schools within the suburb: Dural Public School (NSW government primary school), Pacific Hills Christian School (independent Christian school, Prep to Year 12, at 9-15 Quarry Road), Lorien Novalis School (independent Rudolf Steiner school), Redfield College (independent Catholic boys' school, associated with Opus Dei) and Warrah Specialist School (independent school for students with disabilities and autism, on a bushland site at 20 Harris Road). There is no government high school in Dural itself — public secondary students are served by high schools in adjoining suburbs such as Galston High School in Galston and Muirfield High School in Glenhaven, catchment depending on the side of the suburb a home sits on.

Shopping & Amenities

Dural's village shopping area runs along Old Northern Road in the suburb's centre: Dural Village Shopping Centre at 644-646 Old Northern Road hosts shops and services, and the Dural Village Markets (fresh produce and local crafts) are held at 662 Old Northern Road (aussiestoresonline; Huddle events). The Dural Country Club, a licensed club with bistro dining at 662A Old Northern Road, is a local social hub. Swane's Nurseries at 490 Galston Road adds the Green Vibes cafe open for breakfast and lunch within its display gardens (Swane's). A CDC NSW bus depot and McDonald's sit on New Line Road, and Quarry Road is home to the Amateur Radio New South Wales clubrooms, library and broadcasting site.

Parks & Outdoors

Dural is an acreage suburb where countryside, paddocks, horse agistment and wholesale plant nurseries dominate the landscape — the suburb spans about 34 square kilometres with 18 parks covering nearly 43.5% of the total area, much of it semi-rural bushland and large lots. Dural Park on Quarry Road is the home ground of the Northwest Hawks Junior Rugby League Football Club, and the suburb hosts the Dural Rugby Club, Dural Country Club soccer teams and the Redfield Lions and Pacific Hills Pumas soccer and rugby clubs. Swane's 15-hectare nursery gardens at 490 Galston Road double as a visitor attraction (Swane's; Man of Many).

Property Market

The median house price in Dural was around ~$2.5M (12-month medians across trackers, retrieved Sep 2026): YIP/CoreLogic median sold price $2,528,000 on 82 house sales in the 12 months to May 2026; OnTheHouse/Cotality median house value $2,461,910 as at 30 June 2026 (mid-2026). See our full Sydney property price map for how the suburb compares across the city. Dural's median reflects a wide mix — conventional houses around the Old Northern Road village sit alongside rural-residential acreage and horse properties, so the median sits below headline prices for premium 5-acre holdings, which routinely sell for $2.5M-$3.5M+. 81% of homes were owner-occupied at the 2021 census and households are predominantly couples with children repaying over $4,000/month. No realestate.com.au median was retrievable; figures above are the two accessible trackers, which agree closely on houses.

New Developments

Development in Dural is minimal and small-scale, consistent with its rural and rural-residential zoning: The Hills Shire's rural planning strategy protects large-acreage lots in the Hills portion of the suburb and identifies this 'rural lifestyle living' as rare within Greater Sydney, while subdivision of larger holdings, home extensions, farm buildings and nursery operations make up most change.

Jobs & Local Economy

Dural's local employment base is rural and small-business oriented: the suburb is home to long-established plant nurseries such as Swane's, several independent schools (Dural Public, Pacific Hills Christian, Lorien Novalis, Redfield College, Warrah) that are significant local employers, the Dural Country Club, and the CDC NSW bus depot on New Line Road. Most employed residents commute out to Hills District employment hubs such as Norwest Business Park and the Castle Hill/Rouse Hill retail precincts, or to Sydney's CBD via Old Northern Road and the M2.

Nearby Suburbs

Kenthurst, Middle Dural, Galston, Hornsby Heights, Glenhaven, Hornsby, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Westleigh

Sources & method

Researched 5 September 2026 from named public sources — census and government records, transport authorities, council and planning documents — plus published sales data. Where sources disagree on a figure, the guide says so rather than picking one.

Sources cited in this guide:

• Wikipedia — Dural
• NSW Government

Corrections are welcome — if something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

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