NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Argenton, 2284
Current weather
16.9°CClear sky
67% humidity · 13.5 km/h wind · 20.8° / 13.8° today · 3.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Dog friendly
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Lake Macquarie, Argenton is a settled smaller community with a familiar suburban feel and good links to the wider city. The metro area remains accessible without feeling caught up in the inner-city rush. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with plenty of young families in the mix.
Daily life is practical and well connected, with the city and nearby suburbs easy to tap into. Pocket parks and green corners give residents room to get outside without leaving the neighbourhood. Public transport is a genuine asset, linking residents to work, study and nearby neighbourhoods.
Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots. Active development is adding new homes and refreshed pockets throughout the suburb.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker transport and access and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar metro suburbs, even with parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,352
- Median age
- 40
- Median household income / week
- $1,318
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 47 of 611
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Employment rate
- 51.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 67 / 68 / 17
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.
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $510
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $675
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $655
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 84
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · Period: January to March 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 126
- Against the person
- 31
- Against property
- 54
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 93.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 44 residents
- State safety percentile
- 65.4th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +7.1%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Fraud81
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment88
- Malicious Damage To Property89
- Steal From Motor Vehicle89
- Transport Regulatory Offences174
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
- 934
- Argenton 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
24 public transport stops in this suburb
- Lake Rd After Park Av
- Lake Rd At McLaughlin St
- Lake Rd At Princess St
- Lake Rd At Victoria St
- Lake Rd At Waratah St
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).
60 planning-related records
2026· 7 proposals
May 2026
- Secondary dwelling; Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure8 MARGARET STREET ARGENTON 2284Under Assessment
- Demolition; Multi-dwelling housing; Medium Density Housing; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation1 PARK AVENUE ARGENTON 2284Under Assessment
April 2026
- Signage; Advertising and signage; Advertising structure456 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Under Assessment
March 2026
- Subdivision14 VICTORIA STREET ARGENTON 2284Additional Information Requested
- Demolition; Subdivision14 ELIZABETH STREET ARGENTON 2284Under Assessment
January 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Recreation facility (outdoor)456 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Additional Information Requested
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Garage, carport or carparking space402 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Determined
2025· 6 proposals
August 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure401 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Determined
June 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure97 MONTGOMERY STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
- Signage; Advertising and signage; Advertising structure456 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Withdrawn
April 2025
- Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Multi-dwelling housing (terraces)2 MARGARET STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
March 2025
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Group home (permanent)37 PARK AVENUE ARGENTON 2284Determined
- Subdivision8 ELIZABETH STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
2024· 10 proposals
December 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure57 PARK AVENUE ARGENTON 2284Determined
November 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space10 WILLIAM STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
October 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Centre-based child care415 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Determined
September 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space41 Robert Street ArgentonDetermined
August 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation374 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Determined
July 2024
- Dwelling house; Subdivision37 MONTGOMERY STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
June 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure45 PARK AVENUE ARGENTON 2284Determined
May 2024
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)22 VICTORIA STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
April 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; High technology industry533 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Determined
February 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure6 WARATAH STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
2023· 11 proposals
October 2023
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah (screened enclosures); Carport6 PRINCESS STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure58 MONTGOMERY STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
September 2023
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Emergency services facility533 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Determined
August 2023
- Demolition10 WILLIAM STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
July 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development454 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Determined
March 2023
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces80 MONTGOMERY STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
- Secondary dwelling140 MONTGOMERY STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
February 2023
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces36 ROBERT STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Alterations and additions to residential development; Garages, carports and car parking spaces6 WARATAH STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
- Demolition; Residential flat building; Subdivision of land2 MARY STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
January 2023
- Telecommunications and communication facilities535 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Determined
2022· 6 proposals
November 2022
- Demolition; Multi-dwelling housing; Retaining walls, protection of trees16 MCLAUGHLIN STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces21 WILLIAM STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
October 2022
- Mixed use development428 LAKE ROAD ARGENTON 2284Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces36 ROBERT STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
September 2022
- Demolition; Multi-dwelling housing; Alterations and additions to residential development; Subdivision of land6 ELIZABETH STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
- Secondary dwelling140 MONTGOMERY STREET ARGENTON 2284Determined
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
21 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bench
- Lake Rd after Park AvBus stop
- Lake Rd at McLaughlin StBus stop
- Lake Rd at Park AvBus stop
- Lake Rd at Princess StBus stop
- Lake Rd at Victoria StBus stop
- Lake Rd at Waratah StBus stop
- Lake Rd opp Club MacquarieBus stop
- Lake Rd opp NSW Mines Rescue ServiceBus stop
- Lake Rd opp Waratah StBus stop
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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
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)
- 8
- Parks (OSM)
- 4
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
- 27.9/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5641st in Australia
- State rank
- 1765th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #385 among Metro Sydney · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #809 among Metro Sydney 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
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Club Macquarieamenitiespub
- Jack Edwards Ovalamenitiespitch
- Kindyerra Parkamenitiesdog_park
- Lake Rd after Park Avamenitiesbus_stop
- Lake Rd at McLaughlin Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Lake Rd at Park Avamenitiesbus_stop
- Lake Rd at Princess Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Lake Rd at Victoria Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Lake Rd at Waratah Stamenitiesbus_stop
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Lake Macquarie Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.