NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Balcolyn, 2264
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
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
In Lake Macquarie, Balcolyn is a settled smaller community with a familiar suburban feel and good links to the wider city. Still within reach of the city while offering more breathing room, it suits those who want balance over bustle. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with plenty of young families in the mix.
Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally. The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete.
A busy pipeline of new development is gradually changing the look and feel of the streets.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker housing affordability and transport and access against similar metro suburbs, even with safety holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,002
- Median age
- 43
- Median household income / week
- $1,525
- Dwelling vacancy
- 15.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 70 of 457
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 51.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 22 / 0 / 16
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
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $628
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 99
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)
- 85
- Against the person
- 22
- Against property
- 32
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 84.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 46 residents
- State safety percentile
- 60th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -12.1%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Domestic Violence Related Assault97
- Fraud105
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment115
- Malicious Damage To Property97
- Transport Regulatory Offences251
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
Public transport
15 public transport stops in this suburb
- Bay St At Centour St
- Bay St At Helena St
- Bay St Opp Centour St
- Yarrawonga Park Rd After Lake Rd
- Yarrawonga Park Rd Opp Lake 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).
62 planning-related records
2026· 5 proposals
May 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure33 LAKE ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
April 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool32 KING STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
March 2026
- Subdivision110 LAKE ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Under Assessment
January 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Residential Accommodation; Supporting Development6 BEACH ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure3 BALCOLYN STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
2025· 11 proposals
December 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah8 QUEEN STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure31 LAKE ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure35 LAKE ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation59 BAY STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
October 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool14 BEACH ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
July 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space1 LAWRIE STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Demolition; Swimming pool65 BAY STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
June 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure60 BAY STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
May 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure1 COLBAN STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool40 BALCOLYN STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
March 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Portable swimming pools and spas and child-resistant barriers11 BALCOLYN STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
2024· 8 proposals
November 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure6 HELENA STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
September 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool37 QUEEN STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
August 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Cabanas, cubby houses, ferneries, garden sheds, gazebos and greenhouses; Carport; Landscaping structures; Swimming pool114 LAKE ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
July 2024
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure32 KING STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
May 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure3 BEACH ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
March 2024
- Demolition40 BALCOLYN STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Community facility40 YARRAWONGA PARK ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
February 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation14 BEACH ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
2023· 11 proposals
November 2023
- Shed; Erection of a new structure13 CENTOUR STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure55 BAY STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
October 2023
- Demolition; Shed; Erection of a new structure28 BAY STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
September 2023
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure39 BEACH ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Dwelling; Retaining walls, protection of trees8C LAKE ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
August 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development55 BAY STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Secondary dwelling35 LAKE ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
June 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development3 BEACH ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces18 BAY STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
February 2023
- Subdivision of land6 LAKE ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
January 2023
- Dwelling; Demolition; Retaining walls, protection of trees8 BAY STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
2022· 5 proposals
November 2022
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision of land56 BAY STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
- Secondary dwelling4 QUEEN STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
September 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development17 KING STREET BALCOLYN 2264Determined
August 2022
- Other19 BEACH ROAD BALCOLYN 2264Determined
July 2022
- Dwelling; Secondary dwelling2/8 Lake, Road, Balcolyn NSWDetermined
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
11 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- 67 Bay StBus stop
- Bay St at Centour StBus stop
- Bay St at Helena StBus stop
- Bay St opp 67Bus stop
- Bay St opp Centour StBus stop
- Yarrawonga Park Rd after Lake RdBus stop
- Yarrawonga Park Rd opp Lake RdBus stop
- Playground (2)
- Public toilets
- Slipway
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
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Balcolyn Hall ReservePark
- Shingle SplittersPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
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)
- 2
- 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
- 22.9/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6295th in Australia
- State rank
- 1957th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #407 among Metro Sydney · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #848 among Metro Sydney suburbs
- Data confidence
- 70%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- 67 Bay Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Bay St at Centour Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Bay St at Helena Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Bay St opp 67amenitiesbus_stop
- Bay St opp Centour Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Public toiletsamenitiestoilets
- Slipwayamenitiesslipway
- Yarrawonga Park Rd after Lake Rdamenitiesbus_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.