NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Mandalong, 2264
Current weather
16.2°CClear sky
56% humidity · 12.3 km/h wind · 21.9° / 13.2° today · 4 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Lake Macquarie, Mandalong keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Life revolves around the local community, with the wider region offering trips and services when needed. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
The area suits established families and long-term locals, with plenty of young families in the mix. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.
Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. Active development is adding new homes and refreshed pockets throughout the suburb.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in community and employment. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 433
- Median age
- 47
- Median household income / week
- $1,906
- Dwelling vacancy
- 16.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 26 of 161
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,383
- Employment rate
- 56.8%
- 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.
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)
- 37
- Against the person
- 9
- Against property
- 14
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 85.5
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 48 residents
- State safety percentile
- 60.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -11.7%
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
6 public transport stops in this suburb
- Mandalong Rd At Chapman Rd
- Mandalong Rd At Chapman Rd
- Mandalong Rd Before Kerry Anderson Dr
- Mandalong Rd Opp Kerry Anderson Dr
- Mandalong Rd Opp Kerry Anderson Dr
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).
39 planning-related records
2026· 4 proposals
May 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure186 TOBINS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Under Assessment
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure86 CUT ROCK FOREST ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space124 MIDWAY ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure202 CUT ROCK FOREST ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
2025· 7 proposals
December 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah (screened enclosures)202 CUT ROCK FOREST ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
- Demolition230 BROWNS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
November 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure146 MANDALUCK CHASE MANDALONG 2264Determined
October 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Eco-tourist facility159 TOBINS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Additional Information Requested
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces743 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
July 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support97 MANDALUCK CHASE MANDALONG 2264Withdrawn
May 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure369 CROOKS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
2024· 2 proposals
April 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure85 MIDWAY ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
March 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure229 SAULS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
2023· 6 proposals
December 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure85 MIDWAY ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
November 2023
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool687 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
October 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure832 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure41 LITTLE VALLEY ROAD MANDALONG 2264Withdrawn
July 2023
- Pools / decks / fencing158 TOBINS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
March 2023
- Pools / decks / fencing58 TIMBER ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
2022· 7 proposals
December 2022
- Farm buildings349 CROOKS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Withdrawn
November 2022
- Dwelling158 TOBINS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
September 2022
- Other555 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
July 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing743 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
May 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing619 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
February 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development202 CUT ROCK FOREST ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
January 2022
- Shed555 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
2021· 11 proposals
November 2021
- Farm buildings658 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
October 2021
- Emergency services facility and bush fire hazard reduction2 KERRY ANDERSON DRIVE, MANDALONGDetermined
July 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development202 CUT ROCK FOREST ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development183 CROOKS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
- Dwelling86 CUT ROCK FOREST ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
June 2021
- Dual occupancy; Pools / decks / fencing343 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
May 2021
- Dwelling209 DEAVES ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
- Pools / decks / fencing146 MANDALUCK CHASE MANDALONG 2264Determined
February 2021
- Dwelling209 DEAVES ROAD MANDALONG 2264Rejected
- Pools / decks / fencing209 DEAVES ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
January 2021
- Dwelling; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Demolition; Alterations and additions to residential development337 SAULS ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
2020· 2 proposals
December 2020
- Pools / decks / fencing745 MANDALONG ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
January 2020
- Farm buildings260 DEAVES ROAD MANDALONG 2264Determined
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
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Mandalong Cricket GroundSports 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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 8/10
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
- Overlay applies
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)
- 18
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
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
- 27.0/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5770th in Australia
- State rank
- 1807th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #436 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #817 among Country & regional 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
- Mandalong Cricket Groundamenitiespitch
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime97
- Fraudcrime105
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime115
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime97
- Transport Regulatory Offencescrime251
- Mandalong Rd At Chapman Rdtransport
- Mandalong Rd At Chapman Rdtransport
- Mandalong Rd Before Kerry Anderson Drtransport
- Mandalong Rd Opp Kerry Anderson Drtransport
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 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.