Balgownie vs Fairy Meadow

Fairy Meadow is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 42 in Balgownie. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Balgownie, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Balgownie tends to suit couples, while Fairy Meadow suits young adults, people living alone, and share households.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Balgownie

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 77/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 48%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (72% vs 57%)
  • But Fairy Meadow has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Balgownie

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (29% vs 36%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Fairy Meadow

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (42% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($390/wk vs $450/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Fairy Meadow

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 65/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Fairy Meadow

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (43% vs 28%)
  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 65/100)
  • But Balgownie carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 77/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Balgownie

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.3% vs 2.9%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Balgownie and Fairy Meadow drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Walkability 65 / 89
Balgownie — Walkability: 65/100 Fairy Meadow — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 60 / 23
Balgownie — Safety: 60/100 Fairy Meadow — Safety: 23/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Balgownie — Low fire risk: 100/100 Fairy Meadow — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Balgownie has higher household incomes ($99,424 vs $73,164); Fairy Meadow has more residents (7,512 vs 5,722).

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Population 5,722 7,512
+31% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.6% +1.4%
Median age 42 38
Median household income $99,424/yr
+26% vs other
 $73,164/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+13% vs other
 $390/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
0-4 5.8% / 4.6%
Balgownie — 0-4: 5.8% Fairy Meadow — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 12.6% / 10.4%
Balgownie — 5-14: 12.6% Fairy Meadow — 5-14: 10.4%
15-19 5.3% / 5.1%
Balgownie — 15-19: 5.3% Fairy Meadow — 15-19: 5.1%
20-24 5.8% / 10.5%
Balgownie — 20-24: 5.8% Fairy Meadow — 20-24: 10.5%
25-34 10.4% / 14.8%
Balgownie — 25-34: 10.4% Fairy Meadow — 25-34: 14.8%
35-44 12.7% / 11.6%
Balgownie — 35-44: 12.7% Fairy Meadow — 35-44: 11.6%
45-54 12.7% / 12.0%
Balgownie — 45-54: 12.7% Fairy Meadow — 45-54: 12.0%
55-64 13.1% / 11.4%
Balgownie — 55-64: 13.1% Fairy Meadow — 55-64: 11.4%
65-74 11.2% / 9.4%
Balgownie — 65-74: 11.2% Fairy Meadow — 65-74: 9.4%
75-84 8.1% / 7.2%
Balgownie — 75-84: 8.1% Fairy Meadow — 75-84: 7.2%
85+ 2.2% / 3.1%
Balgownie — 85+: 2.2% Fairy Meadow — 85+: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Balgownie 47.3% couple families
Balgownie — Couple Families: 47.3% Balgownie — Lone Person: 30.9% Balgownie — One Parent Families: 17.6% Balgownie — Group Household: 3.4% Balgownie — Other Families: 0.8%
Fairy Meadow 31.3% couple families
Fairy Meadow — Couple Families: 31.3% Fairy Meadow — Lone Person: 39.9% Fairy Meadow — One Parent Families: 16.7% Fairy Meadow — Group Household: 10.3% Fairy Meadow — Other Families: 1.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Balgownie 22.3% renting
Balgownie — Owned Outright: 46.8% Balgownie — Mortgage: 30.9% Balgownie — Renting: 22.3%
Fairy Meadow 42.3% renting
Fairy Meadow — Owned Outright: 35.3% Fairy Meadow — Mortgage: 22.4% Fairy Meadow — Renting: 42.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Certificate III & IV 14.4% / 15.7%
Balgownie — Certificate III & IV: 14.4% Fairy Meadow — Certificate III & IV: 15.7%
Bachelor Degree 15.2% / 13.1%
Balgownie — Bachelor Degree: 15.2% Fairy Meadow — Bachelor Degree: 13.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 7.8%
Balgownie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Fairy Meadow — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Postgraduate Degree 5.3% / 6.1%
Balgownie — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3% Fairy Meadow — Postgraduate Degree: 6.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 1.6%
Balgownie — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Fairy Meadow — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
England 2.8% / 3.0%
Balgownie — England: 2.8% Fairy Meadow — England: 3.0%
Italy 3.0% / 2.4%
Balgownie — Italy: 3.0% Fairy Meadow — Italy: 2.4%
India 0.8% / 2.5%
Balgownie — India: 0.8% Fairy Meadow — India: 2.5%
China 1.2% / 1.7%
Balgownie — China: 1.2% Fairy Meadow — China: 1.7%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.0%
Balgownie — New Zealand: 0.9% Fairy Meadow — New Zealand: 1.0%
Vietnam — / 1.7%
Balgownie — Vietnam: not among its largest Fairy Meadow — Vietnam: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Balgownie 71.8% houses
Balgownie — Houses: 71.8% Balgownie — Townhouses: 26.1% Balgownie — Flats / Apartments: 2.0%
Fairy Meadow 57.4% houses
Fairy Meadow — Houses: 57.4% Fairy Meadow — Townhouses: 19.5% Fairy Meadow — Flats / Apartments: 23.1%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Median house price $1,425,000 $1,360,000
Median unit price — $600,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 38 days
from 30 sales
 28 days
from 38 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
3 bed $1.22M / $1.25M
Balgownie — 3 bed: $1.22M (25 sales) Fairy Meadow — 3 bed: $1.25M (38 sales)

25 vs 38 sales

4 bed $1.55M / $1.5M
Balgownie — 4 bed: $1.55M (28 sales) Fairy Meadow — 4 bed: $1.5M (28 sales)

28 vs 28 sales

5 bed $1.56M / $1.45M
Balgownie — 5 bed: $1.56M (15 sales) Fairy Meadow — 5 bed: $1.45M (9 sales)

15 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Balgownie has more land zoned for conservation (38% vs 0%); Fairy Meadow has more industrially zoned land (11% vs 0%).

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Residential 52%
same for both
Environmental 38% 0%
Parks and recreation 4% 20%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 13%
Industrial 0% 11%
Commercial 1% 2%
Planning zones cover 100% of Balgownie and 99% of Fairy Meadow. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
New dwellings approved 1,476
across Wollongong
same for both
Approvals change year on year -31%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Houses 4.3%
$950/wk on $1.15M
 2.9%
$765/wk on $1.35M
Units — 4.0%
$570/wk on $745K

Ranking within NSW

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
House price Higher than 69% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW
Income Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 7% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 25% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 86% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 23% of NSW

Liveability

Balgownie scores higher overall (69 vs 48); Fairy Meadow is more walkable (89 vs 65).

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Grade B C
Score 69/100 48/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Fairy Meadow carries more crime risk (77 vs 40).

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
40/100
 High
77/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
17/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Inside the suburb 1 4
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 4
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
UOW Wollongong, 5.0 km
 1
UOW Wollongong, 3.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.7% 4.7%

Schools in Balgownie

  • Balgownie Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Fairy Meadow

  • Fairy Meadow Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Mount Ousley Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Towradgi Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 0 5
Parks & reserves 2 8
Childcare 7 5
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1 3
Fuel stations 1 2
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 1 7

Mobility

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Walkability score 65/100 89/100
Distance to Sydney 84.9 km
+2% vs other
 83 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 81 min 79 min
Public transport score 76/100
Bus
 79/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 82.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 256.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.3%
postcode 2519
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 2519
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Car (driver) 60.0% / 57.9%
Balgownie — Car (driver): 60.0% Fairy Meadow — Car (driver): 57.9%
Worked from Home 33.6% / 30.8%
Balgownie — Worked from Home: 33.6% Fairy Meadow — Worked from Home: 30.8%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / 3.9%
Balgownie — Car (passenger): 3.7% Fairy Meadow — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Walked Only 1.0% / 3.0%
Balgownie — Walked Only: 1.0% Fairy Meadow — Walked Only: 3.0%
Bus 0.5% / 2.5%
Balgownie — Bus: 0.5% Fairy Meadow — Bus: 2.5%
Train 0.8% / 1.2%
Balgownie — Train: 0.8% Fairy Meadow — Train: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.0%).

Setting

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Elevation 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 12 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.4 km
3.4 km to a named beach
 1.2 km
1.2 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Connectivity score 80/100 69/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 64%
2,429 premises
 44%
3,773 premises

Climate

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Annual rainfall 1,038 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
PM2.5 6.2 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.66 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Average residential rate $1,751/yr
same for both
Council Wollongong
same for both

Federal electorate

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Division Cunningham
same for both
Member Alison Byrnes
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Balgownie Fairy Meadow
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Balgownie

Townhouses

Fairy Meadow

Beach Coastal Parks River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Balgownie

Balgownie vs Tarrawanna Balgownie vs Mount Keira Balgownie vs Mount Pleasant Balgownie vs Fernhill

Other comparisons with Fairy Meadow

Fairy Meadow vs Towradgi Fairy Meadow vs North Wollongong Fairy Meadow vs Mount Ousley Fairy Meadow vs Mount Pleasant Fairy Meadow vs Fernhill
Full data on Balgownie Full data on Fairy Meadow
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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