Ben Lomond vs Maybole
Maybole is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 47 in Ben Lomond. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ben Lomond, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Ben Lomond tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Maybole suits families with children.
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
Maybole
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 74/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (127% vs 106%)
- But Ben Lomond is already more of a family suburb (50% vs 38%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Ben Lomond
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($125/wk vs $150/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Ben Lomond
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (415 min vs 439 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (536.7 km vs 552.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Ben Lomond
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 12%)
- But Maybole carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 74/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Maybole
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.6% vs -11.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ben Lomond and Maybole drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Ben Lomond has more residents (135 vs 51); Maybole rents higher ($150/wk vs $125/wk).
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 135 +62% vs other | 51 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -11.2% | +18.6% |
| Median age | 47 | 41 |
| Median household income | $64,012/yr | $69,316/yr +8% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $125/wk | $150/wk +20% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.4%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $275,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 77 across Armidale | 31 across Inverell |
| Approvals change year on year | -76% | +0% |
Ranking within NSW
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 6% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 62% of NSW | Higher than 27% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 94% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 2% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
Liveability
Ben Lomond is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Ben Lomond carries more bushfire risk (38 vs 0); Ben Lomond carries more crime risk (74 vs 11).
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 38/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 74/100 | Low 11/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Ben Lomond
- Ben Lomond Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Maybole
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 36 | 0 |
Mobility
Maybole sits further from the CBD (552.4 km vs 536.7 km).
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 536.7 km | 552.4 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 415 min | 439 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2365 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 2365 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.0%).
Setting
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,340 m above sea level, at the suburb centre same for both | |
NBN connectivity
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 31 premises | 0% 16 premises |
Climate
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 906 mm | 817 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 24.0°C | 26.0°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.5°C | 1.6°C |
Council rates
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,477/yr | $1,170/yr |
| Council | Armidale | Inverell |
Federal electorate
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ben Lomond | Maybole | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Ben Lomond
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Ben Lomond
Other comparisons with Maybole
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.