Charleys Forest vs Mongarlowe
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Charleys Forest, the large majority of households are people living alone. In Mongarlowe, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Mongarlowe: a median of $1.2 million, against $585,000 in Charleys Forest, though rent is higher in Charleys Forest. On these figures, Charleys Forest tends to suit people living alone, families with children, and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Mongarlowe
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 23/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (27% vs 17%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Charleys Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($585,000 vs $1,200,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Mongarlowe
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 32%)
- has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $275/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Mongarlowe
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (258.2 km vs 268.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mongarlowe
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 23/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Charleys Forest and Mongarlowe 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
Mongarlowe has more residents (121 vs 70); Mongarlowe has higher household incomes ($66,612 vs $44,200).
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 70 | 121 +73% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.7% | — |
| Median age | 55 | 54 |
| Median household income | $44,200/yr | $66,612/yr +51% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk +13% vs other | $240/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).
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 (11.4%).
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 (24.3%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $585,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $2,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 86% | 81% |
| Environmental | 14% | 19% |
| 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
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 510 across Queanbeyan-Palerang same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +231% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 29% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 18% of NSW same for both | |
| Affordability | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 22% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 73% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 9% of NSW |
Liveability
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Charleys Forest carries more crime risk (23 vs 10).
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 81/100 | High 86/100 |
| Crime | Low 23/100 | Low 10/100 |
| 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
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 23 | 7 |
Mobility
Charleys Forest sits further from the CBD (268.1 km vs 258.2 km).
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 268.1 km +4% vs other | 258.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 206 min | 210 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.8% postcode 2622 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 57 postcode 2622 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 (73.1%).
Setting
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 664 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 642 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 37.2 km | 42.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 34 premises | 0% 51 premises |
Climate
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 724 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,751/yr same for both | |
| Council | Queanbeyan-Palerang same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Charleys Forest | Mongarlowe | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
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.