Collector vs Lake George
Collector is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 46 in Lake George. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lake George: a median of $1.2 million, against $855,000 in Collector, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Collector tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while Lake George suits people living alone.
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
Collector
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 64%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Collector
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($855,000 vs $1,200,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Collector has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $388/wk)
- Lake George has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 10%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Collector
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (149 min vs 163 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (231.2 km vs 251.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Lake George
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 12%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Collector and Lake George 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
Collector has more residents (376 vs 118); Lake George rents higher ($388/wk vs $200/wk).
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 376 +69% vs other | 118 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +20.1% | +20.4% |
| Median age | 38 | 46 |
| Median household income | $114,400/yr | $195,000/yr +70% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $388/wk +94% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (3.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $855,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $520,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Lake George has more land zoned for conservation (79% vs 3%); Collector has more rural and farming land (96% vs 21%).
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 21% |
| Environmental | 3% | 79% |
| 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
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 121 across Yass Valley | 510 across Queanbeyan-Palerang |
| Approvals change year on year | +14% | +231% |
Ranking within NSW
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 52% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 79% of NSW | Higher than 99% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 18% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 88% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 81% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 9% of NSW | Higher than 3% of NSW |
Liveability
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Lake George carries more bushfire risk (59 vs 15).
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 15/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Crime | Low 30/100 | Low 27/100 |
| 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
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Collector
- Collector Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Lake George
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 17 | 9 |
Mobility
Lake George sits further from the CBD (251.8 km vs 231.2 km).
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 231.2 km | 251.8 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 149 min | 163 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 2581 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 2581 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 (69.4%).
Setting
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 685 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 673 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 49 premises | 0% 15 premises |
Climate
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 620 mm | 622 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.1°C | 28.5°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 0.9°C | 0.8°C |
Council rates
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,162/yr | $1,751/yr |
| Council | Yass Valley | Queanbeyan-Palerang |
Federal electorate
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina | Eden-monaro |
| Member | Michael Mccormack | Kristy Mcbain |
| Party | The Nationals | Australian Labor Party |
First Home Owner Grant
| Collector | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Lake George
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Collector
Other comparisons with Lake George
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.