Goobarragandra vs Lacmalac
Lacmalac is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 52 in Goobarragandra. 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 Lacmalac: a median of $1.4 million, against $600,000 in Goobarragandra, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Goobarragandra tends to suit older residents 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
Goobarragandra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (82% vs 72%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Goobarragandra has cheaper houses ($600,000 vs $1,401,074)
- Lacmalac leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 27%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Goobarragandra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Lacmalac
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (270 min vs 344 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (418.3 km vs 445.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Goobarragandra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Goobarragandra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (27.1% vs -8.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Goobarragandra and Lacmalac 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
Lacmalac has higher household incomes ($143,000 vs $75,816); Lacmalac has more residents (146 vs 89).
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 89 | 146 +64% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +27.1% | -8.2% |
| Median age | 52 | 48 |
| Median household income | $75,816/yr | $143,000/yr +89% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $300/wk +50% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.8%).
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 (4.8%).
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 (22.6%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $600,000 | $1,401,074 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $180,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Goobarragandra has more land zoned for conservation (72% vs 0%); Lacmalac has more rural and farming land (98% vs 28%).
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 28% | 98% |
| Environmental | 72% | 0% |
| Residential | 0% | 2% |
| 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
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 36 across Snowy Valleys same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 72% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 93% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 35% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 79% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 9% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
Liveability
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Goobarragandra carries more bushfire risk (83 vs 15).
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 83/100 | Low 15/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 44/100 | Low 37/100 |
| 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
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 53 | 3 |
Mobility
Goobarragandra sits further from the CBD (445.3 km vs 418.3 km).
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 445.3 km +6% vs other | 418.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 344 min | 270 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2720 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 51 postcode 2720 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 (82.7%).
Setting
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 802 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 377 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 36 premises | 0% 64 premises |
Climate
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 889 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $945/yr same for both | |
| Council | Snowy Valleys same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Goobarragandra | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Goobarragandra
Lacmalac
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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.