Gunderman vs Lower Macdonald

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Gunderman: a median of $784,000, against $640,000 in Lower Macdonald, though rent is higher in Lower Macdonald. On these figures, Gunderman tends to suit people living alone, while Lower Macdonald suits 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

Lower Macdonald

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 81/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (39% vs 28%)
  • But Gunderman has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Lower Macdonald

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($640,000 vs $784,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Gunderman

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $310/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Lower Macdonald

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Lower Macdonald

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 81/100)

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

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

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
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.

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Walkability 0 / 14
Gunderman — Walkability: 0/100 Lower Macdonald — Walkability: 14/100
Safety 19 / 42
Gunderman — Safety: 19/100 Lower Macdonald — Safety: 42/100
Low fire risk 15 / 6
Gunderman — Low fire risk: 15/100 Lower Macdonald — Low fire risk: 6/100

Demographics

Lower Macdonald has more residents (244 vs 189); Lower Macdonald rents higher ($310/wk vs $250/wk).

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Population 189 244
+29% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.1% -6.2%
Median age 54 53
Median household income $55,224/yr $66,456/yr
+20% vs other
Median weekly rent $250/wk $310/wk
+24% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
0-4 3.7% / 2.9%
Gunderman — 0-4: 3.7% Lower Macdonald — 0-4: 2.9%
5-14 6.3% / 6.1%
Gunderman — 5-14: 6.3% Lower Macdonald — 5-14: 6.1%
15-19 3.2% / 5.3%
Gunderman — 15-19: 3.2% Lower Macdonald — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 2.6% / 1.2%
Gunderman — 20-24: 2.6% Lower Macdonald — 20-24: 1.2%
25-34 5.3% / 7.8%
Gunderman — 25-34: 5.3% Lower Macdonald — 25-34: 7.8%
35-44 12.2% / 9.8%
Gunderman — 35-44: 12.2% Lower Macdonald — 35-44: 9.8%
45-54 17.5% / 22.5%
Gunderman — 45-54: 17.5% Lower Macdonald — 45-54: 22.5%
55-64 24.3% / 18.9%
Gunderman — 55-64: 24.3% Lower Macdonald — 55-64: 18.9%
65-74 15.3% / 13.5%
Gunderman — 65-74: 15.3% Lower Macdonald — 65-74: 13.5%
75-84 5.8% / 13.1%
Gunderman — 75-84: 5.8% Lower Macdonald — 75-84: 13.1%
85+ 2.1% / —
Gunderman — 85+: 2.1% Lower Macdonald — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gunderman 67.6% lone person
Gunderman — Lone Person: 67.6% Gunderman — Couple Families: 22.1% Gunderman — One Parent Families: 5.9% Gunderman — Group Household: 4.4%
Lower Macdonald 55.0% lone person
Lower Macdonald — Lone Person: 55.0% Lower Macdonald — Couple Families: 28.7% Lower Macdonald — One Parent Families: 10.0% Lower Macdonald — Group Household: 6.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gunderman 18.8% renting
Gunderman — Owned Outright: 42.5% Gunderman — Mortgage: 38.8% Gunderman — Renting: 18.8%
Lower Macdonald 17.3% renting
Lower Macdonald — Owned Outright: 40.0% Lower Macdonald — Mortgage: 42.7% Lower Macdonald — Renting: 17.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Certificate III & IV 17.5% / 24.2%
Gunderman — Certificate III & IV: 17.5% Lower Macdonald — Certificate III & IV: 24.2%
Bachelor Degree 10.6% / 6.6%
Gunderman — Bachelor Degree: 10.6% Lower Macdonald — Bachelor Degree: 6.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.0% / 7.4%
Gunderman — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0% Lower Macdonald — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 2.5%
Gunderman — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Lower Macdonald — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 1.2%
Gunderman — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Lower Macdonald — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.2%).

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.

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
England 3.2% / 4.9%
Gunderman — England: 3.2% Lower Macdonald — England: 4.9%
New Zealand 4.8% / 1.2%
Gunderman — New Zealand: 4.8% Lower Macdonald — New Zealand: 1.2%
India 3.2% / —
Gunderman — India: 3.2% Lower Macdonald — India: not among its largest
South Africa 2.6% / —
Gunderman — South Africa: 2.6% Lower Macdonald — South Africa: not among its largest
Philippines 1.6% / —
Gunderman — Philippines: 1.6% Lower Macdonald — Philippines: not among its largest
Ireland — / 1.2%
Gunderman — Ireland: not among its largest Lower Macdonald — Ireland: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gunderman 97.7% houses
Gunderman — Houses: 97.7% Gunderman — Flats / Apartments: 2.3%
Lower Macdonald 101.8% houses
Lower Macdonald — Houses: 101.8% Lower Macdonald — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Median house price $784,000 $640,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $165,000

Zoning mix

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Environmental 99% 97%
Rural and farming 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

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
New dwellings approved 1,441
across Central Coast (NSW)
 459
across Hawkesbury
Approvals change year on year +67% +3%

Ranking within NSW

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
House price Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 23% of NSW
Income Higher than 15% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 20% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 44% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 56% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 32% of NSW

Liveability

Lower Macdonald is more walkable (14 vs 0).

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Gunderman carries more crime risk (81 vs 58).

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Bushfire High
85/100
 High
94/100
Crime High
81/100
 Moderate
58/100
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

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
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

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 3 0
Waterways 7 0

Mobility

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Walkability score 0/100 14/100
Distance to Sydney 82.7 km
+1% vs other
 81.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 115 min 112 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2775
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 36
postcode 2775
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.

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Car (driver) 66.7% / 64.4%
Gunderman — Car (driver): 66.7% Lower Macdonald — Car (driver): 64.4%
Worked from Home 22.8% / 35.6%
Gunderman — Worked from Home: 22.8% Lower Macdonald — Worked from Home: 35.6%
Walked Only 10.5% / —
Gunderman — Walked Only: 10.5% Lower Macdonald — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.7%).

Setting

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Elevation 163 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 23.8 km 32.3 km

NBN connectivity

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Connectivity score 20/100 22/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
93 premises
 0%
150 premises

Climate

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Annual rainfall 806 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Average residential rate $1,409/yr $1,650/yr
Council Central Coast (NSW) Hawkesbury

Federal electorate

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Division Robertson Macquarie
Member Gordon Reid Susan Templeman
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gunderman Lower Macdonald
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gunderman

Rural

Lower Macdonald

Acreage Affordable Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gunderman

Gunderman vs Spencer Gunderman vs Wisemans Ferry Gunderman vs Laughtondale Gunderman vs Lower Mangrove Gunderman vs Mangrove Creek

Other comparisons with Lower Macdonald

Lower Macdonald vs Wisemans Ferry Lower Macdonald vs Webbs Creek
Full data on Gunderman Full data on Lower Macdonald
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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