Illawarra vs Lake Lonsdale
Illawarra is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 50 in Lake Lonsdale. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Illawarra, about half of households are people living alone. In Lake Lonsdale, most households are couple families.
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
Lake Lonsdale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 90/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Illawarra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 29%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Lake Lonsdale
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($50/wk vs $300/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (3% vs 17%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Illawarra
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (170 min vs 180 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (241 km vs 250.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Illawarra is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- Lake Lonsdale carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 90/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lake Lonsdale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (34.9% vs -2.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Illawarra and Lake Lonsdale 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
Illawarra rents higher ($300/wk vs $50/wk); Illawarra has more residents (80 vs 58).
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 80 +28% vs other | 58 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.4% | +34.9% |
| Median age | 42 | 50 |
| Median household income | $93,132/yr | $94,224/yr +1% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +83% vs other | $50/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (22.4%).
Zoning mix
Illawarra has more rural and farming land (57% vs 44%).
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 57% | 44% |
| Parks and recreation | 42% | 56% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 0% |
| 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
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 28 across Northern Grampians same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -62% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 62% of VIC | Higher than 65% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 58% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 23% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 28% of VIC | Higher than 23% of VIC |
Liveability
Illawarra is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Illawarra carries more crime risk (90 vs 25); Lake Lonsdale carries more bushfire risk (87 vs 69).
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 69/100 | High 87/100 |
| Crime | High 90/100 | Low 25/100 |
| Flood | High 88/100 | High 96/100 |
| 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
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 6 |
Mobility
Lake Lonsdale sits further from the CBD (250.2 km vs 241 km).
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 241 km | 250.2 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 170 min | 180 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3381 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 3381 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 194 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 189 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 26/100 | 23/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 30 premises | 0% 23 premises |
Climate
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 554 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,730/yr same for both | |
| Council | Northern Grampians same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Illawarra | Lake Lonsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Illawarra
Other comparisons with Lake Lonsdale
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.