Lakelands vs Warners Bay

Lakelands is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 46 in Warners Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Lakelands, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lakelands: a median of $1.25 million, against $1.11 million in Warners Bay, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Lakelands tends to suit couples, while Warners Bay suits people living alone and older residents.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Lakelands carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 69/100)
  • Warners Bay has more childcare (10 vs 0)

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

  • Lakelands leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 32%)
  • Warners Bay has cheaper houses ($1,111,500 vs $1,250,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Lakelands leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 28%)
  • Warners Bay has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 10%)

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

Commuting to the city

Warners Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (79/100 vs 54/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Warners Bay

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (32% vs 6%)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 16%)
  • But Lakelands carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 69/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Warners Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.2% vs 1.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lakelands Warners Bay
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.

Lakelands Warners Bay
Walkability 54 / 79
Lakelands — Walkability: 54/100 Warners Bay — Walkability: 79/100
Safety 78 / 31
Lakelands — Safety: 78/100 Warners Bay — Safety: 31/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Lakelands — Low fire risk: 100/100 Warners Bay — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Warners Bay has more residents (8,237 vs 1,445); Lakelands has higher household incomes ($120,380 vs $77,688).

Lakelands Warners Bay
Population 1,445 8,237
+470% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.5% +8.2%
Median age 43 46
Median household income $120,380/yr
+35% vs other
 $77,688/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+7% vs other
 $420/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lakelands Warners Bay
0-4 4.1% / 4.6%
Lakelands — 0-4: 4.1% Warners Bay — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 14.4% / 11.4%
Lakelands — 5-14: 14.4% Warners Bay — 5-14: 11.4%
15-19 7.6% / 6.5%
Lakelands — 15-19: 7.6% Warners Bay — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 5.5% / 4.8%
Lakelands — 20-24: 5.5% Warners Bay — 20-24: 4.8%
25-34 7.1% / 9.1%
Lakelands — 25-34: 7.1% Warners Bay — 25-34: 9.1%
35-44 12.9% / 11.8%
Lakelands — 35-44: 12.9% Warners Bay — 35-44: 11.8%
45-54 14.8% / 13.7%
Lakelands — 45-54: 14.8% Warners Bay — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 17.6% / 12.5%
Lakelands — 55-64: 17.6% Warners Bay — 55-64: 12.5%
65-74 9.4% / 13.3%
Lakelands — 65-74: 9.4% Warners Bay — 65-74: 13.3%
75-84 5.7% / 9.3%
Lakelands — 75-84: 5.7% Warners Bay — 75-84: 9.3%
85+ 1.0% / 3.2%
Lakelands — 85+: 1.0% Warners Bay — 85+: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lakelands 62.3% couple families
Lakelands — Couple Families: 62.3% Lakelands — Lone Person: 23.8% Lakelands — One Parent Families: 10.6% Lakelands — Group Household: 1.9% Lakelands — Other Families: 1.4%
Warners Bay 36.6% couple families
Warners Bay — Couple Families: 36.6% Warners Bay — Lone Person: 41.3% Warners Bay — One Parent Families: 17.9% Warners Bay — Group Household: 2.9% Warners Bay — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lakelands 10.4% renting
Lakelands — Owned Outright: 45.5% Lakelands — Mortgage: 44.1% Lakelands — Renting: 10.4%
Warners Bay 23.9% renting
Warners Bay — Owned Outright: 45.3% Warners Bay — Mortgage: 30.8% Warners Bay — Renting: 23.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Lakelands Warners Bay
Certificate III & IV 14.7% / 16.9%
Lakelands — Certificate III & IV: 14.7% Warners Bay — Certificate III & IV: 16.9%
Bachelor Degree 17.5% / 13.0%
Lakelands — Bachelor Degree: 17.5% Warners Bay — Bachelor Degree: 13.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.4% / 9.0%
Lakelands — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.4% Warners Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0%
Postgraduate Degree 3.8% / 3.8%
Lakelands — Postgraduate Degree: 3.8% Warners Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 3.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.5% / 1.8%
Lakelands — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5% Warners Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

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.

Lakelands Warners Bay
England 2.1% / 3.1%
Lakelands — England: 2.1% Warners Bay — England: 3.1%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.2%
Lakelands — New Zealand: 1.5% Warners Bay — New Zealand: 1.2%
India 0.9% / 0.6%
Lakelands — India: 0.9% Warners Bay — India: 0.6%
Scotland 0.8% / 0.7%
Lakelands — Scotland: 0.8% Warners Bay — Scotland: 0.7%
South Africa 0.6% / 0.6%
Lakelands — South Africa: 0.6% Warners Bay — South Africa: 0.6%
China 0.8% / 0.3%
Lakelands — China: 0.8% Warners Bay — China: 0.3%
Germany — / 0.7%
Lakelands — Germany: not among its largest Warners Bay — Germany: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lakelands 94.1% houses
Lakelands — Houses: 94.1% Lakelands — Townhouses: 5.7% Lakelands — Flats / Apartments: 0.2%
Warners Bay 67.6% houses
Warners Bay — Houses: 67.6% Warners Bay — Townhouses: 23.1% Warners Bay — Flats / Apartments: 9.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Lakelands Warners Bay
Median house price $1,250,000 $1,111,500
Median unit price — $880,000
Median land price — $1,150,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 19 days
from 9 sales
 25 days
from 81 sales

Zoning mix

Lakelands Warners Bay
Residential 67% 53%
Environmental 14% 21%
Parks and recreation 16% 7%
Industrial 0% 8%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 4%
Rural and farming 0% 4%
Commercial 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

Lakelands Warners Bay
New dwellings approved 1,212
across Lake Macquarie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +2%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Lakelands Warners Bay
Houses — 3.6%
$710/wk on $1.01M
Units — 3.5%
$650/wk on $968K

Ranking within NSW

Lakelands Warners Bay
House price Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
Income Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 34% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 92% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 80% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 73% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 53% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 10% of NSW

Liveability

Lakelands scores higher overall (73 vs 49); Warners Bay is more walkable (79 vs 54).

Lakelands Warners Bay
Grade A B
Score 73/100 49/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Warners Bay carries more crime risk (69 vs 22).

Lakelands Warners Bay
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
22/100
 Moderate
69/100
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 3
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Lakelands Warners Bay
Inside the suburb 0 4
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 1
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 9.2 km
 None

Schools in Lakelands

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Warners Bay

  • St Mary's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Warners Bay High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Warners Bay Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Biddabah Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Lakelands Warners Bay
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 0 5
Childcare 0 10
GPs 0 2
Pharmacies 0 2
Hospitals 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 4
Fuel stations 0 5
Waterways 0 11

Mobility

Lakelands Warners Bay
Walkability score 54/100 79/100
Distance to Sydney 147.8 km
same for both
Drive time (normal traffic) 117 min
same for both
Public transport score 37/100
Bus
 77/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 9.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 161.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 2282
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 46
postcode 2282
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.

Lakelands Warners Bay
Car (driver) 64.4% / 65.7%
Lakelands — Car (driver): 64.4% Warners Bay — Car (driver): 65.7%
Worked from Home 30.2% / 27.3%
Lakelands — Worked from Home: 30.2% Warners Bay — Worked from Home: 27.3%
Car (passenger) 5.0% / 4.3%
Lakelands — Car (passenger): 5.0% Warners Bay — Car (passenger): 4.3%
Walked Only 0.5% / 1.7%
Lakelands — Walked Only: 0.5% Warners Bay — Walked Only: 1.7%
Bus — / 0.6%
Lakelands — Bus: not among its largest Warners Bay — Bus: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.7%).

Setting

Lakelands Warners Bay
Elevation 37 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.4 km 7.0 km

NBN connectivity

Lakelands Warners Bay
Connectivity score 73/100 64/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 51%
533 premises
 34%
4,507 premises

Climate

Lakelands Warners Bay
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Lakelands Warners Bay
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.53 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Lakelands Warners Bay
Average residential rate $1,708/yr
same for both
Council Lake Macquarie
same for both

Federal electorate

Lakelands Warners Bay
Division Shortland
same for both
Member Pat Conroy
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lakelands Warners Bay
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lakelands

Large Blocks Quiet

Warners Bay

Parks Regional Centre Retirees River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lakelands

Lakelands vs Macquarie Hills

Other comparisons with Warners Bay

Warners Bay vs Eleebana Warners Bay vs Mount Hutton Warners Bay vs Macquarie Hills Warners Bay vs Speers Point Warners Bay vs Cardiff South Warners Bay vs Hillsborough
Full data on Lakelands Full data on Warners Bay
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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