Megalong Valley vs Ganbenang
Megalong Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 57 in Ganbenang. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Megalong Valley, most households are couple families. In Ganbenang, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Megalong Valley tends to suit couples, while Ganbenang 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
Megalong Valley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (7 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 70%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Ganbenang
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($225/wk vs $280/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Megalong Valley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (137 min vs 171 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (132.1 km vs 164.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Ganbenang
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 20%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Ganbenang
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.7% vs -0.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Megalong Valley and Ganbenang 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
Megalong Valley has more residents (148 vs 109); Megalong Valley rents higher ($280/wk vs $225/wk).
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 148 +26% vs other | 109 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.7% | +14.7% |
| Median age | 52 | 57 |
| Median household income | $106,184/yr +4% vs other | $101,816/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $280/wk +20% vs other | $225/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.3%).
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 (7.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,300,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $42,000 |
Zoning mix
Ganbenang has more land zoned for conservation (25% vs 15%).
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 84% | 75% |
| Environmental | 15% | 25% |
| Parks and recreation | 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
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 123 across Blue Mountains | 55 across Lithgow |
| Approvals change year on year | +14% | +0% |
Ranking within NSW
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 67% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 72% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 49% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 90% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 27% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
Liveability
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 89/100 | High 87/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 53/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| 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
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Megalong Valley
- Megalong Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Ganbenang
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 7 | 0 |
| Waterways | 26 | 29 |
Mobility
Ganbenang sits further from the CBD (164.4 km vs 132.1 km).
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 132.1 km | 164.4 km +24% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 137 min | 171 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.5% postcode 2785 | 0.5% postcode 2790 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 39 postcode 2785 | 36 postcode 2790 |
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 (62.5%).
Setting
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 774 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 596 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 18/100 | 22/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 57 premises | 0% 54 premises |
Climate
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,496 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,080/yr | $1,150/yr |
| Council | Blue Mountains | Lithgow |
Federal electorate
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Macquarie | Calare |
| Member | Susan Templeman | Andrew Gee |
| Party | Australian Labor Party | Independent |
First Home Owner Grant
| Megalong Valley | Ganbenang | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Megalong Valley
Ganbenang
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Megalong Valley
Other comparisons with Ganbenang
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.