Mount Fairy vs Lake George
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Fairy, about half of households are couple families. In Lake George, 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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Lake George
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 3%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 18%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Lake George
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a shorter drive in (163 min vs 189 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
Mount Fairy and Lake George 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
Mount Fairy has more residents (244 vs 118); Lake George has higher household incomes ($195,000 vs $120,848).
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 244 +52% vs other | 118 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +19.0% | +20.4% |
| Median age | 46 same for both | |
| Median household income | $120,848/yr | $195,000/yr +61% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $410/wk +5% vs other | $388/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
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 (3.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,275,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Mount Fairy has more rural and farming land (99% vs 21%); Lake George has more land zoned for conservation (79% vs 0%).
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 21% |
| Environmental | 0% | 79% |
| 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
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 510 across Queanbeyan-Palerang same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +231% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 84% of NSW | Higher than 99% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 48% of NSW | Higher than 88% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 81% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 3% of NSW |
Liveability
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 52/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | Low 27/100 |
| 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
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 27 | 9 |
Mobility
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 253.4 km | 251.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 189 min | 163 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2580 | 1.0% postcode 2581 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 2580 | 67 postcode 2581 |
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 (64.5%).
Setting
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 730 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 673 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 73 premises | 0% 15 premises |
Climate
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 718 mm | 622 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.8°C | 28.5°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.0°C | 0.8°C |
Council rates
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,751/yr same for both | |
| Council | Queanbeyan-Palerang same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Fairy | Lake George | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Lake George
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Mount Fairy
Other comparisons with Lake George
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.