Mount Fairy vs Tarago
Tarago is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 46 in Mount Fairy. 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 Tarago, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Mount Fairy: a median of $1.27 million, against $788,000 in Tarago. On these figures, Tarago tends to suit families with children and 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
Tarago
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Tarago
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($787,500 vs $1,275,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Mount Fairy has a shorter drive in (189 min vs 201 min)
- Tarago sits closer to the CBD (248.2 km vs 253.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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 Tarago 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
Tarago has more residents (510 vs 244); Mount Fairy skews older (46 vs 40).
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 244 | 510 +109% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +19.0% | +19.7% |
| Median age | 46 | 40 |
| Median household income | $120,848/yr +13% vs other | $105,404/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $410/wk +2% vs other | $400/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).
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 (3.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,275,000 | $787,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $550,000 |
Zoning mix
Mount Fairy has more rural and farming land (99% vs 63%); Tarago has more land zoned for conservation (26% vs 0%).
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 63% |
| Environmental | 0% | 26% |
| Industrial | 0% | 10% |
| 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 | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 510 across Queanbeyan-Palerang | 332 across Goulburn Mulwaree |
| Approvals change year on year | +231% | -1% |
Ranking within NSW
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 84% of NSW | Higher than 72% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 48% of NSW | Higher than 87% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
Liveability
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 47/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Mount Fairy carries more bushfire risk (52 vs 40).
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 52/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | Low 26/100 |
| 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 | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Mount Fairy
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Tarago
- Tarago Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 3 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 27 | 11 |
Mobility
Mount Fairy sits further from the CBD (253.4 km vs 248.2 km).
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 253.4 km +2% vs other | 248.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 189 min | 201 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2580 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 2580 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 (66.2%).
Setting
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 730 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 764 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 73 premises | 0% 72 premises |
Climate
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 718 mm | 620 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.8°C | 27.1°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.0°C | 0.9°C |
Council rates
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,751/yr | $1,370/yr |
| Council | Queanbeyan-Palerang | Goulburn Mulwaree |
Federal electorate
| Mount Fairy | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tarago | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Mount Fairy
Other comparisons with Tarago
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.