Wakefield vs Freemans Waterhole

In Wakefield, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. In Freemans Waterhole, most households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Wakefield: a median of $1.73 million, against $435,000 in Freemans Waterhole, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Wakefield tends to suit families with children and couples, while Freemans Waterhole suits renters, people living alone, 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

Wakefield

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 52%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 44%)

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

  • Wakefield leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 101%)
  • Freemans Waterhole has cheaper houses ($435,000 vs $1,725,700)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Freemans Waterhole

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (71% vs 13%)
  • has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $353/wk)
  • But Wakefield leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 36%)

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

Commuting to the city

Freemans Waterhole

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (95 min vs 107 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (128.4 km vs 136.7 km)

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

Freemans Waterhole

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (21.2% vs 0.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
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.

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Walkability 13 / 10
Wakefield — Walkability: 13/100 Freemans Waterhole — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 3 / 2
Wakefield — Safety: 3/100 Freemans Waterhole — Safety: 2/100
Low fire risk 30 / 41
Wakefield — Low fire risk: 30/100 Freemans Waterhole — Low fire risk: 41/100

Demographics

Wakefield has higher household incomes ($118,612 vs $32,188); Wakefield rents higher ($353/wk vs $220/wk).

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Population 144
+17% vs other
 120
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.0% +21.2%
Median age 40 39
Median household income $118,612/yr
+73% vs other
 $32,188/yr
Median weekly rent $353/wk
+38% vs other
 $220/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
0-4 8.3% / 10.0%
Wakefield — 0-4: 8.3% Freemans Waterhole — 0-4: 10.0%
5-14 17.4% / 10.8%
Wakefield — 5-14: 17.4% Freemans Waterhole — 5-14: 10.8%
15-19 2.1% / 4.2%
Wakefield — 15-19: 2.1% Freemans Waterhole — 15-19: 4.2%
20-24 6.2% / 5.8%
Wakefield — 20-24: 6.2% Freemans Waterhole — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 4.9% / 14.2%
Wakefield — 25-34: 4.9% Freemans Waterhole — 25-34: 14.2%
35-44 16.7% / 16.7%
Wakefield — 35-44: 16.7% Freemans Waterhole — 35-44: 16.7%
45-54 15.3% / 16.7%
Wakefield — 45-54: 15.3% Freemans Waterhole — 45-54: 16.7%
55-64 14.6% / 7.5%
Wakefield — 55-64: 14.6% Freemans Waterhole — 55-64: 7.5%
65-74 6.9% / 12.5%
Wakefield — 65-74: 6.9% Freemans Waterhole — 65-74: 12.5%
75-84 2.1% / —
Wakefield — 75-84: 2.1% Freemans Waterhole — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / —
Wakefield — 85+: not among its largest Freemans Waterhole — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Wakefield 66.7% couple families
Wakefield — Couple Families: 66.7% Wakefield — Lone Person: 21.4% Wakefield — One Parent Families: 11.9% Wakefield — Group Household: 0.0%
Freemans Waterhole 28.8% couple families
Freemans Waterhole — Couple Families: 28.8% Freemans Waterhole — Lone Person: 50.0% Freemans Waterhole — One Parent Families: 15.4% Freemans Waterhole — Group Household: 5.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Wakefield 13.2% renting
Wakefield — Owned Outright: 52.6% Wakefield — Mortgage: 34.2% Wakefield — Renting: 13.2%
Freemans Waterhole 71.1% renting
Freemans Waterhole — Owned Outright: 13.2% Freemans Waterhole — Mortgage: 15.8% Freemans Waterhole — Renting: 71.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Wakefield 100.0% houses
Wakefield — Houses: 100.0% Wakefield — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Freemans Waterhole 51.9% houses
Freemans Waterhole — Houses: 51.9% Freemans Waterhole — Flats / Apartments: 48.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Certificate III & IV 18.1% / 12.5%
Wakefield — Certificate III & IV: 18.1% Freemans Waterhole — Certificate III & IV: 12.5%
Bachelor Degree 13.9% / 5.0%
Wakefield — Bachelor Degree: 13.9% Freemans Waterhole — Bachelor Degree: 5.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.6% / 2.5%
Wakefield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.6% Freemans Waterhole — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.5%
Postgraduate Degree 2.1% / 2.5%
Wakefield — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1% Freemans Waterhole — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / —
Wakefield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Freemans Waterhole — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

Property market

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Median house price $1,725,700 $435,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $2,788,500 —

Zoning mix

Freemans Waterhole has more rural and farming land (56% vs 14%); Wakefield has more land zoned for conservation (70% vs 41%).

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Environmental 70% 41%
Rural and farming 14% 56%
Infrastructure and transport 15% 3%
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

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
New dwellings approved 1,212
across Lake Macquarie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +2%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
House price Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
Income Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 2% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 62% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 36% of NSW Higher than 41% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 13% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 16% of NSW Higher than 8% of NSW

Liveability

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Wakefield carries more bushfire risk (70 vs 59).

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Bushfire High
70/100
 Moderate
59/100
Crime High
97/100
 High
98/100
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
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
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 Wakefield

  • Wakefield School Government · Secondary · Special school

Schools in Freemans Waterhole

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

Amenities in the suburb

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 1 7

Mobility

Wakefield sits further from the CBD (136.7 km vs 128.4 km).

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Walkability score 13/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 136.7 km
+6% vs other
 128.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 107 min 95 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2278
 0.5%
postcode 2323
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 2278
 44
postcode 2323

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.

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Car (driver) 64.4% / 51.7%
Wakefield — Car (driver): 64.4% Freemans Waterhole — Car (driver): 51.7%
Worked from Home 35.6% / 48.3%
Wakefield — Worked from Home: 35.6% Freemans Waterhole — Worked from Home: 48.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.4%).

Setting

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Elevation 49 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 87 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 13.9 km 17.5 km

NBN connectivity

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Connectivity score 15/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
26 premises
 0%
10 premises

Climate

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm 804 mm
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C 30.0°C
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C 5.1°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³ 5.0 µg/m³
PM10 16.5 µg/m³ 11.6 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.53 pphm 0.27 pphm

Council rates

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Average residential rate $1,708/yr
same for both
Council Lake Macquarie
same for both

Federal electorate

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Division Hunter
same for both
Member Dan Repacholi
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Wakefield Freemans Waterhole
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Wakefield

Family Professionals Rural

Freemans Waterhole

Affordable Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Wakefield

Wakefield vs Teralba Wakefield vs Killingworth Wakefield vs Fassifern Wakefield vs Awaba

Other comparisons with Freemans Waterhole

Freemans Waterhole vs Cooranbong Freemans Waterhole vs Killingworth Freemans Waterhole vs Awaba Freemans Waterhole vs Martinsville Freemans Waterhole vs Mount Vincent Freemans Waterhole vs Brunkerville
Full data on Wakefield Full data on Freemans Waterhole
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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