Lower Macdonald NSW 2775
Lower Macdonald is a rural locality in New South Wales, 82 km from Sydney CBD, around 1 hour 50 minutes by car. Population is 244; the median age is 53 and the median household income is $66,456 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The locality fell 6.2% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $310 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,907. Lower Macdonald is characterised by high bushfire risk. Walkability is low.
This locality is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 244. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
How do you rate the liveability in Lower Macdonald?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this locality.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataLower Macdonald's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $640,000, about 5% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$640,000
Based on 21 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 10 sales $800K
Land
$165,000
Based on only 5 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Is Lower Macdonald safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Lower Macdonald sits in the moderate band, with 9 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 800% on the prior year.
9 offences
800.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20254 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Hawkesbury City Council has published 5 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- Combined Macdonald River, Colo River, Webbs Creek and Greens Creek Flood Study and Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2025
- Redbank Creek Flood Study 2025
- Hawkesbury Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2025 2025
- Hobartville - Evacuation Route Study 2008
- Bligh Park - Evacuation Route Study 2007
Schools
Walkability
Lower Macdonald is very car-dependent on foot — at 14/100, nearly all errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Lower Macdonald.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 150
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Hawkesbury: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Lower Macdonald is home to 244 residents, with a median age of 53 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $66,000 a year, with unemployment at 8.6%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
244
Median Age
53
Median Household Income
$66,456/yr
Census Median Rent
$310/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,907/mo
Avg Household Size
2.0
Median Personal Income
$32,968/yr
Unemployment Rate
8.6%
Unoccupied Dwellings
62.3%
Total Dwellings
114
Owner-Occupier Rate
82.7%
Houses
101.8%
Rental Stress
24.3%
Mortgage Stress
34.4%
Work From Home
35.6%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 78.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 88.5%
- Employment Rate
- 46.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 29.1%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (3 of 108).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,650 a year through Hawkesbury based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Environmental 97%
- Rural and farming 2%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Hawkesbury
In the year to August 2026, 459 new dwellings were approved across Hawkesbury. That mix is 416 houses and 43 units. Approvals are up 2.6% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.
Climate & Setting
from Richmond - Uws Hawkesbury, 35.1 kmModerate rainfall.
- Elevation
- 19 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 32.3 km
- Annual rainfall
- 806 mm
- 59 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the locality centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 2775, 8 of 1,445 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.1% (30 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2775, 353 rooftop-solar systems totalling 2.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 976 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 25 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.
Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).
Mortgage repayments
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.
At $640,000 this is $40,000 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Susan Templeman Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Susan Templeman | 57.7% | 42.3% | +1.4 |
| 2022 | Susan Templeman | 57.8% | 42.2% | -7.6 |
| 2019 | Susan Templeman | 50.2% | 49.8% | +2.0 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Robyn Preston Liberal
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Robyn Preston LP | 59.8% |
| 2019 | Robyn Preston LP | 67.5% |
| 2015 | Dominic Perrottet LP | 67.8% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Lower Macdonald?
Every figure above is a locality average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 244 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Lower Macdonald to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Lower Macdonald
Is Lower Macdonald a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Lower Macdonald is moderate (58/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Lower Macdonald?
Lower Macdonald has a high recorded bushfire history (94/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Lower Macdonald?
Lower Macdonald, NSW had a population of 244 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Lower Macdonald, NSW?
The postcode for Lower Macdonald, NSW is 2775.
How far is Lower Macdonald from Sydney?
Lower Macdonald is 82 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 112 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Lower Macdonald?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Lower Macdonald was $66,456 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Lower Macdonald?
There are too few current rental listings in Lower Macdonald for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $310, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Lower Macdonald?
The median age of residents in Lower Macdonald was 53 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Lower Macdonald at risk of bushfire?
Lower Macdonald has a high recorded bushfire history (94/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
Is Lower Macdonald walkable?
Lower Macdonald scores 14/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Lower Macdonald?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Lower Macdonald, Richmond - Uws Hawkesbury (35.1 km away), 806 mm of rain a year over 59 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Lower Macdonald?
First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Lower Macdonald belong to?
Lower Macdonald sits within the Hawkesbury local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Lower Macdonald?
The average residential rates bill through Hawkesbury is $1,650 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Lower Macdonald?
Across Hawkesbury, 459 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 2.6% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Lower Macdonald in?
Lower Macdonald sits within the federal Division of Macquarie, currently held by Susan Templeman (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.