Garden Suburb
NSWGarden Suburb is a growing suburb in NSW with 1,959 residents.
- SAL code
- 11591
- SA2
- 111011209
- Population
- 1,959
- LGA
- Lake Macquarie
Garden Suburb, NSW had 1,959 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 3.8% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 35-44 years, and the median age sits at 41. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,066 a month. Around 89.3% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned outright at 45.6%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 99.5% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 3 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Population
?1,959
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+3.8%
3yr: +2.3% · 10yr: +6.7%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,361/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
41
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?6/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?3.9%
SA4 · Q4 2025
Schools
1
1 primary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?3
2 long day, 1 OSHC
Parks & green space
?3
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?30
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?104
Lake Macquarie · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on NSW rental bond lodgements, aggregated at postcode level. All SALs sharing this postcode show the same median.
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from NSW police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Glendale - Cardiff - Hillsborough (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Garden Suburb suburb alone is ~1,959 (Census 2021).
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 22,959 to 25,569 over 24 years, averaging 0.4% per year.
Schools
1 in suburbGovernment school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Garden Suburb PS97.6%
- Hillsborough PS 2.0%
- Wallsend SPS 0.4%
- Cardiff NPS 0.0%
Secondary
Cardiff HS99.6%
- Lambton HS 0.4%
Infants
New Lambton Hts IS
Source: NSW Department of Education — School Intake Zones. Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Almost entirely detached houses (99.5%), owner-occupied (89%), built for families (48% are 4 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire & flood risk
Hazard data is not yet available for NSW.
Source when available: NSW Rural Fire Service (BFPL) and NSW DPHI EPI Flood.
Planning zones
8 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 47.5% | 0.90 km² |
| DM | ZoneDeferred | 19.3% | 0.37 km² |
| C3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 12.4% | 0.23 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 11.1% | 0.21 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 5.4% | 0.10 km² |
| C2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 2.7% | 0.05 km² |
| RU6 | ZoneRural | 0.8% | 0.01 km² |
| RU4 | ZoneRural | 0.8% | 0.01 km² |
Source: NSW DPHI EPI Land Zoning (ZONE_NSW/2026-04-29/1eccf1a530fa1be5) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.