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Move comparison · NSW → NSW

Moving to Balgownie - Fairy Meadow from Marsden Park - Shanes Park

Schools, childcare, demographics and house prices for Balgownie - Fairy Meadow and Marsden Park - Shanes Park, side by side - all from public government data.

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Add your kids' ages, see school catchment zones on the map, and get a shareable link.

Comparing
Marsden Park - Shanes Park
NSW · current home
Balgownie - Fairy Meadow
NSW · destination
Population & growth ABS ERP June 2025
Population (2025)
30,461
22,303
Annual growth
+11.6%
+0.6%
Demographics ABS Census 2021
Median household income
$2,729/wk
$1,635/wk
Overseas born
52.8%
22.0%
Non-English-speaking background
61.3%
18.4%
Children aged 0–14
29.9%
16.4%
SEIFA advantage ABS SEIFA 2021
IRSAD decile (1 = most disadvantaged, 10 = most advantaged) A relative socio-economic index - not a measure of safety or community quality.
Decile 10
Decile 6
IRSAD score
1,125
1,012
Schools & childcare ACARA 2025 · ACECQA
Schools
6
10
Government schools ICSEA (avg intake)
1,089
1,053
Catholic/independent schools ICSEA (avg intake)
1,080
1,028
Childcare services (matched by suburb name)
13
19
Property VIC + NSW in v1
Median house price
$1.28M
$1.37M
House price YoY
+6.7%
+7.5%
Median 3-bed house rent /wk
$750
$750
Getting around GTFS commute · OpenStreetMap amenities
GPs nearby
2
0
Supermarkets nearby
2
1
Parks nearby
16
30
Train stations
0
2
Safety NSW BOCSAR (Jan-Dec 2025)
Recorded incidents, latest year (raw count - not population-adjusted)
692
175
Change vs prior year
-8%
+8%

Sources: ABS ERP June 2025 · ABS Census 2021 · ABS SEIFA 2021 · ACARA School Profile 2025 · ACECQA NQS register · Valuer-General Victoria & DFFH (VIC) · DCJ Housing (NSW) · NSW BOCSAR (NSW) · CSA Victoria (VIC). How we source this data →

Which school is zoned?

The free government school your child can attend in each area - side by side, never a blended average.

From · Marsden Park - Shanes Park
Your zoned school Live VIC + NSW catchments

Northbourne Public School

The government school your child can attend for free by living in Marsden Park - Shanes Park.

Sector Government
Years K-6
Students 1,711
ICSEA 1095
A picture of students’ family backgrounds - not a ranking or a quality score.

This is the zoned government school for the centre of Marsden Park - Shanes Park (NSW catchment data) - addresses elsewhere in the suburb may be zoned to a different school.

See the catchment on the map
Also nearby - Catholic & Independent schools (not your catchment)
St Luke's Catholic College (Secondary)
Catholic 940 students
ICSEA 1088 intake context
St Luke's Catholic College (Primary)
Catholic 827 students
ICSEA 1106 intake context
St Luke's Arrunga
Catholic 40 students
ICSEA 1046 intake context

Fee-paying schools can’t be enrolled in by zone - they’re shown for context, not as the area’s school quality.

We show school intake context and catchments, not exam results. We don’t publish a school ranking.

To · Balgownie - Fairy Meadow
Your zoned school Live VIC + NSW catchments

Mt Ousley PS

The government school your child can attend for free by living in Balgownie - Fairy Meadow.

Sector Government

This is the zoned government school for the centre of Balgownie - Fairy Meadow (NSW catchment data) - addresses elsewhere in the suburb may be zoned to a different school.

See the catchment on the map
Also nearby - Catholic & Independent schools (not your catchment)
Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School
Catholic 335 students
ICSEA 1081 intake context
Elonera Montessori School
Independent 187 students
ICSEA 1108 intake context
Wollongong Flexible School
Independent 71 students
ICSEA 895 intake context

Fee-paying schools can’t be enrolled in by zone - they’re shown for context, not as the area’s school quality.

We show school intake context and catchments, not exam results. We don’t publish a school ranking.

Honest tradeoff

Balgownie - Fairy Meadow's government schools have an average ICSEA of 1,053, compared to 1,089 in Marsden Park - Shanes Park. ICSEA reflects the socioeconomic intake of students, not teaching quality - it is not a ranking of school performance.

Catholic/independent schools are separate from the free government catchment - average ICSEA Balgownie - Fairy Meadow 1,028 (3 schools), Marsden Park - Shanes Park 1,080 (3 schools).

There are 10 schools in Balgownie - Fairy Meadow, compared to 6 in Marsden Park - Shanes Park.

Childcare services matched by suburb name: 19 in Balgownie - Fairy Meadow vs 13 in Marsden Park - Shanes Park.

The proportion of children from non-English-speaking backgrounds is lower in Balgownie - Fairy Meadow at 18.4% (vs 61.3% in Marsden Park - Shanes Park).

Balgownie - Fairy Meadow has a SEIFA advantage (IRSAD) of Decile 6, below Marsden Park - Shanes Park's Decile 10. Decile 10 is the most advantaged nationally.

Median house prices are 7% higher in Balgownie - Fairy Meadow ($1.37M vs $1.28M).

Similar suburbs near Balgownie - Fairy Meadow
Wollongong - West NSW
House$1.2M
Gov ICSEA1,018
Schools8
Childcare14
SEIFA IRSAD Decile 6 · Decile 10 = most advantaged
Corrimal - Tarrawanna - Bellambi NSW
House$1.43M
Gov ICSEA958
Schools8
Childcare12
SEIFA IRSAD Decile 4 · Decile 10 = most advantaged
Wollongong - East NSW
Gov ICSEA1,087
Schools5
Childcare21
SEIFA IRSAD Decile 7 · Decile 10 = most advantaged
Figtree - Keiraville NSW
House$1.28M
Gov ICSEA1,061
Schools8
Childcare8
SEIFA IRSAD Decile 7 · Decile 10 = most advantaged
Woonona - Bulli - Russell Vale NSW
House$1.66M
Gov ICSEA1,054
Schools8
Childcare14
SEIFA IRSAD Decile 7 · Decile 10 = most advantaged
Related moves
Moving to Mickleham - Yuroke from Marsden Park - Shanes Park, NSW Moving to Balgownie - Fairy Meadow from Schofields - East, NSW Moving to Wollert from Marsden Park - Shanes Park, NSW Moving to Balgownie - Fairy Meadow from Oran Park, NSW

Make this comparison yours

The Move Planner adds your kids' ages, school catchment zones on the map, and a shareable link for your partner.

Plan the move: Marsden Park - Shanes Park → Balgownie - Fairy Meadow