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Aged care home

Mark Donaldson VC House

301 Galston Road, Galston NSW 2159. Run by RSL LifeCare.

About this home

Written by AI from our facts

Mark Donaldson VC House is operated by RSL LifeCare, a not-for-profit community organisation, and has 74 places in Galston, in a major city.

What this is based on

An AI model wrote these sentences from facts in the government's service list. When the model wrote them, a program checked that each sentence used only those facts, with no prices and no opinions. Each time this page is shown, every number in them, and whether they say the operator publishes room prices, is checked again against this page, and a sentence that no longer matches is left out (1 left out here).

  • Sentence 1 uses: home name, operator, type of organisation (ABN register), places, suburb, remoteness

What the photos show

Read by two AI models that had to agree

  • Outdoors

    The operator's photos show outdoor space: outdoor seating, a paved terrace, raised planters and a veranda or pergola.

    Photo 1

  • Shared spaces

    Shared spaces in the operator's photos include a dining room.

    Photo 2

  • Rooms and outlook

    Rooms or lounges in the operator's photos have a garden view and large windows.

    Photo 2 and the operator's other photos

Based on the operator's photos. Two AI models looked at them separately and we show only what both saw. A feature not listed here may simply not be in the photos: ask the home.

Room prices

Each room has one price. Pay it as a refundable lump sum, as a daily payment, or part of each: which to choose. From November 2025 the home keeps 2% a year of a lump sum for up to five years (RAD retention); old and new rules.

Lowest room price
$789,686
Single Room with Private Ensuite
Cheapest single with its own ensuite
$789,686
Single Room with Private Ensuite
Daily payment instead, from
$184.12 a day
Single Room with Private Ensuite

Read by AI, checked word for word Tap any price to see the exact words on RSL LifeCare's page.

RoomLump sum (RAD)or daily payment (DAP)
Single Room with Private Ensuite Show the words on the operator's page this number was read from Show the words on the operator's page this number was read from

From RSL LifeCare's own price page. Prices from 1 Oct 2026 (the page says so), checked on 7 Nov 2026.

The operator's page is the final word. It may list rooms, prices or fees we could not read, and prices change. Check RSL LifeCare's page

How these prices were read

An AI model read the operator's page and listed each room with its maximum lump sum and daily payment. A program then kept a figure only if the exact words it came from are on the page, under that room's name, and contain that figure. A second model rechecks a sample, and any disagreement keeps a list off this site until a person looks.

A daily payment the operator neither prints nor works out in its own price calculator is shown as not published; we never work one out ourselves. A list more than a year old is not shown.

Rooms are listed as the operator lists them. Two rooms with the same name and different prices stay as two rows.

Next to the homes nearby

Every room price at Mark Donaldson VC House and the 5 nearest homes with a published price list, on one scale. Mark Donaldson VC House is highlighted.

Regis Hornsby Hornsby
3 room prices from $450,000 to $789,686.
Wahroonga Tallwoods Care Community Wahroonga
6 room prices from $475,000 to $675,000.
Dural House Aged Care Dural
6 room prices from $625,000 to $1,250,000.
Carinya House Glenhaven
3 room prices from $750,000 to $750,000.
CASS Asquith Residential Asquith
2 room prices from $785,000 to $900,000.
Mark Donaldson VC House Galston
1 room price: $789,686.

What would the single room with private ensuite cost each month, with the basic daily fee?

Open the calculator

About how much a day

Estimate

Cheapest room, all paid by the day

$253.05 to $384.65

a day · about $7,697 to $11,700 a month

Work it out for her
  1. Basic daily fee Set by government $68.93 Everyone pays it. Set by the government for every home.
  2. Room, as a daily payment (DAP) Operator's price $184.12 The single room with private ensuite at $789,686, paid all by the day at 8.51% a year. A lump sum lowers it; some people with low means pay less.
  3. Hotelling supplement Depends on means $0.00 to $22.15 Depends on income and assets: nothing for some, up to the most shown.
  4. Non-clinical care contribution Depends on means $0.00 to $109.45 Depends on income and assets. Stops after $140,653 in total or four years.
  5. Optional extras (higher everyday living fee) Only if agreed Not stated The operator's page does not mention one. Ask whether the home charges it. Your rights

An estimate, not a quote. Government fees are from the Schedule of fees and charges for residential care from 20 September 2026 (in force from 20 Sep 2026), health.gov.au. The room is the operator's own price, checked 7 Nov 2026. Means-tested fees are set by Services Australia after it assesses income and assets.

What it costs each month

Paying the whole room by daily payment, plus the basic daily fee. The top of each range adds the most the means test can charge. Pick a room to change the lump sum, add income and assets, and see what happens to the lump sum over five years.

Single Room with Private Ensuite$789,686 room price $7,697 to $11,700Work it out

Questions to ask on your visit

Mark Donaldson VC House, 301 Galston Road, Galston NSW 2159

The 15 questions families ask most before choosing a home. We have filled in 8 from what we hold; the rest only the home can answer.

Daily life

  1. What does a typical day look like here? Can we see this month's activity calendar, and do most residents join in?

    Families most want to know how their parent will spend the day, and whether activities really happen. Recommended by Dementia Australia, 8 questions to ask

  2. Can we see this week's menu and come for a meal? How are soft diets, diabetes and cultural or religious diets handled?

    Food is the most common daily complaint; a menu and a meal tell you more than a brochure. Recommended by CHOICE, choosing aged care

  3. Do any carers on the floor speak her language?

    People with dementia often return to their first language. Recommended by CHOICE, choosing aged care

Care and staff

  1. How many carers and registered nurses are on each shift, day, night and weekend? Is a registered nurse on site at all times?

    What we found The home's page says: “There is around-the-clock presence and influence of registered nurses and care assistants.” Ask how that works on each shift. The operator's page for this home, 7 Nov 2026 Operator's page may be out of date

  2. How many staff are permanent, and how often are agency staff used? Will the same carers look after her?

    Families say continuity of carers matters more than the building. No public source has these figures. Recommended by CHOICE, choosing aged care

  3. Who is our main contact, and how quickly will you tell us after a fall, an illness or a change in her care?

    Agree this before she moves in. Recommended by Dementia Australia, 8 questions to ask

  4. Do you care for people with advanced dementia, including changed behaviour? Is there a secure area, and can we see it?

    What we found Cares for people living with dementia; no separate unit mentioned. Ask whether that includes the stage she is at. The operator's page for this home, 7 Nov 2026 Operator's page may be out of date

  5. Does a GP visit regularly? Can she keep her own GP, and who covers nights and weekends?

    Doctors' visits vary widely between homes. Recommended by CHOICE, choosing aged care

Money

  1. What does the room we want cost, as a lump sum or a daily payment?

    What we found Room prices $790k on the operator's price list, or $184.12 a day. The operator's price list, 7 Nov 2026

  2. What will she pay each day in total, with the basic daily fee and the means-tested fees?

    What we found About $253.05 to $384.65 a day for the cheapest room, all paid by the day: our estimate, worked out below. Our estimate from the operator's price and the government's rates, 11 Nov 2026

  3. Do you charge a higher everyday living fee or for extras such as Wi-Fi, outings or hairdressing? What does it include, and can she say no?

    The higher everyday living fee is optional, can only be agreed after moving in, and can be cancelled. Recommended by OPAN, your rights checklist

Moving in

  1. Is a room free now? How long is the wait, and can she stay on your list if she takes a place elsewhere first?

    What we found Listed as available when we read it. Rooms go quickly: check it is still free. RSL LifeCare Limited vacancies page, 9 Nov 2026

Visiting

  1. What are the visiting hours? Can we come early or stay late, bring children or a pet, and what happens to visits during an outbreak?

    What we found Outings offered; registered nurse on site 24/7. The home's own page, 7 Nov 2026 Operator's page may be out of date

  2. How will we get there? Is there public transport nearby, and is visitor parking free?

    What we found Bus stop (Inside Rowland Retirement Village, Fifth Av) 1 minutes' walk. Public transport is limited here: less than one service an hour within 400 m on a weekday, and no hourly train, tram or ferry within 800 m. About 138 minutes from Sydney Town Hall by public transport on a weekday morning, 137 on a Sunday. No Sunday daytime service within 400 m. Transport for NSW timetable (GTFS), 10 Nov 2026

  3. Can we see your latest Quality and Safety Commission report, and how do you handle complaints?

    What we found Search the Commission's reports. My Aged Care shows its star rating. Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Send these with your enquiry

Tick the questions you want answered and add them to your enquiry. Our team reads every enquiry and replies by email. We do not contact the home for you, and your details are not passed to it.

Add these to my enquiry

Calling and visiting

Operator's page may be out of date, last updated September 2026 When we read its page for this home, it still describes COVID-19 arrangements, and its newest dated item is from September 2026: COVID-19 Vaccination. Check what follows with the home.

This home's own number

02 9653 4900
Ask for a tour online

Operator's central line: 1300 232 564.

Vacancy listed on 9 Nov 2026. The RSL LifeCare Limited vacancies page listed this home as "Available Now" when we read it. Rooms go quickly: call to check it is still free.

What the operator's website says

Rooms and bathrooms

Every room listed has its own ensuite

"All Single Rooms Ensuite"

Dementia care

Cares for people living with dementia; no separate unit mentioned

"Specialised Dementia Care Home"

Optional extras (HELF)

Not mentioned on the website

If the home offers extras for a daily fee, they can only be agreed after moving in. How HELF works

From rsllifecare.org.au, read 7 Nov 2026. Quotes are the operator's own words. Websites can be out of date, so confirm anything that matters with the home.

Everyday life and visiting

Visiting and care

Outings offered; registered nurse on site 24/7.

A village bus is also available for social outings to the local shops and places of interest.

In the operator's words, from the home's own page, read 7 Nov 2026 · See it. Not stated is not the same as no: ask the home.

Getting there by public transport

Public transport is limited here

138 min from Sydney Town Hall, weekday

137 min on a Sunday

Bus stop: Inside Rowland Retirement Village, Fifth Av, 1 min walk

Bus stop (Inside Rowland Retirement Village, Fifth Av) 1 minutes' walk. Public transport is limited here: less than one service an hour within 400 m on a weekday, and no hourly train, tram or ferry within 800 m. About 138 minutes from Sydney Town Hall by public transport on a weekday morning, 137 on a Sunday. No Sunday daytime service within 400 m.

Door to door, the median of 24 trips leaving 10:00 to 11:55, timetable of 10 Nov 2026. Timetable data: Transport for NSW. Licence: CC BY 4.0 · Licence.

Nearby

  • Supermarket2 within 1 km14 min walk
  • Pharmacy2 within 1 km14 min walk
  • GP or clinic1 within 1 km14 min walk
  • Park or garden1 within 1 km13 min walk
  • Café2 within 1 km12 min walk
  • Hospitalnone recorded within 1 km5.3 km
  • Emergency department7.3 km

Nearest of each and how many within 1 km, as recorded in © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, 8 Nov 2026. GP and clinic counts are what OpenStreetMap records, so there may be more. See them

Where it is

Map of Mark Donaldson VC House and the places listed under Around the home.

Around the home

What a visit or an outing looks like from here. Walking times are at a gentle 4 km an hour, in a straight line, so allow a little more.

Health care

  • Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital Hospital · Emergency department 7.3 km
  • Mount Wilga Private Hospital Hospital 5.3 km
  • The San Day Surgery Hospital 7.2 km
  • GP or medical clinic 14 min walk
  • Pharmacy 14 min walk

Getting there

Getting out

  • Park or garden 13 min walk
  • Sugar Salt Café 12 min walk
  • ALDI Supermarket · ALDI 14 min walk
  • Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses Place of worship · Jehovahs witness 2.4 km

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, read 8 Nov 2026. Only what OpenStreetMap records: a place it does not record may still be there. GP and clinic names are not shown. Check opening hours and access before you go.

Care and quality

Star rating, care minutes and auditsWe are waiting on written permission from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to show these here, so for now see them on the official sites.

Search the Commission site Star rating on My Aged Care

My Aged Care has no fixed address for each home's page: choose "Aged care homes" and search for Mark Donaldson VC House (2159).

Who runs it

Type
Community organisation
Places at this home
74

RSL LifeCare runs 24 other homes in the government list. See them all

See it side by side

RSL LifeCare homes in Sydney, side by side

Homes nearby with prices

Families' experiences

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Care, staff, food, communication with family. Please do not name residents or staff.
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Ask about a place at Mark Donaldson VC House

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Sources for this page

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