Bandon Grove vs Fosterton
Bandon Grove is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 58 in Fosterton. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bandon Grove, most households are couple families. In Fosterton, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Bandon Grove tends to suit couples, while Fosterton suits people living alone.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Bandon Grove is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 30%)
- Fosterton carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 80/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bandon Grove
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($6,000 vs $750,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (32% vs 38%)
Weighs land prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Fosterton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (221.5 km vs 231.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Fosterton
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 80/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 30%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bandon Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.4% vs -13.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bandon Grove and Fosterton drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Bandon Grove has more residents (135 vs 94); Bandon Grove has higher household incomes ($84,448 vs $68,900).
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 135 +30% vs other | 94 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.4% | -13.0% |
| Median age | 51 | 58 |
| Median household income | $84,448/yr +18% vs other | $68,900/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $272/wk +4% vs other | $260/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,475,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $6,000 | $750,000 |
Zoning mix
Bandon Grove has more land zoned for conservation (12% vs 2%).
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 86% | 96% |
| Environmental | 12% | 2% |
| Residential | 0% | 2% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 0% |
| 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
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 55 across Dungog same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Bandon Grove carries more crime risk (80 vs 0); Bandon Grove carries more bushfire risk (54 vs 17).
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 54/100 | Low 17/100 |
| Crime | High 80/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 22 | 15 |
Mobility
Bandon Grove sits further from the CBD (231.7 km vs 221.5 km).
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 231.7 km +4% vs other | 221.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 180 min | 176 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2420 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 2420 same for both | |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.9%).
Setting
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 108 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 60 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 49.5 km | 39.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 24/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 68 premises | 0% 63 premises |
Climate
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,327 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,646/yr same for both | |
| Council | Dungog same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bandon Grove | Fosterton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bandon Grove
Other comparisons with Fosterton
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.