Bendolba vs Fosterton

Bendolba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 58 in Fosterton. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Fosterton, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Fosterton: a median of $1.48 million, against $1.03 million in Bendolba, though rent is higher in Bendolba. On these figures, Bendolba tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while Fosterton suits people living alone and older residents.

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

Fosterton

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 12/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 89%)
  • But Bendolba is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 30%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Bendolba

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,031,500 vs $1,475,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 38%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Bendolba has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 20%)
  • Fosterton has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $325/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Bendolba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a shorter drive in (171 min vs 176 min)

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 12/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 19%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Bendolba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (23.4% vs -13.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Bendolba 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.

Bendolba Fosterton
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Bendolba Fosterton
Walkability 10 / 14
Bendolba — Walkability: 10/100 Fosterton — Walkability: 14/100
Safety 88 / 100
Bendolba — Safety: 88/100 Fosterton — Safety: 100/100
Low fire risk 100 / 83
Bendolba — Low fire risk: 100/100 Fosterton — Low fire risk: 83/100

Demographics

Bendolba has more residents (253 vs 94); Fosterton skews older (58 vs 37).

Bendolba Fosterton
Population 253
+63% vs other
 94
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +23.4% -13.0%
Median age 37 58
Median household income $84,500/yr
+18% vs other
 $68,900/yr
Median weekly rent $325/wk
+20% vs other
 $260/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bendolba Fosterton
0-4 7.9% / —
Bendolba — 0-4: 7.9% Fosterton — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 16.6% / 3.2%
Bendolba — 5-14: 16.6% Fosterton — 5-14: 3.2%
15-19 8.7% / 3.2%
Bendolba — 15-19: 8.7% Fosterton — 15-19: 3.2%
20-24 3.2% / 9.6%
Bendolba — 20-24: 3.2% Fosterton — 20-24: 9.6%
25-34 9.5% / 3.2%
Bendolba — 25-34: 9.5% Fosterton — 25-34: 3.2%
35-44 11.9% / 3.2%
Bendolba — 35-44: 11.9% Fosterton — 35-44: 3.2%
45-54 11.5% / 20.2%
Bendolba — 45-54: 11.5% Fosterton — 45-54: 20.2%
55-64 10.3% / 19.1%
Bendolba — 55-64: 10.3% Fosterton — 55-64: 19.1%
65-74 11.5% / 17.0%
Bendolba — 65-74: 11.5% Fosterton — 65-74: 17.0%
75-84 5.5% / 14.9%
Bendolba — 75-84: 5.5% Fosterton — 75-84: 14.9%
85+ 2.4% / 4.3%
Bendolba — 85+: 2.4% Fosterton — 85+: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bendolba 32.1% lone person
Bendolba — Lone Person: 32.1% Bendolba — Couple Families: 42.9% Bendolba — One Parent Families: 25.0%
Fosterton 70.0% lone person
Fosterton — Lone Person: 70.0% Fosterton — Couple Families: 30.0% Fosterton — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bendolba 35.4% renting
Bendolba — Owned Outright: 37.8% Bendolba — Mortgage: 26.8% Bendolba — Renting: 35.4%
Fosterton 20.0% renting
Fosterton — Owned Outright: 48.6% Fosterton — Mortgage: 31.4% Fosterton — Renting: 20.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bendolba 88.9% houses
Bendolba — Houses: 88.9% Bendolba — Townhouses: 11.1%
Fosterton 100.0% houses
Fosterton — Houses: 100.0% Fosterton — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Bendolba Fosterton
Certificate III & IV 17.4% / 8.5%
Bendolba — Certificate III & IV: 17.4% Fosterton — Certificate III & IV: 8.5%
Bachelor Degree 7.5% / 10.6%
Bendolba — Bachelor Degree: 7.5% Fosterton — Bachelor Degree: 10.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.0% / 7.4%
Bendolba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.0% Fosterton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4%
Postgraduate Degree 4.7% / 5.3%
Bendolba — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7% Fosterton — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 3.2%
Bendolba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Fosterton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

Property market

Bendolba Fosterton
Median house price $1,031,500 $1,475,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $750,000

Zoning mix

Bendolba Fosterton
Rural and farming 92% 96%
Residential 7% 2%
Environmental 1% 2%
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

Bendolba Fosterton
New dwellings approved 55
across Dungog
same for both
Approvals change year on year -23%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bendolba Fosterton
House price Higher than 34% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Income Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 32% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 61% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW

Liveability

Bendolba Fosterton
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Fosterton carries more bushfire risk (17 vs 0); Bendolba carries more crime risk (12 vs 0).

Bendolba Fosterton
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
17/100
Crime Low
12/100
 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

Bendolba 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

Bendolba Fosterton
Parks & reserves 1 0
Waterways 7 15

Mobility

Bendolba Fosterton
Walkability score 10/100 14/100
Distance to Sydney 221.2 km 221.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 171 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.

Bendolba Fosterton
Car (driver) 80.6% / 59.0%
Bendolba — Car (driver): 80.6% Fosterton — Car (driver): 59.0%
Worked from Home 15.1% / 30.8%
Bendolba — Worked from Home: 15.1% Fosterton — Worked from Home: 30.8%
Walked Only — / 10.3%
Bendolba — Walked Only: not among its largest Fosterton — Walked Only: 10.3%
Car (passenger) 4.3% / —
Bendolba — Car (passenger): 4.3% Fosterton — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.6%).

Setting

Bendolba Fosterton
Elevation 99 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 60 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 40.6 km 39.2 km

NBN connectivity

Bendolba Fosterton
Connectivity score 49/100 29/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 22%
92 premises
 0%
63 premises

Climate

Bendolba Fosterton
Annual rainfall 1,327 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Bendolba Fosterton
Average residential rate $1,646/yr
same for both
Council Dungog
same for both

Federal electorate

Bendolba Fosterton
Division Lyne
same for both
Member Alison Penfold
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bendolba Fosterton
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bendolba

Family Rural

Fosterton

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bendolba

Bendolba vs Dungog Bendolba vs Bandon Grove Bendolba vs Sugarloaf

Other comparisons with Fosterton

Fosterton vs Dungog Fosterton vs Bandon Grove Fosterton vs Alison Fosterton vs Main Creek
Full data on Bendolba Full data on Fosterton
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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