Bentley vs Fernside

Fernside is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 53 in Bentley. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bentley, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Bentley tends to suit older residents, while Fernside suits families with children.

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

  • Bentley carries lower crime risk (46/100 vs 86/100)
  • Fernside is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 61%)

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

First-home buyers

Bentley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (29% vs 37%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Bentley has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $350/wk)
  • Fernside has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 9%)

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

Commuting to the city

Fernside

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (486 min vs 498 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (738.4 km vs 749.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Bentley

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 11%)
  • carries lower crime risk (46/100 vs 86/100)
  • But Fernside is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Bentley and Fernside drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Bentley Fernside
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.

Bentley Fernside
Walkability 0 / 16
Bentley — Walkability: 0/100 Fernside — Walkability: 16/100
Safety 54 / 14
Bentley — Safety: 54/100 Fernside — Safety: 14/100
Low fire risk 66 / 57
Bentley — Low fire risk: 66/100 Fernside — Low fire risk: 57/100

Demographics

Bentley has more residents (225 vs 55); Fernside rents higher ($350/wk vs $250/wk).

Bentley Fernside
Population 225
+76% vs other
 55
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +14.2% +14.6%
Median age 53 42
Median household income $63,024/yr $84,448/yr
+34% vs other
Median weekly rent $250/wk $350/wk
+40% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bentley Fernside
0-4 4.9% / —
Bentley — 0-4: 4.9% Fernside — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 9.8% / 20.0%
Bentley — 5-14: 9.8% Fernside — 5-14: 20.0%
15-19 4.9% / 7.3%
Bentley — 15-19: 4.9% Fernside — 15-19: 7.3%
20-24 1.3% / —
Bentley — 20-24: 1.3% Fernside — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 9.3% / 5.5%
Bentley — 25-34: 9.3% Fernside — 25-34: 5.5%
35-44 9.3% / 20.0%
Bentley — 35-44: 9.3% Fernside — 35-44: 20.0%
45-54 7.1% / 20.0%
Bentley — 45-54: 7.1% Fernside — 45-54: 20.0%
55-64 19.1% / 12.7%
Bentley — 55-64: 19.1% Fernside — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 20.0% / 5.5%
Bentley — 65-74: 20.0% Fernside — 65-74: 5.5%
75-84 10.2% / —
Bentley — 75-84: 10.2% Fernside — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 4.0% / 5.5%
Bentley — 85+: 4.0% Fernside — 85+: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

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.

Bentley Fernside
Brazil — / 5.5%
Bentley — Brazil: not among its largest Fernside — Brazil: 5.5%
England 1.8% / —
Bentley — England: 1.8% Fernside — England: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bentley 49.0% couple families
Bentley — Couple Families: 49.0% Bentley — Lone Person: 28.6% Bentley — One Parent Families: 12.2% Bentley — Group Household: 10.2%
Fernside 42.1% couple families
Fernside — Couple Families: 42.1% Fernside — Lone Person: 21.1% Fernside — One Parent Families: 36.8% Fernside — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bentley 100.0% houses
Bentley — Houses: 100.0%
Fernside 100.0% houses
Fernside — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Bentley Fernside
Certificate III & IV 17.3% / 12.7%
Bentley — Certificate III & IV: 17.3% Fernside — Certificate III & IV: 12.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.2% / 14.5%
Bentley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2% Fernside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 14.5%
Bachelor Degree 11.1% / 5.5%
Bentley — Bachelor Degree: 11.1% Fernside — Bachelor Degree: 5.5%
Postgraduate Degree 4.4% / 10.9%
Bentley — Postgraduate Degree: 4.4% Fernside — Postgraduate Degree: 10.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / —
Bentley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Fernside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bentley 9.3% renting
Bentley — Owned Outright: 54.7% Bentley — Mortgage: 36.0% Bentley — Renting: 9.3%
Fernside 29.2% renting
Fernside — Owned Outright: 45.8% Fernside — Mortgage: 25.0% Fernside — Renting: 29.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Zoning mix

Bentley Fernside
Rural and farming 90% 99%
Environmental 10% 1%
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

Bentley Fernside
New dwellings approved 138
across Lismore
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bentley Fernside
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 31% of NSW

Liveability

Fernside is more walkable (16 vs 0).

Bentley Fernside
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Fernside carries more crime risk (86 vs 46).

Bentley Fernside
Bushfire Low
34/100
 Moderate
43/100
Crime Moderate
46/100
 High
86/100
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

Bentley Fernside
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Bentley

  • Manifold Public School Government · Primary

Schools in Fernside

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Bentley Fernside
Parks & reserves 2 0
Waterways 12 3

Mobility

Bentley sits further from the CBD (749.9 km vs 738.4 km).

Bentley Fernside
Walkability score 0/100 16/100
Distance to Sydney 749.9 km
+2% vs other
 738.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 498 min 486 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2480
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 2480
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.

Bentley Fernside
Car (driver) 68.9% / 72.4%
Bentley — Car (driver): 68.9% Fernside — Car (driver): 72.4%
Worked from Home 16.7% / 13.8%
Bentley — Worked from Home: 16.7% Fernside — Worked from Home: 13.8%
Walked Only 6.7% / 13.8%
Bentley — Walked Only: 6.7% Fernside — Walked Only: 13.8%
Car (passenger) 7.8% / —
Bentley — Car (passenger): 7.8% Fernside — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.4%).

Setting

Bentley Fernside
Elevation 82 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 21 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 44.9 km 36.6 km

NBN connectivity

Bentley Fernside
Connectivity score 27/100 22/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
85 premises
 0%
18 premises

Council rates

Bentley Fernside
Average residential rate $1,487/yr
same for both
Council Lismore
same for both

Federal electorate

Bentley Fernside
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bentley Fernside
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bentley

Retirees Rural

Fernside

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bentley

Bentley vs North Casino Bentley vs Spring Grove Bentley vs Larnook Bentley vs Rock Valley Bentley vs Cedar Point Bentley vs Backmede

Other comparisons with Fernside

Fernside vs Caniaba Fernside vs Spring Grove Fernside vs Leycester Fernside vs Tuncester
Full data on Bentley Full data on Fernside
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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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