Bielsdown Hills vs Fernbrook
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Fernbrook, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Fernbrook: a median of $4.1 million, against $1.68 million in Bielsdown Hills, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Bielsdown Hills tends to suit share households and buyers on a tighter budget, while Fernbrook 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
Bielsdown Hills
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 28/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 89%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Bielsdown Hills has cheaper houses ($1,675,000 vs $4,100,000)
- Fernbrook leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 30%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Bielsdown Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $330/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bielsdown Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (550.1 km vs 557.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bielsdown Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 28/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Fernbrook
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.0% vs 5.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bielsdown Hills and Fernbrook 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
Fernbrook has more residents (131 vs 104); Fernbrook rents higher ($330/wk vs $300/wk).
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 104 | 131 +26% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.1% | +18.0% |
| Median age | 56 | 58 |
| Median household income | $69,836/yr +5% vs other | $66,092/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $330/wk +10% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.2%).
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 (5.8%).
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 (17.6%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,675,000 | $4,100,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Bielsdown Hills has more rural and farming land (97% vs 81%); Fernbrook has more land zoned for conservation (19% vs 3%).
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 81% |
| Environmental | 3% | 19% |
| 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
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 40 across Bellingen same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +12% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 79% of NSW | Higher than 97% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 10% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Fernbrook carries more bushfire risk (14 vs 0); Fernbrook carries more crime risk (28 vs 16).
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Crime | Low 16/100 | Low 28/100 |
| 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
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 8 | 12 |
Mobility
Fernbrook sits further from the CBD (557.2 km vs 550.1 km).
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 6/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 550.1 km | 557.2 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 383 min | 384 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2453 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 2453 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 (55.8%).
Setting
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 780 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 822 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 37.3 km | 43.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 59 premises | 0% 66 premises |
Council rates
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,592/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bellingen same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bielsdown Hills | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bielsdown Hills
Other comparisons with Fernbrook
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.