Boat Harbour vs Fishermans Bay

Boat Harbour is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 59 in Fishermans Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Boat Harbour, about half of households are couple families. In Fishermans Bay, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Fishermans Bay: a median of $1.51 million, against $1.29 million in Boat Harbour, though rent is higher in Boat Harbour. On these figures, Fishermans Bay tends to suit couples 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

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Boat Harbour has more parks and reserves (6 vs 2)
  • Fishermans Bay has more separate houses rather than flats (104% vs 89%)

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

First-home buyers

Boat Harbour

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (29% vs 41%)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,290,000 vs $1,510,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Fishermans Bay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 27%)
  • has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $470/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Fishermans Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 22%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Fishermans Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (20.6% vs 3.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
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.

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Walkability 30 / 37
Boat Harbour — Walkability: 30/100 Fishermans Bay — Walkability: 37/100
Low fire risk 100 / 16
Boat Harbour — Low fire risk: 100/100 Fishermans Bay — Low fire risk: 16/100

Demographics

Boat Harbour has more residents (993 vs 76); Boat Harbour rents higher ($470/wk vs $350/wk).

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Population 993
+92% vs other
 76
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.5% +20.6%
Median age 47 59
Median household income $90,532/yr $97,500/yr
+8% vs other
Median weekly rent $470/wk
+26% vs other
 $350/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
0-4 3.7% / —
Boat Harbour — 0-4: 3.7% Fishermans Bay — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 13.9% / 7.9%
Boat Harbour — 5-14: 13.9% Fishermans Bay — 5-14: 7.9%
15-19 7.6% / 5.3%
Boat Harbour — 15-19: 7.6% Fishermans Bay — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 4.0% / —
Boat Harbour — 20-24: 4.0% Fishermans Bay — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 6.9% / —
Boat Harbour — 25-34: 6.9% Fishermans Bay — 25-34: not among its largest
35-44 10.0% / 7.9%
Boat Harbour — 35-44: 10.0% Fishermans Bay — 35-44: 7.9%
45-54 14.8% / 15.8%
Boat Harbour — 45-54: 14.8% Fishermans Bay — 45-54: 15.8%
55-64 16.7% / 28.9%
Boat Harbour — 55-64: 16.7% Fishermans Bay — 55-64: 28.9%
65-74 14.8% / 18.4%
Boat Harbour — 65-74: 14.8% Fishermans Bay — 65-74: 18.4%
75-84 5.4% / 10.5%
Boat Harbour — 75-84: 5.4% Fishermans Bay — 75-84: 10.5%
85+ 2.1% / 5.3%
Boat Harbour — 85+: 2.1% Fishermans Bay — 85+: 5.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Boat Harbour 54.6% couple families
Boat Harbour — Couple Families: 54.6% Boat Harbour — Lone Person: 26.2% Boat Harbour — One Parent Families: 16.2% Boat Harbour — Group Household: 3.1%
Fishermans Bay 72.7% couple families
Fishermans Bay — Couple Families: 72.7% Fishermans Bay — Lone Person: 27.3% Fishermans Bay — One Parent Families: 0.0% Fishermans Bay — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Boat Harbour 19.2% renting
Boat Harbour — Owned Outright: 48.2% Boat Harbour — Mortgage: 32.7% Boat Harbour — Renting: 19.2%
Fishermans Bay 9.7% renting
Fishermans Bay — Owned Outright: 80.6% Fishermans Bay — Mortgage: 9.7% Fishermans Bay — Renting: 9.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
South Africa 0.9% / 3.9%
Boat Harbour — South Africa: 0.9% Fishermans Bay — South Africa: 3.9%
England 3.8% / —
Boat Harbour — England: 3.8% Fishermans Bay — England: not among its largest
New Zealand 1.8% / —
Boat Harbour — New Zealand: 1.8% Fishermans Bay — New Zealand: not among its largest
India 0.6% / —
Boat Harbour — India: 0.6% Fishermans Bay — India: not among its largest
Canada 0.3% / —
Boat Harbour — Canada: 0.3% Fishermans Bay — Canada: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.9%).

Qualifications

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

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Bachelor Degree 12.6% / 25.0%
Boat Harbour — Bachelor Degree: 12.6% Fishermans Bay — Bachelor Degree: 25.0%
Certificate III & IV 20.1% / 10.5%
Boat Harbour — Certificate III & IV: 20.1% Fishermans Bay — Certificate III & IV: 10.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.8% / 11.8%
Boat Harbour — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.8% Fishermans Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.8%
Postgraduate Degree 4.2% / 14.5%
Boat Harbour — Postgraduate Degree: 4.2% Fishermans Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 14.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 5.3%
Boat Harbour — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Fishermans Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Boat Harbour 88.9% houses
Boat Harbour — Houses: 88.9% Boat Harbour — Townhouses: 11.1%
Fishermans Bay 103.6% houses
Fishermans Bay — Houses: 103.6% Fishermans Bay — Townhouses: 14.3%
Houses Townhouses

Property market

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Median house price $1,290,000 $1,510,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $1,120,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 68 days
from 10 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Fishermans Bay has more land zoned for conservation (77% vs 60%).

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Environmental 60% 77%
Residential 32% 21%
Parks and recreation 5% 1%
Rural and farming 3% 0%
Planning zones cover 99% of Boat Harbour and 99% of Fishermans Bay. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
New dwellings approved 495
across Port Stephens
same for both
Approvals change year on year -72%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
House price Higher than 65% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Income Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 32% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 54% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW

Liveability

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Grade B —
Score 64/100 —
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
same for both

Risk profile

Fishermans Bay carries more bushfire risk (84 vs 0).

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
84/100
Crime — None
0/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
16/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
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

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Parks & reserves 6 2
Childcare 0 1
Beaches 3 0

Mobility

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Walkability score 30/100 37/100
Distance to Sydney 203.6 km 202.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 158 min 159 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2316
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 2316
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.

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Car (driver) 63.0% / 52.0%
Boat Harbour — Car (driver): 63.0% Fishermans Bay — Car (driver): 52.0%
Worked from Home 33.3% / 48.0%
Boat Harbour — Worked from Home: 33.3% Fishermans Bay — Worked from Home: 48.0%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / —
Boat Harbour — Car (passenger): 3.7% Fishermans Bay — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (63.0%).

Setting

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Elevation 29 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 33 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 387 m
443 m to a named beach
 445 m
539 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Connectivity score 55/100 45/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 18%
543 premises
 0%
58 premises

Climate

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Annual rainfall 1,181 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Average residential rate $1,359/yr
same for both
Council Port Stephens
same for both

Federal electorate

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Division Paterson
same for both
Member Meryl Swanson
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Boat Harbour Fishermans Bay
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Boat Harbour

Acreage Beach Beachfront Coastal Parks Quiet

Fishermans Bay

Beach Coastal Professionals Retirees

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Full data on Boat Harbour Full data on Fishermans Bay
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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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