Bostobrick vs Fernbrook
Bostobrick is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 58 in 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 $480,000 in Bostobrick, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Bostobrick tends to suit 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
Bostobrick
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 36%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 89%)
- But Fernbrook carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 67/100)
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
- Bostobrick has cheaper houses ($480,000 vs $4,100,000)
- Fernbrook leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 30%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Bostobrick
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($175/wk vs $330/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 26%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Fernbrook
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (384 min vs 399 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (557.2 km vs 565.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Fernbrook
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 67/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 24%)
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 -2.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bostobrick 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 rents higher ($330/wk vs $175/wk); Fernbrook has higher household incomes ($66,092 vs $50,648).
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 132 | 131 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.9% | +18.0% |
| Median age | 49 | 58 |
| Median household income | $50,648/yr | $66,092/yr +30% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $175/wk | $330/wk +89% 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 (4.6%).
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 (19.7%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $480,000 | $4,100,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 71% | 81% |
| Environmental | 29% | 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
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 40 across Bellingen same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +12% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 97% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 27% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 42% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Bostobrick carries more bushfire risk (86 vs 14); Bostobrick carries more crime risk (67 vs 28).
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 86/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 67/100 | 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
| Bostobrick | 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
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 13 | 12 |
Mobility
Bostobrick sits further from the CBD (565.5 km vs 557.2 km).
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 565.5 km +1% vs other | 557.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 399 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 (64.7%).
Setting
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 805 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 822 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 47.4 km | 43.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 63 premises | 0% 66 premises |
Council rates
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,592/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bellingen same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bostobrick | Fernbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bostobrick
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bostobrick
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.