Brooklet vs Fernleigh

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Brooklet, about half of households are couple families. In Fernleigh, most households are couple families.

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

Fernleigh

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 52/100)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Brooklet

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 30%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

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

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

Commuting to the city

Fernleigh

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (30/100 vs 8/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (742.9 km vs 746.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Fernleigh

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (30/100 vs 8/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 52/100)
  • But Brooklet has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 18%)

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

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

Brooklet Fernleigh
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.

Brooklet Fernleigh
Walkability 8 / 30
Brooklet — Walkability: 8/100 Fernleigh — Walkability: 30/100
Safety 48 / 85
Brooklet — Safety: 48/100 Fernleigh — Safety: 85/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Brooklet — Low fire risk: 100/100 Fernleigh — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Brooklet Fernleigh
Population 253 298
+18% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.6% +0.3%
Median age 51 50
Median household income $108,316/yr
+3% vs other
 $105,248/yr
Median weekly rent $440/wk $450/wk
+2% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Brooklet Fernleigh
0-4 2.8% / 2.7%
Brooklet — 0-4: 2.8% Fernleigh — 0-4: 2.7%
5-14 13.8% / 14.8%
Brooklet — 5-14: 13.8% Fernleigh — 5-14: 14.8%
15-19 5.5% / 7.0%
Brooklet — 15-19: 5.5% Fernleigh — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 4.7% / 5.0%
Brooklet — 20-24: 4.7% Fernleigh — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 10.7% / 7.4%
Brooklet — 25-34: 10.7% Fernleigh — 25-34: 7.4%
35-44 7.1% / 8.1%
Brooklet — 35-44: 7.1% Fernleigh — 35-44: 8.1%
45-54 13.8% / 19.1%
Brooklet — 45-54: 13.8% Fernleigh — 45-54: 19.1%
55-64 18.2% / 19.8%
Brooklet — 55-64: 18.2% Fernleigh — 55-64: 19.8%
65-74 13.8% / 13.8%
Brooklet — 65-74: 13.8% Fernleigh — 65-74: 13.8%
75-84 9.5% / 4.4%
Brooklet — 75-84: 9.5% Fernleigh — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ — / —
Brooklet — 85+: not among its largest Fernleigh — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Brooklet 50.0% couple families
Brooklet — Couple Families: 50.0% Brooklet — Lone Person: 31.2% Brooklet — One Parent Families: 12.5% Brooklet — Group Household: 6.2%
Fernleigh 58.6% couple families
Fernleigh — Couple Families: 58.6% Fernleigh — Lone Person: 24.3% Fernleigh — One Parent Families: 8.6% Fernleigh — Group Household: 8.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Brooklet 18.4% renting
Brooklet — Owned Outright: 54.1% Brooklet — Mortgage: 27.6% Brooklet — Renting: 18.4%
Fernleigh 21.3% renting
Fernleigh — Owned Outright: 44.7% Fernleigh — Mortgage: 34.0% Fernleigh — Renting: 21.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Brooklet Fernleigh
Bachelor Degree 18.2% / 17.8%
Brooklet — Bachelor Degree: 18.2% Fernleigh — Bachelor Degree: 17.8%
Certificate III & IV 14.2% / 8.7%
Brooklet — Certificate III & IV: 14.2% Fernleigh — Certificate III & IV: 8.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.3% / 8.4%
Brooklet — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3% Fernleigh — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Postgraduate Degree 4.7% / 3.7%
Brooklet — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7% Fernleigh — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 2.3%
Brooklet — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Fernleigh — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).

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.

Brooklet Fernleigh
England 5.5% / 6.7%
Brooklet — England: 5.5% Fernleigh — England: 6.7%
South Africa 1.6% / 2.0%
Brooklet — South Africa: 1.6% Fernleigh — South Africa: 2.0%
Indonesia 2.4% / —
Brooklet — Indonesia: 2.4% Fernleigh — Indonesia: not among its largest
Scotland 2.0% / —
Brooklet — Scotland: 2.0% Fernleigh — Scotland: not among its largest
India 1.2% / —
Brooklet — India: 1.2% Fernleigh — India: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.0%
Brooklet — New Zealand: not among its largest Fernleigh — New Zealand: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Brooklet 98.9% houses
Brooklet — Houses: 98.9% Brooklet — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Fernleigh 100.0% houses
Fernleigh — Houses: 100.0% Fernleigh — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Brooklet Fernleigh
Median house price $1,950,000 $1,942,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Fernleigh has more rural and farming land (91% vs 41%).

Brooklet Fernleigh
Rural and farming 41% 91%
Other and special use 59% 8%
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

Brooklet Fernleigh
New dwellings approved 238
across Ballina
same for both
Approvals change year on year +210%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Brooklet Fernleigh
House price Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Income Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 95% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW

Liveability

Fernleigh is more walkable (30 vs 8).

Brooklet Fernleigh
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Brooklet carries more crime risk (52 vs 15).

Brooklet Fernleigh
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
52/100
 Low
15/100
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

Brooklet Fernleigh
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Brooklet

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

Schools in Fernleigh

  • Fernleigh Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Brooklet Fernleigh
Parks & reserves 0 1
Waterways 3 2

Mobility

Brooklet sits further from the CBD (746.8 km vs 742.9 km).

Brooklet Fernleigh
Walkability score 8/100 30/100
Distance to Sydney 746.8 km 742.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 481 min 478 min
Electric vehicle share 2.4%
postcode 2479
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 86
postcode 2479
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.

Brooklet Fernleigh
Car (driver) 53.3% / 58.7%
Brooklet — Car (driver): 53.3% Fernleigh — Car (driver): 58.7%
Worked from Home 35.2% / 34.8%
Brooklet — Worked from Home: 35.2% Fernleigh — Worked from Home: 34.8%
Walked Only 8.2% / 2.9%
Brooklet — Walked Only: 8.2% Fernleigh — Walked Only: 2.9%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / 3.6%
Brooklet — Car (passenger): 3.3% Fernleigh — Car (passenger): 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.7%).

Setting

Brooklet Fernleigh
Elevation 106 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 147 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.3 km 10.2 km

NBN connectivity

Brooklet Fernleigh
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
113 premises
 0%
120 premises

Climate

Brooklet Fernleigh
Annual rainfall 1,569 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Brooklet Fernleigh
Average residential rate $1,264/yr
same for both
Council Ballina
same for both

Federal electorate

Brooklet Fernleigh
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Brooklet Fernleigh
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Brooklet

Rural

Fernleigh

Acreage

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Brooklet

Brooklet vs Tintenbar Brooklet vs Newrybar Brooklet vs Nashua Brooklet vs Binna Burra Brooklet vs Knockrow

Other comparisons with Fernleigh

Fernleigh vs Tintenbar Fernleigh vs Teven Fernleigh vs Nashua Fernleigh vs Pearces Creek
Full data on Brooklet Full data on Fernleigh
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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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