Dobies Bight vs Fairy Hill

Dobies Bight is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 49 in Fairy Hill. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dobies Bight, about half of households are people living alone. In Fairy Hill, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Dobies Bight: a median of $860,000, against $720,000 in Fairy Hill, though rent is higher in Fairy Hill. On these figures, Dobies Bight tends to suit people living alone and families with children, while Fairy Hill suits older residents and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

  • Dobies Bight carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 17/100)
  • Fairy Hill is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 52%)

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

First-home buyers

Fairy Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($720,000 vs $860,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Dobies Bight

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 5%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $300/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

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Dobies Bight carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 17/100)
  • Fairy Hill has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 19%)

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

Investors

Fairy Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (5.7% vs -12.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
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.

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Walkability 8 / 14
Dobies Bight — Walkability: 8/100 Fairy Hill — Walkability: 14/100
Safety 100 / 83
Dobies Bight — Safety: 100/100 Fairy Hill — Safety: 83/100
Low fire risk 66 / 100
Dobies Bight — Low fire risk: 66/100 Fairy Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Fairy Hill has more residents (407 vs 117); Fairy Hill rents higher ($300/wk vs $250/wk).

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Population 117 407
+248% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -12.0% +5.7%
Median age 42 49
Median household income $82,316/yr
+15% vs other
 $70,096/yr
Median weekly rent $250/wk $300/wk
+20% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
0-4 5.1% / 2.0%
Dobies Bight — 0-4: 5.1% Fairy Hill — 0-4: 2.0%
5-14 20.5% / 13.3%
Dobies Bight — 5-14: 20.5% Fairy Hill — 5-14: 13.3%
15-19 6.8% / 7.6%
Dobies Bight — 15-19: 6.8% Fairy Hill — 15-19: 7.6%
20-24 — / 2.9%
Dobies Bight — 20-24: not among its largest Fairy Hill — 20-24: 2.9%
25-34 10.3% / 5.9%
Dobies Bight — 25-34: 10.3% Fairy Hill — 25-34: 5.9%
35-44 14.5% / 11.1%
Dobies Bight — 35-44: 14.5% Fairy Hill — 35-44: 11.1%
45-54 5.1% / 13.8%
Dobies Bight — 45-54: 5.1% Fairy Hill — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 17.1% / 12.5%
Dobies Bight — 55-64: 17.1% Fairy Hill — 55-64: 12.5%
65-74 6.0% / 19.9%
Dobies Bight — 65-74: 6.0% Fairy Hill — 65-74: 19.9%
75-84 12.8% / 7.6%
Dobies Bight — 75-84: 12.8% Fairy Hill — 75-84: 7.6%
85+ — / 3.4%
Dobies Bight — 85+: not among its largest Fairy Hill — 85+: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Dobies Bight 52.0% couple families
Dobies Bight — Couple Families: 52.0% Dobies Bight — Lone Person: 48.0% Dobies Bight — One Parent Families: 0.0% Dobies Bight — Other Families: 0.0%
Fairy Hill 49.1% couple families
Fairy Hill — Couple Families: 49.1% Fairy Hill — Lone Person: 22.6% Fairy Hill — One Parent Families: 23.6% Fairy Hill — Other Families: 4.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dobies Bight 22.5% renting
Dobies Bight — Owned Outright: 47.5% Dobies Bight — Mortgage: 30.0% Dobies Bight — Renting: 22.5%
Fairy Hill 4.9% renting
Fairy Hill — Owned Outright: 58.3% Fairy Hill — Mortgage: 36.8% Fairy Hill — Renting: 4.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dobies Bight 100.0% houses
Dobies Bight — Houses: 100.0%
Fairy Hill 100.0% houses
Fairy Hill — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Certificate III & IV 13.7% / 18.2%
Dobies Bight — Certificate III & IV: 13.7% Fairy Hill — Certificate III & IV: 18.2%
Bachelor Degree 12.0% / 4.7%
Dobies Bight — Bachelor Degree: 12.0% Fairy Hill — Bachelor Degree: 4.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.3% / 5.9%
Dobies Bight — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.3% Fairy Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.3% / 1.7%
Dobies Bight — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.3% Fairy Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%
Postgraduate Degree 2.6% / 1.0%
Dobies Bight — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6% Fairy Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0%

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

Property market

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Median house price $860,000 $720,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Rural and farming 98% 92%
Residential 0% 6%
Environmental 2%
same for both
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

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
New dwellings approved 25
across Kyogle
 24
across Richmond Valley
Approvals change year on year +0% -78%

Ranking within NSW

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
House price Higher than 39% of NSW Higher than 27% of NSW
Income Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 34% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 52% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 62% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 16% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 44% of NSW Higher than 59% of NSW

Liveability

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
same for both

Risk profile

Dobies Bight carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 0); Fairy Hill carries more crime risk (17 vs 0).

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Bushfire Low
34/100
 None
0/100
Crime None
0/100
 Low
17/100
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 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
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

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Waterways 2
same for both

Mobility

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Walkability score 8/100 14/100
Distance to Sydney 724.5 km 724.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 486 min 487 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2470
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 67
postcode 2470
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.

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Car (driver) 75.5% / 78.8%
Dobies Bight — Car (driver): 75.5% Fairy Hill — Car (driver): 78.8%
Worked from Home 24.5% / 16.8%
Dobies Bight — Worked from Home: 24.5% Fairy Hill — Worked from Home: 16.8%
Car (passenger) — / 4.4%
Dobies Bight — Car (passenger): not among its largest Fairy Hill — Car (passenger): 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.8%).

Setting

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Elevation 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 39 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Connectivity score 29/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
46 premises
 0%
167 premises

Council rates

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Average residential rate $1,264/yr $1,282/yr
Council Kyogle Richmond Valley

Federal electorate

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Dobies Bight Fairy Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Dobies Bight

Family River Rural

Fairy Hill

Retirees River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dobies Bight

Dobies Bight vs Casino Dobies Bight vs Stratheden Dobies Bight vs Woodview Dobies Bight vs Dyraaba

Other comparisons with Fairy Hill

Fairy Hill vs Casino Fairy Hill vs Stratheden Fairy Hill vs Cedar Point Fairy Hill vs Backmede Fairy Hill vs Edenville
Full data on Dobies Bight Full data on Fairy Hill
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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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