Farmborough Heights vs Kembla Heights
Farmborough Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 44 in Kembla Heights. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Farmborough Heights, the large majority of households own their home and most households are couple families. In Kembla Heights, the large majority of households rent. On these figures, Farmborough Heights tends to suit couples, while Kembla Heights suits renters and share households.
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
Farmborough Heights
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 86/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 51%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Kembla Heights
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (100% vs 13%)
- has cheaper rent ($355/wk vs $450/wk)
- But Farmborough Heights leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 28%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Farmborough Heights is more walkable (56/100 vs 35/100)
- Kembla Heights sits closer to the CBD (86.2 km vs 93.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Farmborough Heights
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 86/100)
- is more walkable (56/100 vs 35/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Farmborough Heights
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-0.5% vs -26.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Farmborough Heights and Kembla Heights 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
Farmborough Heights has more residents (4,179 vs 88); Farmborough Heights has higher household incomes ($116,168 vs $65,780).
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,179 +98% vs other | 88 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.5% | -26.1% |
| Median age | 38 | 44 |
| Median household income | $116,168/yr +43% vs other | $65,780/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $450/wk +21% vs other | $355/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (4.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,020,000 | — |
| Median unit price | $750,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 17 days from 15 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Kembla Heights has more land zoned for conservation (95% vs 29%).
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 29% | 95% |
| Residential | 48% | 0% |
| Rural and farming | 14% | 4% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 1% |
| 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
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,476 across Wollongong same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -31% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.8% $800/wk on $1.1M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 50% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 77% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 75% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 61% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Farmborough Heights is more walkable (56 vs 35).
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A | — |
| Score | 71/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Kembla Heights carries more bushfire risk (82 vs 0); Kembla Heights carries more crime risk (86 vs 28).
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | High 86/100 |
| 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 | 10 within 5 km | 5 within 5 km |
Schools
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 UOW Wollongong, 7.8 km same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 1 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 7 | 1 |
Mobility
Farmborough Heights sits further from the CBD (93.2 km vs 86.2 km).
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 56/100 | 35/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 93.2 km +8% vs other | 86.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 88 min | 85 min |
| Public transport score | 75/100 Bus | 23/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 81.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 2.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 2526 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2526 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 (83.8%).
Setting
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 127 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 254 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 6.7 km | 8.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 60/100 | 17/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 28% 1,537 premises | 0% 7 premises |
Climate
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 19.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.45 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,751/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wollongong same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cunningham same for both | |
| Member | Alison Byrnes same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Farmborough Heights | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Farmborough Heights
Kembla Heights
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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.