Farmborough Heights vs Mount Kembla

Farmborough Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 42 in Mount Kembla. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Mount Kembla: a median of $1.22 million, against $1.02 million in Farmborough Heights. On these figures, Farmborough Heights tends to suit 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

Farmborough Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more parks and reserves (5 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Farmborough Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,020,000 vs $1,217,500)

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

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Farmborough Heights is more walkable (56/100 vs 40/100)
  • Mount Kembla sits closer to the CBD (90.5 km vs 93.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Farmborough Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (56/100 vs 40/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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

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

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
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.

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Walkability 56 / 40
Farmborough Heights — Walkability: 56/100 Mount Kembla — Walkability: 40/100
Safety 72 / 73
Farmborough Heights — Safety: 72/100 Mount Kembla — Safety: 73/100
Low fire risk 100 / 32
Farmborough Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100 Mount Kembla — Low fire risk: 32/100

Demographics

Farmborough Heights has more residents (4,179 vs 1,083); Mount Kembla has higher household incomes ($146,848 vs $116,168).

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Population 4,179
+74% vs other
 1,083
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -0.5% +1.4%
Median age 38 42
Median household income $116,168/yr $146,848/yr
+26% vs other
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+2% vs other
 $440/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
0-4 7.5% / 3.9%
Farmborough Heights — 0-4: 7.5% Mount Kembla — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 12.0% / 16.6%
Farmborough Heights — 5-14: 12.0% Mount Kembla — 5-14: 16.6%
15-19 6.2% / 7.2%
Farmborough Heights — 15-19: 6.2% Mount Kembla — 15-19: 7.2%
20-24 5.7% / 5.7%
Farmborough Heights — 20-24: 5.7% Mount Kembla — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 13.0% / 7.6%
Farmborough Heights — 25-34: 13.0% Mount Kembla — 25-34: 7.6%
35-44 12.9% / 12.1%
Farmborough Heights — 35-44: 12.9% Mount Kembla — 35-44: 12.1%
45-54 13.5% / 14.0%
Farmborough Heights — 45-54: 13.5% Mount Kembla — 45-54: 14.0%
55-64 11.6% / 15.8%
Farmborough Heights — 55-64: 11.6% Mount Kembla — 55-64: 15.8%
65-74 9.3% / 9.6%
Farmborough Heights — 65-74: 9.3% Mount Kembla — 65-74: 9.6%
75-84 5.3% / 5.0%
Farmborough Heights — 75-84: 5.3% Mount Kembla — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 2.8% / 1.3%
Farmborough Heights — 85+: 2.8% Mount Kembla — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Farmborough Heights 60.4% couple families
Farmborough Heights — Couple Families: 60.4% Farmborough Heights — Lone Person: 22.5% Farmborough Heights — One Parent Families: 14.1% Farmborough Heights — Group Household: 2.6% Farmborough Heights — Other Families: 0.4%
Mount Kembla 66.5% couple families
Mount Kembla — Couple Families: 66.5% Mount Kembla — Lone Person: 19.9% Mount Kembla — One Parent Families: 11.6% Mount Kembla — Group Household: 2.0% Mount Kembla — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Farmborough Heights 13.0% renting
Farmborough Heights — Owned Outright: 38.5% Farmborough Heights — Mortgage: 48.5% Farmborough Heights — Renting: 13.0%
Mount Kembla 7.2% renting
Mount Kembla — Owned Outright: 53.0% Mount Kembla — Mortgage: 39.8% Mount Kembla — Renting: 7.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Bachelor Degree 13.3% / 18.1%
Farmborough Heights — Bachelor Degree: 13.3% Mount Kembla — Bachelor Degree: 18.1%
Certificate III & IV 17.0% / 13.9%
Farmborough Heights — Certificate III & IV: 17.0% Mount Kembla — Certificate III & IV: 13.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.0% / 7.3%
Farmborough Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0% Mount Kembla — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Postgraduate Degree 4.7% / 6.6%
Farmborough Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7% Mount Kembla — Postgraduate Degree: 6.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 3.6%
Farmborough Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Mount Kembla — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

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.

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
England 3.7% / 4.7%
Farmborough Heights — England: 3.7% Mount Kembla — England: 4.7%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.5%
Farmborough Heights — New Zealand: 0.9% Mount Kembla — New Zealand: 1.5%
India 0.7% / 1.2%
Farmborough Heights — India: 0.7% Mount Kembla — India: 1.2%
Italy 1.1% / 0.6%
Farmborough Heights — Italy: 1.1% Mount Kembla — Italy: 0.6%
Ireland 0.4% / 0.8%
Farmborough Heights — Ireland: 0.4% Mount Kembla — Ireland: 0.8%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.6%
Farmborough Heights — Scotland: 0.6% Mount Kembla — Scotland: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Farmborough Heights 95.6% houses
Farmborough Heights — Houses: 95.6% Farmborough Heights — Townhouses: 3.3% Farmborough Heights — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Mount Kembla 98.0% houses
Mount Kembla — Houses: 98.0% Mount Kembla — Townhouses: 1.4% Mount Kembla — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Median house price $1,020,000 $1,217,500
Median unit price $750,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 17 days
from 15 sales
 26 days
from 7 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
3 bed $996K / $1.11M
Farmborough Heights — 3 bed: $996K (48 sales) Mount Kembla — 3 bed: $1.11M (9 sales)

48 vs 9 sales

4 bed $1.08M / $1.24M
Farmborough Heights — 4 bed: $1.08M (40 sales) Mount Kembla — 4 bed: $1.24M (7 sales)

40 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Mount Kembla has more land zoned for conservation (82% vs 29%).

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Environmental 29% 82%
Residential 48% 0%
Rural and farming 14%
same for both
Parks and recreation 6% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 2%
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 Mount Kembla
New dwellings approved 1,476
across Wollongong
same for both
Approvals change year on year -31%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Houses 3.8%
$800/wk on $1.1M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
House price Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 65% of NSW
Income Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 82% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 61% of NSW —

Liveability

Farmborough Heights is more walkable (56 vs 40); Farmborough Heights scores higher overall (71 vs 55).

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Grade A B
Score 71/100 55/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Mount Kembla carries more bushfire risk (68 vs 0).

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
68/100
Crime Low
28/100
 Low
27/100
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
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 1
UOW Wollongong, 7.8 km
 1
UOW Wollongong, 6.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.8% 2.1%

Schools in Farmborough Heights

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

Schools in Mount Kembla

  • Mount Kembla Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Parks & reserves 5 1
Childcare 1
same for both
Waterways 7 5

Mobility

Farmborough Heights sits further from the CBD (93.2 km vs 90.5 km).

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Walkability score 56/100 40/100
Distance to Sydney 93.2 km
+3% vs other
 90.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 88 min 87 min
Public transport score 75/100
Bus
 38/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 81.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 10.5
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.

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Car (driver) 61.5% / 56.8%
Farmborough Heights — Car (driver): 61.5% Mount Kembla — Car (driver): 56.8%
Worked from Home 33.2% / 40.5%
Farmborough Heights — Worked from Home: 33.2% Mount Kembla — Worked from Home: 40.5%
Car (passenger) 3.8% / 2.0%
Farmborough Heights — Car (passenger): 3.8% Mount Kembla — Car (passenger): 2.0%
Walked Only 0.6% / 0.7%
Farmborough Heights — Walked Only: 0.6% Mount Kembla — Walked Only: 0.7%
Train 0.5% / —
Farmborough Heights — Train: 0.5% Mount Kembla — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.5%).

Setting

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Elevation 127 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 78 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.7 km 6.8 km

NBN connectivity

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Connectivity score 60/100 80/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 28%
1,537 premises
 64%
375 premises

Climate

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
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 Mount Kembla
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 Mount Kembla
Average residential rate $1,751/yr
same for both
Council Wollongong
same for both

Federal electorate

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Division Cunningham
same for both
Member Alison Byrnes
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Farmborough Heights

Large Blocks Parks

Mount Kembla

Acreage Professionals Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Farmborough Heights

Farmborough Heights vs Unanderra Farmborough Heights vs Cordeaux Heights Farmborough Heights vs Kembla Grange Farmborough Heights vs Kembla Heights

Other comparisons with Mount Kembla

Mount Kembla vs Figtree Mount Kembla vs Cordeaux Heights Mount Kembla vs Mount Keira Mount Kembla vs Kembla Heights
Full data on Farmborough Heights Full data on Mount Kembla
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or