Farmborough Heights vs Unanderra

Farmborough Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 42 in Unanderra. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Farmborough Heights, most households are couple families. On these figures, Farmborough Heights tends to suit couples, while Unanderra 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

Farmborough Heights

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 86/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 53%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (96% vs 78%)
  • But Unanderra has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)

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

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 37%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Unanderra

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (44% vs 13%)
  • has cheaper rent ($285/wk vs $450/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Unanderra

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 56/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Unanderra

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (22% vs 4%)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 56/100)
  • But Farmborough Heights carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 86/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Farmborough Heights and Unanderra 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 Unanderra
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 Unanderra
Walkability 56 / 89
Farmborough Heights — Walkability: 56/100 Unanderra — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 72 / 14
Farmborough Heights — Safety: 72/100 Unanderra — Safety: 14/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Farmborough Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100 Unanderra — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Farmborough Heights has higher household incomes ($116,168 vs $62,972); Farmborough Heights rents higher ($450/wk vs $285/wk).

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Population 4,179 5,476
+31% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -0.5% +0.8%
Median age 38 42
Median household income $116,168/yr
+46% vs other
 $62,972/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+37% vs other
 $285/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
0-4 7.5% / 5.8%
Farmborough Heights — 0-4: 7.5% Unanderra — 0-4: 5.8%
5-14 12.0% / 11.1%
Farmborough Heights — 5-14: 12.0% Unanderra — 5-14: 11.1%
15-19 6.2% / 5.9%
Farmborough Heights — 15-19: 6.2% Unanderra — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 5.7% / 5.6%
Farmborough Heights — 20-24: 5.7% Unanderra — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 13.0% / 13.1%
Farmborough Heights — 25-34: 13.0% Unanderra — 25-34: 13.1%
35-44 12.9% / 11.3%
Farmborough Heights — 35-44: 12.9% Unanderra — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 13.5% / 10.9%
Farmborough Heights — 45-54: 13.5% Unanderra — 45-54: 10.9%
55-64 11.6% / 11.1%
Farmborough Heights — 55-64: 11.6% Unanderra — 55-64: 11.1%
65-74 9.3% / 10.8%
Farmborough Heights — 65-74: 9.3% Unanderra — 65-74: 10.8%
75-84 5.3% / 8.3%
Farmborough Heights — 75-84: 5.3% Unanderra — 75-84: 8.3%
85+ 2.8% / 5.8%
Farmborough Heights — 85+: 2.8% Unanderra — 85+: 5.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.5%).

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%
Unanderra 31.3% couple families
Unanderra — Couple Families: 31.3% Unanderra — Lone Person: 41.7% Unanderra — One Parent Families: 21.6% Unanderra — Group Household: 3.4% Unanderra — Other Families: 2.0%
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%
Unanderra 44.4% renting
Unanderra — Owned Outright: 29.1% Unanderra — Mortgage: 26.5% Unanderra — Renting: 44.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Certificate III & IV 17.0% / 17.2%
Farmborough Heights — Certificate III & IV: 17.0% Unanderra — Certificate III & IV: 17.2%
Bachelor Degree 13.3% / 8.3%
Farmborough Heights — Bachelor Degree: 13.3% Unanderra — Bachelor Degree: 8.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.0% / 6.2%
Farmborough Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0% Unanderra — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2%
Postgraduate Degree 4.7% / 2.0%
Farmborough Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7% Unanderra — Postgraduate Degree: 2.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 1.0%
Farmborough Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Unanderra — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

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.

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
England 3.7% / 3.7%
Farmborough Heights — England: 3.7% Unanderra — England: 3.7%
Italy 1.1% / 1.5%
Farmborough Heights — Italy: 1.1% Unanderra — Italy: 1.5%
New Zealand 0.9% / 0.9%
Farmborough Heights — New Zealand: 0.9% Unanderra — New Zealand: 0.9%
India 0.7% / 0.8%
Farmborough Heights — India: 0.7% Unanderra — India: 0.8%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.6%
Farmborough Heights — Scotland: 0.6% Unanderra — Scotland: 0.6%
Philippines — / 1.2%
Farmborough Heights — Philippines: not among its largest Unanderra — Philippines: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Farmborough Heights 95.6% houses
Farmborough Heights — Houses: 95.6% Farmborough Heights — Flats / Apartments: 1.1% Farmborough Heights — Townhouses: 3.3%
Unanderra 78.0% houses
Unanderra — Houses: 78.0% Unanderra — Flats / Apartments: 12.5% Unanderra — Townhouses: 9.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Median house price $1,020,000 $950,000
Median unit price $750,000 $760,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 17 days
from 15 sales
 19 days
from 21 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 Unanderra
3 bed $996K / $912K
Farmborough Heights — 3 bed: $996K (48 sales) Unanderra — 3 bed: $912K (30 sales)

48 vs 30 sales

4 bed $1.08M / $1.1M
Farmborough Heights — 4 bed: $1.08M (40 sales) Unanderra — 4 bed: $1.1M (9 sales)

40 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Unanderra has more industrially zoned land (46% vs 0%); Farmborough Heights has more land zoned for conservation (29% vs 2%).

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Residential 48% 30%
Industrial 0% 46%
Environmental 29% 2%
Rural and farming 14% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 13%
Parks and recreation 6% 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

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
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 Unanderra
Houses 3.8%
$800/wk on $1.1M
 4.1%
$750/wk on $955K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
House price Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
Income Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 25% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 19% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 38% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 82% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW

Liveability

Farmborough Heights scores higher overall (71 vs 38); Unanderra is more walkable (89 vs 56).

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Grade A C
Score 71/100 38/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Unanderra carries more crime risk (86 vs 28).

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
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
 18
within 5 km

Schools

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Inside the suburb 0 6
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
UOW Wollongong, 7.8 km
 1
UOW Wollongong, 5.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.8% 1.0%

Schools in Farmborough Heights

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

Schools in Unanderra

  • Cedars Christian College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Farmborough Road Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Pius X Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Aspect South Coast School, Farmborough Heights Independent · Combined · Special school
  • Aspect South Coast School, Unanderra Independent · Primary · Special school
  • Cedars Christian College - Aspire Independent · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 5 6
Childcare 1 5
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 3
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 7 22

Mobility

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Walkability score 56/100 89/100
Distance to Sydney 93.2 km
+2% vs other
 91.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 88 min 87 min
Public transport score 75/100
Bus
 79/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 81.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 186.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
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 Unanderra
Car (driver) 61.5% / 66.6%
Farmborough Heights — Car (driver): 61.5% Unanderra — Car (driver): 66.6%
Worked from Home 33.2% / 22.9%
Farmborough Heights — Worked from Home: 33.2% Unanderra — Worked from Home: 22.9%
Car (passenger) 3.8% / 5.7%
Farmborough Heights — Car (passenger): 3.8% Unanderra — Car (passenger): 5.7%
Walked Only 0.6% / 1.9%
Farmborough Heights — Walked Only: 0.6% Unanderra — Walked Only: 1.9%
Bus 0.5% / 2.0%
Farmborough Heights — Bus: 0.5% Unanderra — Bus: 2.0%
Train 0.5% / 0.8%
Farmborough Heights — Train: 0.5% Unanderra — Train: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.6%).

Setting

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Elevation 127 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 20 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.7 km 3.9 km

NBN connectivity

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
Connectivity score 60/100 67/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 28%
1,537 premises
 41%
3,480 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Farmborough Heights Unanderra
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

Unanderra

River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Farmborough Heights

Farmborough Heights vs Cordeaux Heights Farmborough Heights vs Kembla Grange Farmborough Heights vs Mount Kembla Farmborough Heights vs Kembla Heights

Other comparisons with Unanderra

Unanderra vs Figtree Unanderra vs Berkeley Unanderra vs Cordeaux Heights Unanderra vs Cringila Unanderra vs Kembla Grange Unanderra vs Spring Hill
Full data on Farmborough Heights Full data on Unanderra
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.

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