Fernbank Creek vs Riverside
Fernbank Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 53 in Riverside. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Riverside tends to suit older residents.
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
- Fernbank Creek is already more of a family suburb (85% vs 70%)
- Riverside carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 72/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Fernbank Creek
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 8%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 28%)
- has cheaper rent ($275/wk vs $415/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Fernbank Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (256 min vs 274 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (381.3 km vs 390.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Riverside
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 72/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 24%)
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
Fernbank Creek and Riverside 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
Riverside has more residents (298 vs 122); Riverside rents higher ($415/wk vs $275/wk).
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 122 | 298 +144% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -8.3% | -7.5% |
| Median age | 50 | 53 |
| Median household income | $84,500/yr +10% vs other | $75,972/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk | $415/wk +51% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.8%).
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 (4.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $905,000 | $980,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Riverside has more land zoned for conservation (56% vs 38%); Fernbank Creek has more rural and farming land (60% vs 44%).
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 60% | 44% |
| Environmental | 38% | 56% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 0% |
| 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
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 38% of NSW | Higher than 22% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 67% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
Liveability
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Fernbank Creek carries more crime risk (72 vs 36); Riverside carries more bushfire risk (89 vs 58).
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 58/100 | High 89/100 |
| Crime | High 72/100 | Low 36/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Moderate 62/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 6 | 0 |
Mobility
Riverside sits further from the CBD (390.1 km vs 381.3 km).
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 381.3 km | 390.1 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 256 min | 274 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2444 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 51 postcode 2444 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 (78.2%).
Setting
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 4 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.1 km | 1.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 33/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 4% 52 premises | 0% 143 premises |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 11.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.92 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Fernbank Creek | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Fernbank Creek
Other comparisons with Riverside
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.