Fernbrook vs Darkwood
Darkwood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 58 in Fernbrook. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Fernbrook: a median of $4.1 million, against $1.1 million in Darkwood, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Darkwood tends to suit families with children 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
- Fernbrook carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 70/100)
- Darkwood has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Darkwood
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,100,000 vs $4,100,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Fernbrook leaves renters under less rental stress (26% vs 32%)
- Darkwood has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $330/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Darkwood
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (548.7 km vs 557.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Fernbrook
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 70/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 25%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Darkwood
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (33.9% vs 18.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Fernbrook and Darkwood 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
Darkwood has more residents (237 vs 131); Fernbrook has higher household incomes ($66,092 vs $49,348).
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 131 | 237 +81% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.0% | +33.9% |
| Median age | 58 | 47 |
| Median household income | $66,092/yr +25% vs other | $49,348/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk +9% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.2%).
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 (4.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $4,100,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Darkwood has more land zoned for conservation (90% vs 19%); Fernbrook has more rural and farming land (81% vs 10%).
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 19% | 90% |
| Rural and farming | 81% | 10% |
| 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
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 40 across Bellingen same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +12% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 97% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 10% of NSW | Higher than 27% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 1% of NSW | Higher than 12% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 41% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
Liveability
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Darkwood carries more bushfire risk (63 vs 14); Darkwood carries more crime risk (70 vs 28).
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 14/100 | Moderate 63/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | High 70/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Fernbrook
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Darkwood
- Chrysalis School for Rudolf Steiner Education Independent · Combined above peers
- Orama Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 2 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 12 | 32 |
Mobility
Fernbrook sits further from the CBD (557.2 km vs 548.7 km).
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 557.2 km +2% vs other | 548.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 384 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2453 | 0.9% postcode 2454 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 2453 | 70 postcode 2454 |
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 (58.3%).
Setting
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 822 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 170 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 43.1 km | 38.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 66 premises | 0% 79 premises |
Council rates
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,592/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bellingen same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Fernbrook | Darkwood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Fernbrook
Other comparisons with Darkwood
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.