Fernleigh vs Nashua
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Fernleigh, most households are couple families. In Nashua, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Nashua: a median of $2.5 million, against $1.94 million in Fernleigh. On these figures, Fernleigh 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Fernleigh has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- Nashua carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 15/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Fernleigh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,942,500 vs $2,500,000)
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
Fernleigh
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (30/100 vs 16/100)
- has a shorter drive in (478 min vs 488 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (742.9 km vs 756.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Fernleigh is more walkable (30/100 vs 16/100)
- Nashua carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 15/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Nashua
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.2% vs 0.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Fernleigh and Nashua 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
Fernleigh skews older (50 vs 48).
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 298 +10% vs other | 267 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.3% | +12.2% |
| Median age | 50 | 48 |
| Median household income | $105,248/yr | $105,300/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $450/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
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 (6.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,942,500 | $2,500,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 91% | 98% |
| Other and special use | 8% | 0% |
| Environmental | 0% | 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
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina | 129 across Byron |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% | -65% |
Ranking within NSW
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 87% of NSW | Higher than 88% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 71% of NSW | Higher than 72% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 95% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
Liveability
Fernleigh is more walkable (30 vs 16).
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Fernleigh carries more crime risk (15 vs 0).
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 15/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Fernleigh
- Fernleigh Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Nashua
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 3 |
Mobility
Nashua sits further from the CBD (756.5 km vs 742.9 km).
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 30/100 | 16/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 742.9 km | 756.5 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 478 min | 488 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 2.4% postcode 2479 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 86 postcode 2479 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 (58.7%).
Setting
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 147 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 23 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 10.2 km | 13.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 120 premises | 0% 105 premises |
Climate
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,569 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 9.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr | $1,577/yr |
| Council | Ballina | Byron |
Federal electorate
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Fernleigh | Nashua | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Fernleigh
Other comparisons with Nashua
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.