Fernside vs Tuncester

Fernside is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 55 in Tuncester. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Tuncester 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

  • Fernside is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 57%)
  • Tuncester carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 86/100)

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

First-home buyers

Tuncester

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (12% vs 37%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Tuncester

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 29%)
  • has cheaper rent ($315/wk vs $350/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Tuncester

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (733.3 km vs 738.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Tuncester

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (37% vs 11%)
  • carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 86/100)

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

Investors

Fernside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (14.6% vs -28.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Fernside Tuncester
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.

Fernside Tuncester
Walkability 16 / 10
Fernside — Walkability: 16/100 Tuncester — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 14 / 55
Fernside — Safety: 14/100 Tuncester — Safety: 55/100
Low fire risk 57 / 74
Fernside — Low fire risk: 57/100 Tuncester — Low fire risk: 74/100

Demographics

Tuncester skews older (55 vs 42); Fernside has higher household incomes ($84,448 vs $71,448).

Fernside Tuncester
Population 55
+7% vs other
 51
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +14.6% -28.2%
Median age 42 55
Median household income $84,448/yr
+15% vs other
 $71,448/yr
Median weekly rent $350/wk
+10% vs other
 $315/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fernside Tuncester
0-4 — / —
Fernside — 0-4: not among its largest Tuncester — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 20.0% / —
Fernside — 5-14: 20.0% Tuncester — 5-14: not among its largest
15-19 7.3% / 5.9%
Fernside — 15-19: 7.3% Tuncester — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 — / —
Fernside — 20-24: not among its largest Tuncester — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 5.5% / 5.9%
Fernside — 25-34: 5.5% Tuncester — 25-34: 5.9%
35-44 20.0% / 7.8%
Fernside — 35-44: 20.0% Tuncester — 35-44: 7.8%
45-54 20.0% / 15.7%
Fernside — 45-54: 20.0% Tuncester — 45-54: 15.7%
55-64 12.7% / 13.7%
Fernside — 55-64: 12.7% Tuncester — 55-64: 13.7%
65-74 5.5% / 27.5%
Fernside — 65-74: 5.5% Tuncester — 65-74: 27.5%
75-84 — / 9.8%
Fernside — 75-84: not among its largest Tuncester — 75-84: 9.8%
85+ 5.5% / —
Fernside — 85+: 5.5% Tuncester — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Fernside 42.1% couple families
Fernside — Couple Families: 42.1% Fernside — One Parent Families: 36.8% Fernside — Lone Person: 21.1% Fernside — Group Household: 0.0%
Tuncester 35.7% couple families
Tuncester — Couple Families: 35.7% Tuncester — One Parent Families: 21.4% Tuncester — Lone Person: 21.4% Tuncester — Group Household: 21.4%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Fernside 29.2% renting
Fernside — Owned Outright: 45.8% Fernside — Mortgage: 25.0% Fernside — Renting: 29.2%
Tuncester 40.0% renting
Tuncester — Owned Outright: 45.0% Tuncester — Mortgage: 15.0% Tuncester — Renting: 40.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fernside 100.0% houses
Fernside — Houses: 100.0%
Tuncester 100.0% houses
Tuncester — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Fernside Tuncester
Certificate III & IV 12.7% / 27.5%
Fernside — Certificate III & IV: 12.7% Tuncester — Certificate III & IV: 27.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 14.5% / 9.8%
Fernside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 14.5% Tuncester — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8%
Bachelor Degree 5.5% / 5.9%
Fernside — Bachelor Degree: 5.5% Tuncester — Bachelor Degree: 5.9%
Postgraduate Degree 10.9% / —
Fernside — Postgraduate Degree: 10.9% Tuncester — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.5%).

Zoning mix

Fernside Tuncester
Rural and farming 99% 97%
Industrial 0% 2%
Environmental 1%
same for both
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

Fernside Tuncester
New dwellings approved 138
across Lismore
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Fernside Tuncester
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 35% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW

Liveability

Fernside Tuncester
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Fernside carries more crime risk (86 vs 45); Fernside carries more bushfire risk (43 vs 26).

Fernside Tuncester
Bushfire Moderate
43/100
 Low
26/100
Crime High
86/100
 Moderate
45/100
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
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Fernside Tuncester
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
Universities within 10 km None 1
Lismore, 6.7 km

Amenities in the suburb

Fernside Tuncester
Parks & reserves 0 1
Waterways 3 2

Mobility

Fernside sits further from the CBD (738.4 km vs 733.3 km).

Fernside Tuncester
Walkability score 16/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 738.4 km 733.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 486 min 483 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2480
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 2480
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.

Fernside Tuncester
Car (driver) 72.4% / 73.3%
Fernside — Car (driver): 72.4% Tuncester — Car (driver): 73.3%
Worked from Home 13.8% / 26.7%
Fernside — Worked from Home: 13.8% Tuncester — Worked from Home: 26.7%
Walked Only 13.8% / —
Fernside — Walked Only: 13.8% Tuncester — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.3%).

Setting

Fernside Tuncester
Elevation 21 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 47 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 36.6 km 31.1 km

NBN connectivity

Fernside Tuncester
Connectivity score 22/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
18 premises
 0%
28 premises

Council rates

Fernside Tuncester
Average residential rate $1,487/yr
same for both
Council Lismore
same for both

Federal electorate

Fernside Tuncester
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Fernside Tuncester
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Fernside

Rural

Tuncester

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Fernside

Fernside vs Caniaba Fernside vs Spring Grove Fernside vs Bentley Fernside vs Leycester

Other comparisons with Tuncester

Tuncester vs South Lismore Tuncester vs Caniaba Tuncester vs Leycester Tuncester vs Blakebrook Tuncester vs Booerie Creek
Full data on Fernside Full data on Tuncester
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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