Fernvale vs South Murwillumbah

Fernvale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 48 in South Murwillumbah. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Fernvale, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Fernvale: a median of $1.75 million, against $835,000 in South Murwillumbah, though rent is higher in South Murwillumbah. On these figures, Fernvale tends to suit couples, while South Murwillumbah suits people living alone 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

Fernvale

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 91/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 51%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 90%)
  • But South Murwillumbah has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

South Murwillumbah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($835,000 vs $1,752,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Fernvale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 30%)
  • has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $390/wk)
  • But South Murwillumbah has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 14%)

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

Commuting to the city

Fernvale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (511 min vs 520 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (790.7 km vs 798.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Fernvale carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 91/100)
  • South Murwillumbah has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 18%)

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

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

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
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.

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Walkability 20 / 19
Fernvale — Walkability: 20/100 South Murwillumbah — Walkability: 19/100
Safety 83 / 9
Fernvale — Safety: 83/100 South Murwillumbah — Safety: 9/100
Low fire risk 57 / 100
Fernvale — Low fire risk: 57/100 South Murwillumbah — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

South Murwillumbah has more residents (1,064 vs 261); South Murwillumbah rents higher ($390/wk vs $330/wk).

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Population 261 1,064
+308% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.5% -4.5%
Median age 44 48
Median household income $77,220/yr
+13% vs other
 $67,184/yr
Median weekly rent $330/wk $390/wk
+18% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
0-4 5.4% / 4.8%
Fernvale — 0-4: 5.4% South Murwillumbah — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 9.6% / 9.8%
Fernvale — 5-14: 9.6% South Murwillumbah — 5-14: 9.8%
15-19 8.8% / 6.9%
Fernvale — 15-19: 8.8% South Murwillumbah — 15-19: 6.9%
20-24 4.2% / 5.0%
Fernvale — 20-24: 4.2% South Murwillumbah — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 8.0% / 7.4%
Fernvale — 25-34: 8.0% South Murwillumbah — 25-34: 7.4%
35-44 16.9% / 12.0%
Fernvale — 35-44: 16.9% South Murwillumbah — 35-44: 12.0%
45-54 14.6% / 15.2%
Fernvale — 45-54: 14.6% South Murwillumbah — 45-54: 15.2%
55-64 15.3% / 14.8%
Fernvale — 55-64: 15.3% South Murwillumbah — 55-64: 14.8%
65-74 13.8% / 14.0%
Fernvale — 65-74: 13.8% South Murwillumbah — 65-74: 14.0%
75-84 3.8% / 6.4%
Fernvale — 75-84: 3.8% South Murwillumbah — 75-84: 6.4%
85+ — / 3.6%
Fernvale — 85+: not among its largest South Murwillumbah — 85+: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Fernvale 50.8% couple families
Fernvale — Couple Families: 50.8% Fernvale — Lone Person: 23.7% Fernvale — One Parent Families: 25.4% Fernvale — Group Household: 0.0% Fernvale — Other Families: 0.0%
South Murwillumbah 31.7% couple families
South Murwillumbah — Couple Families: 31.7% South Murwillumbah — Lone Person: 41.0% South Murwillumbah — One Parent Families: 19.7% South Murwillumbah — Group Household: 6.0% South Murwillumbah — Other Families: 1.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Fernvale 14.5% renting
Fernvale — Owned Outright: 42.2% Fernvale — Mortgage: 43.4% Fernvale — Renting: 14.5%
South Murwillumbah 26.2% renting
South Murwillumbah — Owned Outright: 40.2% South Murwillumbah — Mortgage: 33.6% South Murwillumbah — Renting: 26.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Certificate III & IV 16.9% / 19.2%
Fernvale — Certificate III & IV: 16.9% South Murwillumbah — Certificate III & IV: 19.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 11.9% / 6.6%
Fernvale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.9% South Murwillumbah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Bachelor Degree 7.3% / 7.2%
Fernvale — Bachelor Degree: 7.3% South Murwillumbah — Bachelor Degree: 7.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.1%
Fernvale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% South Murwillumbah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%
Postgraduate Degree — / 2.2%
Fernvale — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest South Murwillumbah — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).

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.

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
England 3.8% / 2.9%
Fernvale — England: 3.8% South Murwillumbah — England: 2.9%
New Zealand 1.5% / 2.6%
Fernvale — New Zealand: 1.5% South Murwillumbah — New Zealand: 2.6%
Germany 1.9% / 0.4%
Fernvale — Germany: 1.9% South Murwillumbah — Germany: 0.4%
Thailand 1.5% / 0.5%
Fernvale — Thailand: 1.5% South Murwillumbah — Thailand: 0.5%
Sri Lanka 1.5% / —
Fernvale — Sri Lanka: 1.5% South Murwillumbah — Sri Lanka: not among its largest
South Africa — / 0.7%
Fernvale — South Africa: not among its largest South Murwillumbah — South Africa: 0.7%
Philippines — / 0.5%
Fernvale — Philippines: not among its largest South Murwillumbah — Philippines: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fernvale 100.0% houses
Fernvale — Houses: 100.0% Fernvale — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
South Murwillumbah 89.6% houses
South Murwillumbah — Houses: 89.6% South Murwillumbah — Flats / Apartments: 10.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Median house price $1,752,500 $835,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 191 days
from 3 sales
 48 days
from 14 sales

Zoning mix

Fernvale has more rural and farming land (100% vs 73%); South Murwillumbah has more industrially zoned land (15% vs 0%).

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Rural and farming 100% 73%
Industrial 0% 15%
Residential 0% 5%
Environmental 0% 4%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 2%
Other and special use 0% 1%
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

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
New dwellings approved 331
across Tweed
same for both
Approvals change year on year -50%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
House price Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
Income Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 23% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 65% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW

Liveability

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Grade — D
Score — 25/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Fernvale carries more bushfire risk (43 vs 0); South Murwillumbah carries more crime risk (91 vs 17).

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Bushfire Moderate
43/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
17/100
 High
91/100
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 2
within 5 km
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Fernvale

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

Schools in South Murwillumbah

  • St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 0 5
Childcare 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 6
Waterways 8 1

Mobility

South Murwillumbah sits further from the CBD (798.9 km vs 790.7 km).

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Walkability score 20/100 19/100
Distance to Sydney 790.7 km 798.9 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 511 min 520 min
Public transport score 22/100
Bus
 59/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 5.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 16.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2484
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 76
postcode 2484
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.

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Car (driver) 82.0% / 74.9%
Fernvale — Car (driver): 82.0% South Murwillumbah — Car (driver): 74.9%
Worked from Home 10.1% / 13.4%
Fernvale — Worked from Home: 10.1% South Murwillumbah — Worked from Home: 13.4%
Car (passenger) 7.9% / 4.9%
Fernvale — Car (passenger): 7.9% South Murwillumbah — Car (passenger): 4.9%
Walked Only — / 5.7%
Fernvale — Walked Only: not among its largest South Murwillumbah — Walked Only: 5.7%
Bicycle — / 1.1%
Fernvale — Bicycle: not among its largest South Murwillumbah — Bicycle: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (82.0%).

Setting

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Elevation 38 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 26 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.5 km 15.2 km

NBN connectivity

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Connectivity score 30/100 71/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
100 premises
 47%
956 premises

Climate

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
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

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Average residential rate $1,745/yr
same for both
Council Tweed
same for both

Federal electorate

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Fernvale South Murwillumbah
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Fernvale

River Rural

South Murwillumbah

Acreage

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Fernvale

Fernvale vs Stokers Siding Fernvale vs Dunbible Fernvale vs Wardrop Valley

Other comparisons with South Murwillumbah

South Murwillumbah vs Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah vs Dunbible South Murwillumbah vs Condong South Murwillumbah vs Kielvale South Murwillumbah vs Tygalgah South Murwillumbah vs Wardrop Valley
Full data on Fernvale Full data on South Murwillumbah
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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