Fernvale vs Wardrop Valley
Wardrop Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 44 in Fernvale. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Fernvale: a median of $1.75 million, against $850,000 in Wardrop Valley, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Wardrop Valley tends to suit young adults, 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 the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 67%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Fernvale leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 32%)
- Wardrop Valley has cheaper houses ($850,000 vs $1,752,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Wardrop Valley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 14%)
- has cheaper rent ($298/wk vs $330/wk)
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 526 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (790.7 km vs 797.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Fernvale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 10%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Fernvale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-1.5% vs -10.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Fernvale and Wardrop Valley 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
Fernvale has more residents (261 vs 80); Fernvale has higher household incomes ($77,220 vs $68,224).
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 261 +69% vs other | 80 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.5% | -10.1% |
| Median age | 44 | 39 |
| Median household income | $77,220/yr +12% vs other | $68,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk +10% vs other | $298/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
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 (7.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,752,500 | $850,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 191 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Fernvale has more rural and farming land (100% vs 55%); Wardrop Valley has more land zoned for conservation (45% vs 0%).
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 55% |
| Environmental | 0% | 45% |
| 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 | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Tweed same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 23% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
Liveability
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 43/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| Crime | Low 17/100 | Low 20/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 8 | 1 |
Mobility
Wardrop Valley sits further from the CBD (797.6 km vs 790.7 km).
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 20/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 790.7 km | 797.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 511 min | 526 min |
| 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (88.2%).
Setting
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 38 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 117 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 14.5 km | 11.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 100 premises | 0% 34 premises |
Climate
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,745/yr same for both | |
| Council | Tweed same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Fernvale | Wardrop Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Wardrop Valley
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Fernvale
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.