Kinvara vs Knockrow
Kinvara is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 53 in Knockrow. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kinvara, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Knockrow: a median of $7.5 million, against $1.8 million in Kinvara, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Kinvara tends to suit 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
Knockrow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (65/100 vs 87/100)
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
- Kinvara has cheaper houses ($1,802,500 vs $7,500,000)
- Knockrow leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 36%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Kinvara
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($500/wk vs $550/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Knockrow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (65/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Kinvara and Knockrow 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
Knockrow has higher household incomes ($121,836 vs $94,224); Knockrow rents higher ($550/wk vs $500/wk).
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 193 +4% vs other | 186 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — | -3.1% |
| Median age | 50 | 53 |
| Median household income | $94,224/yr | $121,836/yr +29% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $500/wk | $550/wk +10% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.4%).
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 (4.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,802,500 | $7,500,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Kinvara has more land zoned for conservation (17% vs 0%).
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 70% | 61% |
| Other and special use | 3% | 39% |
| Environmental | 17% | 0% |
| Residential | 10% | 0% |
| 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
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 82% of NSW | Higher than 99% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 61% of NSW | Higher than 85% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 18% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of NSW | Higher than 95% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
Liveability
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Kinvara carries more crime risk (87 vs 65).
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 87/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| 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
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 4 | 1 |
Mobility
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 737.6 km | 738.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 474 min | 472 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 2478 | 2.4% postcode 2479 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 2478 | 86 postcode 2479 |
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 (56.2%).
Setting
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 77 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.6 km | 5.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 93 premises | 0% 91 premises |
Council rates
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Kinvara | Knockrow | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Kinvara
Other comparisons with Knockrow
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.