Sandy Flat vs Tenterfield

Sandy Flat is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 55 in Tenterfield. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Tenterfield, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Sandy Flat: a median of $845,000, against $515,000 in Tenterfield, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Sandy Flat tends to suit share households and families with children, while Tenterfield suits people living alone, older residents, 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

Tenterfield

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (22 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • But Sandy Flat carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 82/100)

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

  • Sandy Flat leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 30%)
  • Tenterfield has cheaper houses ($515,000 vs $845,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Sandy Flat leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 27%)
  • Tenterfield has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $285/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Sandy Flat

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (687.8 km vs 709.2 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (494 min vs 508 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Tenterfield

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 25%)
  • But Sandy Flat carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 82/100)

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

Investors

Sandy Flat

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (18.3% vs 0.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
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.

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Walkability 5 / 4
Sandy Flat — Walkability: 5/100 Tenterfield — Walkability: 4/100
Safety 39 / 18
Sandy Flat — Safety: 39/100 Tenterfield — Safety: 18/100
Low fire risk 28 / 31
Sandy Flat — Low fire risk: 28/100 Tenterfield — Low fire risk: 31/100

Demographics

Tenterfield has more residents (4,067 vs 97); Sandy Flat has higher household incomes ($69,316 vs $48,516).

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Population 97 4,067
+4093% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +18.3% +0.0%
Median age 48 55
Median household income $69,316/yr
+30% vs other
 $48,516/yr
Median weekly rent $285/wk
+12% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
0-4 8.2% / 4.4%
Sandy Flat — 0-4: 8.2% Tenterfield — 0-4: 4.4%
5-14 15.5% / 10.3%
Sandy Flat — 5-14: 15.5% Tenterfield — 5-14: 10.3%
15-19 — / 5.0%
Sandy Flat — 15-19: not among its largest Tenterfield — 15-19: 5.0%
20-24 — / 3.8%
Sandy Flat — 20-24: not among its largest Tenterfield — 20-24: 3.8%
25-34 9.3% / 7.2%
Sandy Flat — 25-34: 9.3% Tenterfield — 25-34: 7.2%
35-44 22.7% / 8.2%
Sandy Flat — 35-44: 22.7% Tenterfield — 35-44: 8.2%
45-54 10.3% / 10.8%
Sandy Flat — 45-54: 10.3% Tenterfield — 45-54: 10.8%
55-64 12.4% / 15.3%
Sandy Flat — 55-64: 12.4% Tenterfield — 55-64: 15.3%
65-74 17.5% / 20.2%
Sandy Flat — 65-74: 17.5% Tenterfield — 65-74: 20.2%
75-84 7.2% / 10.9%
Sandy Flat — 75-84: 7.2% Tenterfield — 75-84: 10.9%
85+ — / 3.9%
Sandy Flat — 85+: not among its largest Tenterfield — 85+: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sandy Flat 40.9% lone person
Sandy Flat — Lone Person: 40.9% Sandy Flat — Couple Families: 40.9% Sandy Flat — Group Household: 18.2% Sandy Flat — One Parent Families: 0.0% Sandy Flat — Other Families: 0.0%
Tenterfield 54.8% lone person
Tenterfield — Lone Person: 54.8% Tenterfield — Couple Families: 24.8% Tenterfield — Group Household: 3.6% Tenterfield — One Parent Families: 16.1% Tenterfield — Other Families: 0.7%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sandy Flat 0.0% renting
Sandy Flat — Owned Outright: 76.9% Sandy Flat — Mortgage: 23.1% Sandy Flat — Renting: 0.0%
Tenterfield 23.2% renting
Tenterfield — Owned Outright: 54.8% Tenterfield — Mortgage: 22.1% Tenterfield — Renting: 23.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
England 7.2% / 2.2%
Sandy Flat — England: 7.2% Tenterfield — England: 2.2%
New Zealand — / 1.0%
Sandy Flat — New Zealand: not among its largest Tenterfield — New Zealand: 1.0%
Philippines — / 0.5%
Sandy Flat — Philippines: not among its largest Tenterfield — Philippines: 0.5%
India — / 0.4%
Sandy Flat — India: not among its largest Tenterfield — India: 0.4%
Germany — / 0.4%
Sandy Flat — Germany: not among its largest Tenterfield — Germany: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.2%).

Qualifications

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

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Certificate III & IV 18.6% / 16.6%
Sandy Flat — Certificate III & IV: 18.6% Tenterfield — Certificate III & IV: 16.6%
Bachelor Degree 10.3% / 7.5%
Sandy Flat — Bachelor Degree: 10.3% Tenterfield — Bachelor Degree: 7.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.1% / 6.3%
Sandy Flat — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.1% Tenterfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.1% / 1.3%
Sandy Flat — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.1% Tenterfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.4%
Sandy Flat — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Tenterfield — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sandy Flat 100.0% houses
Sandy Flat — Houses: 100.0% Sandy Flat — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Sandy Flat — Townhouses: 0.0%
Tenterfield 93.7% houses
Tenterfield — Houses: 93.7% Tenterfield — Flats / Apartments: 4.9% Tenterfield — Townhouses: 1.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Median house price $845,000 $515,000
Median unit price — $449,000
Median land price — $325,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 65 days
from 45 sales

Zoning mix

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Rural and farming 96% 97%
Environmental 4% 3%
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

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
New dwellings approved 48
across Tenterfield
same for both
Approvals change year on year -75%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Houses — 3.7%
$450/wk on $640K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
House price Higher than 38% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
Income Higher than 33% of NSW —
Schools — Higher than 64% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 44% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 49% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 15% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 24% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 54% of NSW

Liveability

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Grade — D
Score — 25/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Tenterfield carries more crime risk (82 vs 61).

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Bushfire High
72/100
 Moderate
69/100
Crime Moderate
61/100
 High
82/100
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

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Sandy Flat

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

Schools in Tenterfield

  • St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Tenterfield High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 14
Parks & reserves 0 22
Childcare 0 2
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 2
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Fuel stations 0 5
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 3 99

Mobility

Tenterfield sits further from the CBD (709.2 km vs 687.8 km).

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Walkability score 5/100 4/100
Distance to Sydney 687.8 km 709.2 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 494 min 508 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2372
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2372
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.

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Car (driver) 43.6% / 72.8%
Sandy Flat — Car (driver): 43.6% Tenterfield — Car (driver): 72.8%
Worked from Home 48.7% / 15.0%
Sandy Flat — Worked from Home: 48.7% Tenterfield — Worked from Home: 15.0%
Walked Only 7.7% / 6.3%
Sandy Flat — Walked Only: 7.7% Tenterfield — Walked Only: 6.3%
Car (passenger) — / 5.1%
Sandy Flat — Car (passenger): not among its largest Tenterfield — Car (passenger): 5.1%
Bus — / 0.5%
Sandy Flat — Bus: not among its largest Tenterfield — Bus: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.8%).

Setting

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Elevation 782 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 1,028 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Connectivity score 16/100 64/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
40 premises
 33%
2,354 premises

Climate

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Annual rainfall 798 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 1.0°C
same for both

Council rates

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Average residential rate $922/yr
same for both
Council Tenterfield
same for both

Federal electorate

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Division New England
same for both
Member Barnaby Joyce
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sandy Flat Tenterfield
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Sandy Flat

Family Rural

Tenterfield

Affordable Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sandy Flat

Sandy Flat vs Mole River Sandy Flat vs Bolivia

Other comparisons with Tenterfield

Tenterfield vs Jennings Tenterfield vs Mole River Tenterfield vs Woodside
Full data on Sandy Flat Full data on Tenterfield
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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