Tintenbar vs Fernleigh

Tintenbar is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 50 in Fernleigh. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families.

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

Fernleigh

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 53/100)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Tintenbar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 30%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Fernleigh

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 29%)
  • has cheaper rent ($450/wk vs $555/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Tintenbar

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (472 min vs 478 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (738.3 km vs 742.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Tintenbar has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 18%)
  • Fernleigh carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 53/100)

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

Where they sit

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

Tintenbar Fernleigh
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.

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Walkability 34 / 30
Tintenbar — Walkability: 34/100 Fernleigh — Walkability: 30/100
Safety 47 / 85
Tintenbar — Safety: 47/100 Fernleigh — Safety: 85/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Tintenbar — Low fire risk: 100/100 Fernleigh — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Tintenbar has more residents (618 vs 298); Tintenbar rents higher ($555/wk vs $450/wk).

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Population 618
+52% vs other
 298
Population trend (2016 → 2021) — +0.3%
Median age 46 50
Median household income $98,592/yr $105,248/yr
+7% vs other
Median weekly rent $555/wk
+19% vs other
 $450/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Tintenbar Fernleigh
0-4 4.7% / 2.7%
Tintenbar — 0-4: 4.7% Fernleigh — 0-4: 2.7%
5-14 13.6% / 14.8%
Tintenbar — 5-14: 13.6% Fernleigh — 5-14: 14.8%
15-19 6.5% / 7.0%
Tintenbar — 15-19: 6.5% Fernleigh — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 3.4% / 5.0%
Tintenbar — 20-24: 3.4% Fernleigh — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 7.4% / 7.4%
Tintenbar — 25-34: 7.4% Fernleigh — 25-34: 7.4%
35-44 11.2% / 8.1%
Tintenbar — 35-44: 11.2% Fernleigh — 35-44: 8.1%
45-54 14.6% / 19.1%
Tintenbar — 45-54: 14.6% Fernleigh — 45-54: 19.1%
55-64 14.4% / 19.8%
Tintenbar — 55-64: 14.4% Fernleigh — 55-64: 19.8%
65-74 15.0% / 13.8%
Tintenbar — 65-74: 15.0% Fernleigh — 65-74: 13.8%
75-84 7.0% / 4.4%
Tintenbar — 75-84: 7.0% Fernleigh — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ 1.8% / —
Tintenbar — 85+: 1.8% Fernleigh — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Tintenbar 59.7% couple families
Tintenbar — Couple Families: 59.7% Tintenbar — Lone Person: 21.6% Tintenbar — One Parent Families: 15.1% Tintenbar — Group Household: 3.6%
Fernleigh 58.6% couple families
Fernleigh — Couple Families: 58.6% Fernleigh — Lone Person: 24.3% Fernleigh — One Parent Families: 8.6% Fernleigh — Group Household: 8.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Tintenbar 13.6% renting
Tintenbar — Owned Outright: 53.9% Tintenbar — Mortgage: 32.5% Tintenbar — Renting: 13.6%
Fernleigh 21.3% renting
Fernleigh — Owned Outright: 44.7% Fernleigh — Mortgage: 34.0% Fernleigh — Renting: 21.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Bachelor Degree 16.7% / 17.8%
Tintenbar — Bachelor Degree: 16.7% Fernleigh — Bachelor Degree: 17.8%
Certificate III & IV 13.8% / 8.7%
Tintenbar — Certificate III & IV: 13.8% Fernleigh — Certificate III & IV: 8.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.9% / 8.4%
Tintenbar — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9% Fernleigh — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Postgraduate Degree 6.0% / 3.7%
Tintenbar — Postgraduate Degree: 6.0% Fernleigh — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / 2.3%
Tintenbar — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% Fernleigh — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).

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.

Tintenbar Fernleigh
England 5.3% / 6.7%
Tintenbar — England: 5.3% Fernleigh — England: 6.7%
New Zealand 1.1% / 1.0%
Tintenbar — New Zealand: 1.1% Fernleigh — New Zealand: 1.0%
South Africa — / 2.0%
Tintenbar — South Africa: not among its largest Fernleigh — South Africa: 2.0%
Scotland 1.5% / —
Tintenbar — Scotland: 1.5% Fernleigh — Scotland: not among its largest
France 1.5% / —
Tintenbar — France: 1.5% Fernleigh — France: not among its largest
India 1.0% / —
Tintenbar — India: 1.0% Fernleigh — India: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Tintenbar 100.0% houses
Tintenbar — Houses: 100.0%
Fernleigh 100.0% houses
Fernleigh — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Property market

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Median house price $1,900,000 $1,942,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 54 days
from 9 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Rural and farming 94% 91%
Other and special use 4% 8%
Environmental 2% 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

Tintenbar Fernleigh
New dwellings approved 238
across Ballina
same for both
Approvals change year on year +210%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Tintenbar Fernleigh
House price Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Income Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 18% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 56% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW

Liveability

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Grade B —
Score 56/100 —
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Tintenbar carries more crime risk (53 vs 15).

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
53/100
 Low
15/100
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 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Tintenbar

  • Teven-Tintenbar Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Fernleigh

  • Fernleigh Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Parks & reserves 2 1
Childcare 2 0
GPs 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 13 2

Mobility

Fernleigh sits further from the CBD (742.9 km vs 738.3 km).

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Walkability score 34/100 30/100
Distance to Sydney 738.3 km 742.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 472 min 478 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.

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Car (driver) 66.9% / 58.7%
Tintenbar — Car (driver): 66.9% Fernleigh — Car (driver): 58.7%
Worked from Home 28.1% / 34.8%
Tintenbar — Worked from Home: 28.1% Fernleigh — Worked from Home: 34.8%
Car (passenger) 3.4% / 3.6%
Tintenbar — Car (passenger): 3.4% Fernleigh — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Walked Only 1.5% / 2.9%
Tintenbar — Walked Only: 1.5% Fernleigh — Walked Only: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.9%).

Setting

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Elevation 35 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 147 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.9 km 10.2 km

NBN connectivity

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
233 premises
 0%
120 premises

Council rates

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Average residential rate $1,264/yr
same for both
Council Ballina
same for both

Federal electorate

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Tintenbar Fernleigh
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Tintenbar

Acreage Premium River

Fernleigh

Acreage

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Tintenbar

Tintenbar vs Cumbalum Tintenbar vs Teven Tintenbar vs Brooklet Tintenbar vs Kinvara Tintenbar vs Knockrow

Other comparisons with Fernleigh

Fernleigh vs Teven Fernleigh vs Nashua Fernleigh vs Brooklet Fernleigh vs Pearces Creek
Full data on Tintenbar Full data on Fernleigh
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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