Fernleigh is a small, quiet locality in New South Wales within the Ballina local government area (postcode 2479). The area has roughly 298 residents and an older-leaning population, with a median age of 50. Households earn a median income of $105K per year, with an average household size of 2.8 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement staying broadly stable across the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.0% year-on-year at the LGA level. NSW employment has moved +1.2% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. NSW also had 35 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 17 underway, and 67 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are managers, professionals, sales. Employment in the area leans toward agriculture and healthcare. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.
Median house prices in Fernleigh stand at $2.0 million, having dropped significantly by 25.2% over the last twelve months. The current median weekly rent is $825. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 2.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $2,600.
Fernleigh is served by 1 school, including 1 primary. The average ICSEA score is 1032, which is around the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 11 bus stops. The crime rate in the Ballina LGA is moderate at 4,049 incidents per 100,000 population.
From an investment perspective, Fernleigh shows a gross rental yield of approximately 2.1%, rated as low yield. Property prices are above the state median ($2.0M/$1.5M), placing it in the premium segment. The price-to-income ratio of 19.3x is considered stretched. House prices have moved -25.2% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.0% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.