NSW · Wollongong Council
Fernhill, 2519
Current weather
10.1°CClear sky
67% humidity · 6.7 km/h wind · 17.5° / 6° today · 2.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Fernhill is a well-connected smaller community in Wollongong with everyday amenities close at hand. Still within reach of the city while offering more breathing room, it suits those who want balance over bustle. Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with a strong presence of young families throughout.
Daily life is practical and well connected, with the city and nearby suburbs easy to tap into. Transport options are solid enough for daily errands and regular trips further afield. Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state.
Construction and infill projects are noticeably reshaping parts of the area.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, with local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access the main drags compared with similar metro suburbs. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 987
- Median age
- 45
- Median household income / week
- $1,107
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 30 of 450
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,167
- Employment rate
- 43.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 24 / 101 / 44
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $550
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $825
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $725
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 140
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · Period: January to March 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 60
- Against the person
- 13
- Against property
- 23
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 60.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 76 residents
- State safety percentile
- 38.5th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +11.4%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Fraud68
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment70
- Malicious Damage To Property81
- Steal From Retail Store61
- Transport Regulatory Offences163
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Period: Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
Public transport
13 public transport stops in this suburb
- Caldwell Av At Charles Rd
- Princes Hwy Opp Hope St
- Princes Hwy Opp Hope St
- Pringle Rd Before Douglas Rd
- Pringle Rd Before Wallace Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
49 planning-related records
2026· 4 proposals
May 2026
- Subdivision97 MEADOW STREET FERNHILL 2519Determined
April 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation53 DOUGLAS ROAD FERNHILL 2519Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure29 WRIGHT STREET FERNHILL 2519Determined
February 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure112/1317855Determined
2025· 10 proposals
December 2025
- Subdivision112/139965Determined
November 2025
- Subdivision25 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
- Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)118 MEADOW STREET FERNHILL 2519Determined
August 2025
- Temporary building, structure or use; Market112/-/DP1013114Determined
- Demolition; Subdivision; Medium Density Housing; Erection of a new structure10 PRINGLE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
May 2025
- Subdivision25 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure36 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
March 2025
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Erection of a new structure27 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
- Place of public worship; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Hours of operation and trading2 DOUGLAS ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
January 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Vehicle Sales or Hire Premises112/-/DP1295331Determined
2024· 6 proposals
August 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)27 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Withdrawn
May 2024
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure55 DOUGLAS ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
April 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure33 CHARLES ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
- Subdivision112/-/1231824Determined
January 2024
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure1 ANGUS STREET FERNHILL 2519Determined
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)4 DOUGLAS ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
2023· 9 proposals
December 2023
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure29 DOUGLAS ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
- Demolition; Industrial development47 PRINGLE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
November 2023
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Carport; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Garage, carport or carparking space; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external); Residential Accommodation2 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
September 2023
- Demolition15 PRINGLE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
August 2023
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Demolition; Alterations and additions to residential development55 DOUGLAS ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces29 WRIGHT STREET FERNHILL 2519Determined
June 2023
- Pools / decks / fencing; Alterations and additions to residential development; Garages, carports and car parking spaces29 WRIGHT STREET FERNHILL 2519Determined
May 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development39 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
February 2023
- Dual occupancy; Demolition3 MADDEN STREET FERNHILL 2519Determined
2022· 6 proposals
November 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing; Garages, carports and car parking spaces; Other70 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
September 2022
- Industrial development51 PRINGLE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
August 2022
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs28 DOUGLAS ROAD FERNHILL 2519Withdrawn
July 2022
- Demolition; Multi-dwelling housing; Subdivision of land21 PRINGLE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
June 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development33 CHARLES ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
March 2022
- Demolition16 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
2021· 5 proposals
December 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development74 WALLACE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
October 2021
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces40 BRUCE ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
- Subdivision of land26 CHARLES ROAD FERNHILL 2519Determined
August 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development3 ANGUS STREET FERNHILL 2519Determined
- Business premises8 Angus StreetDetermined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Meadow St at Douglas RdBus stop
- Meadow St opp Douglas RdBus stop
- Princes Hwy opp Hope StBus stop
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Phil Miller ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 3
- Parks (OSM)
- 3
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 24.8/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6089th in Australia
- State rank
- 1904th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #125 among Metro Sydney · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #833 among Metro Sydney suburbs
- Data confidence
- 70%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Meadow St at Douglas Rdamenitiesbus_stop
- Meadow St opp Douglas Rdamenitiesbus_stop
- Princes Hwy opp Hope Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Fraudcrime68
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime70
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime81
- Steal From Retail Storecrime61
- Transport Regulatory Offencescrime163
- Caldwell Av At Charles Rdtransport
- Princes Hwy Opp Hope Sttransport
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Wollongong Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.