Northern Rivers, NSW
richmond-river · prawns · surfing · river-coast
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Drive to the coast
11 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
8 min
By road
Airport access
8 min
By road
Schools access
Excellent
Average daytime temp
24.6°C
Rainfall
Very wet
Ballina is a practical Northern Rivers centre with a river-and-coast identity and much stronger services than most nearby beach towns. Around 9,700 people live in Ballina, the median age is 56 and population has grown by roughly 12% since 2016. Healthcare, schools and shopping are all strong, and the airport is only about eight minutes away, which makes Ballina unusually convenient for regional travel.
The Richmond River, breakwall and nearby beaches give residents easy water access without making the whole town tourism-dependent. The property market is expensive, with a median around $1.2 million and three-bedroom rents near $850 a week, reflecting the broader Northern Rivers premium. The urban area is fairly spread out, so a car is useful even though the main services are close.
Rainfall is very high and the climate warm. Brisbane is just under two hours away, close enough for occasional work or family trips but not a trivial daily commute. Ballina suits people who want a functioning regional base near beaches and the airport, rather than a tiny surf village. The compromise is cost and a more suburban, service-centre feel than places such as Lennox Head or Evans Head.
5 photos
Families, healthcare workers, professionals, tradespeople and remote workers who want beaches plus an airport and hospital nearby are well matched. It also suits people who like the Northern Rivers but would rather live in a working regional centre than in tourism-heavy Byron Bay or a much smaller beach town.
Housing and rent are high, both reflecting the broader Northern Rivers premium. The urban area is fairly spread out, so walkability varies and a car is useful. Brisbane is just under two hours away, which is workable for occasional trips rather than frequent commuting.
Walk Ballina breakwall
Visit Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum
See the Big Prawn
Swim at Shelly Beach
Median house price
$1,203,000
8% above the NSW median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$880,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$850
≈ $3,683/month
Houses here typically sell from $938,000 to $1,550,000 (25th–75th percentile).
Attached properties typically sell from $751,000 to $1,126,000.
Sourced from NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January - March 2026 quarter
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Good
4–9 shopping centres within 20km
Internet connection
Fixed line
Plus 27 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
Job market by industry
Healthcare — 14.7%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Byron Bay, Mullumbimby, Evans Head, Lennox Head and Murwillumbah.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Ballina (SAL 10163) · 2021 Census
Older than the country as a whole: 38.4% are 65 or over against 17.2% nationally, and 11.9% are children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (50.2% of families against 26.4%), and fewer dwellings are owner-occupied than nationally (53.2% against 65.9%), with 9.8% neither owned nor rented in the usual sense. Lone-person households are more common than average (41.8% against 25.6%).
Population
9,735
Population growth
+12.3%
Ballina Surrounds (SA2 112011237)
Median age
56 years
Labour force participation
42.8%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$615
Per week · ≈ $31,980/year
Median family income
$1,448
Per week
Median household income
$1,013
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
53.2%
Rented
37%
Born in Australia
78.5%
Born overseas
13.4%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.