Ballina, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Ballina is a coastal town in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, set at the mouth of the Richmond River about 740 kilometres north of Sydney and a short drive south of Byron Bay. It lies on the land of the Bundjalung people, whose connection to the area stretches back thousands of years. The town's name is variously explained as coming from a Bundjalung word for the place, often linked to oysters or the river mouth, or from an Irish place name brought by early settlers. Europeans took up the river flats from the 1840s, and Ballina grew as a cedar and river port before turning to fishing and farming. Today it is a relaxed holiday town, known for its beaches, its prawning fleet and the giant Big Prawn on the highway.
Less advantaged than the national average
Ballina is more socio-economically advantaged than about 20% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 928, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Ballina at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 9,735
- Median age
- 56
- Median weekly household income
- $1,013
- SEIFA score
- 928
- Coordinates
- -28.8427, 153.5580
Ballina demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Ballina using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 38%, 37% of homes are rented, and 15% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,156 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 749 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,813 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,270 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,743 | 38% |
Share of the 9,731 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,551 | 36% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 768 | 18% |
| Rented | 1,613 | 37% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,293 | 53% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,429 | 33% |
| Flats & apartments | 433 | 10% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,349 occupied private dwellings in Ballina.
- Median weekly rent
- $360
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,448
- Median weekly personal income
- $615
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,308 (15%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 550 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 487 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,222 (38%)
- Labour-force participation
- 42.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Employed full-time
- 1,756
- Employed part-time
- 1,500
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Ballina
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Ballina is January (average daytime high around 28°C) and the coolest is July (around 19.2°C). The area receives roughly 1239 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28°C | 20°C | 117 mm |
| Feb | 27.3°C | 19.9°C | 196 mm |
| Mar | 26.5°C | 19.1°C | 186 mm |
| Apr | 23.9°C | 15.9°C | 82 mm |
| May | 21.5°C | 13.1°C | 93 mm |
| Jun | 19.2°C | 10.8°C | 80 mm |
| Jul | 19.2°C | 9.7°C | 52 mm |
| Aug | 20.6°C | 10.4°C | 53 mm |
| Sep | 22.7°C | 12.5°C | 48 mm |
| Oct | 24.6°C | 15.2°C | 97 mm |
| Nov | 26.4°C | 17°C | 98 mm |
| Dec | 27.7°C | 19°C | 137 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Ballina
Where is Ballina?
Ballina is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Ballina?
At the 2021 Census, Ballina had a population of about 9,735.
Is Ballina an advantaged area?
Ballina has an ABS SEIFA score of 928, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 20 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 20% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Ballina?
Ballina has average daytime highs of about 24°C and overnight lows of about 15.2°C, with roughly 1,239 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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