Back Forest vs Bolong

Bolong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 56 in Back Forest. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Back Forest, most households are couple families. In Bolong, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Back Forest tends to suit families with children and couples.

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

Back Forest

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 95/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 31%)

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

First-home buyers

Bolong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (43% vs 80%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Back Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($252/wk vs $335/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Back Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 95/100)

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

Investors

Back Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.3% vs -9.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Back Forest Bolong
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.

Back Forest Bolong
Walkability 5 / 0
Back Forest — Walkability: 5/100 Bolong — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 82 / 5
Back Forest — Safety: 82/100 Bolong — Safety: 5/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Back Forest — Low fire risk: 100/100 Bolong — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Bolong rents higher ($335/wk vs $252/wk); Back Forest skews older (56 vs 46).

Back Forest Bolong
Population 91 94
+3% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.3% -9.6%
Median age 56 46
Median household income $71,448/yr $84,500/yr
+18% vs other
Median weekly rent $252/wk $335/wk
+33% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Back Forest Bolong
0-4 7.7% / —
Back Forest — 0-4: 7.7% Bolong — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 13.2% / 13.8%
Back Forest — 5-14: 13.2% Bolong — 5-14: 13.8%
15-19 3.3% / 3.2%
Back Forest — 15-19: 3.3% Bolong — 15-19: 3.2%
20-24 6.6% / 3.2%
Back Forest — 20-24: 6.6% Bolong — 20-24: 3.2%
25-34 13.2% / 5.3%
Back Forest — 25-34: 13.2% Bolong — 25-34: 5.3%
35-44 5.5% / 11.7%
Back Forest — 35-44: 5.5% Bolong — 35-44: 11.7%
45-54 3.3% / 9.6%
Back Forest — 45-54: 3.3% Bolong — 45-54: 9.6%
55-64 31.9% / 26.6%
Back Forest — 55-64: 31.9% Bolong — 55-64: 26.6%
65-74 9.9% / 16.0%
Back Forest — 65-74: 9.9% Bolong — 65-74: 16.0%
75-84 13.2% / 3.2%
Back Forest — 75-84: 13.2% Bolong — 75-84: 3.2%
85+ — / —
Back Forest — 85+: not among its largest Bolong — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.9%).

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.

Back Forest Bolong
England 5.5% / 3.2%
Back Forest — England: 5.5% Bolong — England: 3.2%
New Zealand — / 4.3%
Back Forest — New Zealand: not among its largest Bolong — New Zealand: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Back Forest 66.7% couple families
Back Forest — Couple Families: 66.7% Back Forest — Lone Person: 0.0% Back Forest — One Parent Families: 33.3% Back Forest — Other Families: 0.0%
Bolong 31.2% couple families
Bolong — Couple Families: 31.2% Bolong — Lone Person: 50.0% Bolong — One Parent Families: 0.0% Bolong — Other Families: 18.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Back Forest 93.8% houses
Back Forest — Houses: 93.8% Back Forest — Flats / Apartments: 6.2%
Bolong 100.0% houses
Bolong — Houses: 100.0% Bolong — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Back Forest Bolong
Certificate III & IV 16.5% / 26.6%
Back Forest — Certificate III & IV: 16.5% Bolong — Certificate III & IV: 26.6%
Bachelor Degree 18.7% / 9.6%
Back Forest — Bachelor Degree: 18.7% Bolong — Bachelor Degree: 9.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 5.3%
Back Forest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Bolong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3%
Postgraduate Degree 6.6% / 3.2%
Back Forest — Postgraduate Degree: 6.6% Bolong — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.3% / —
Back Forest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3% Bolong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.6%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Back Forest 0.0% renting
Back Forest — Owned Outright: 70.0% Back Forest — Mortgage: 30.0% Back Forest — Renting: 0.0%
Bolong 37.0% renting
Bolong — Owned Outright: 44.4% Bolong — Mortgage: 18.5% Bolong — Renting: 37.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Property market

Back Forest Bolong
Median house price — $1,400,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $7,700,000

Zoning mix

Back Forest Bolong
Rural and farming 85% 91%
Environmental 14% 6%
Industrial 0% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 1%
same for both
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

Back Forest Bolong
New dwellings approved 854
across Shoalhaven
same for both
Approvals change year on year -10%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Back Forest Bolong
House price — Higher than 71% of NSW
Income Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 52% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 27% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW

Liveability

Back Forest Bolong
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Bolong carries more crime risk (95 vs 18).

Back Forest Bolong
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
18/100
 High
95/100
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 0
within 5 km
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Back Forest Bolong
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Back Forest Bolong
Waterways 0 12

Mobility

Back Forest Bolong
Walkability score 5/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 155.6 km 157.2 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 134 min 133 min
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 2535
 0.5%
postcode 2540
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 2535
 44
postcode 2540

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.

Back Forest Bolong
Car (driver) 63.9% / 46.7%
Back Forest — Car (driver): 63.9% Bolong — Car (driver): 46.7%
Worked from Home 22.2% / 46.7%
Back Forest — Worked from Home: 22.2% Bolong — Worked from Home: 46.7%
Walked Only 13.9% / 6.7%
Back Forest — Walked Only: 13.9% Bolong — Walked Only: 6.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (63.9%).

Setting

Back Forest Bolong
Elevation 107 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 1 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.4 km 9.6 km

NBN connectivity

Back Forest Bolong
Connectivity score 30/100 32/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
33 premises
 2%
44 premises

Climate

Back Forest Bolong
Annual rainfall 974 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Back Forest Bolong
Average residential rate $1,501/yr
same for both
Council Shoalhaven
same for both

Federal electorate

Back Forest Bolong
Division Gilmore
same for both
Member Fiona Phillips
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Back Forest Bolong
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Back Forest

Professionals Rural

Bolong

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Back Forest

Back Forest vs Jaspers Brush Back Forest vs Coolangatta Back Forest vs Far Meadow Back Forest vs Numbaa

Other comparisons with Bolong

Bolong vs Bomaderry Bolong vs Meroo Meadow Bolong vs Jaspers Brush Bolong vs Terara Bolong vs Numbaa
Full data on Back Forest Full data on Bolong
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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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