Back Forest vs Coolangatta

Coolangatta is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 56 in Back Forest. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Back Forest tends to suit families with children.

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 49/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 76%)

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

First-home buyers

Coolangatta

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 80%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Back Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($252/wk vs $400/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Coolangatta

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (129 min vs 134 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (150.7 km vs 155.6 km)

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 49/100)

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 -1.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Back Forest and Coolangatta 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 Coolangatta
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 Coolangatta
Walkability 5 / 10
Back Forest — Walkability: 5/100 Coolangatta — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 82 / 51
Back Forest — Safety: 82/100 Coolangatta — Safety: 51/100
Low fire risk 100 / 35
Back Forest — Low fire risk: 100/100 Coolangatta — Low fire risk: 35/100

Demographics

Coolangatta has more residents (324 vs 91); Coolangatta rents higher ($400/wk vs $252/wk).

Back Forest Coolangatta
Population 91 324
+256% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.3% -1.5%
Median age 56 51
Median household income $71,448/yr $107,016/yr
+50% vs other
Median weekly rent $252/wk $400/wk
+59% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Back Forest Coolangatta
0-4 7.7% / 2.8%
Back Forest — 0-4: 7.7% Coolangatta — 0-4: 2.8%
5-14 13.2% / 9.3%
Back Forest — 5-14: 13.2% Coolangatta — 5-14: 9.3%
15-19 3.3% / 8.6%
Back Forest — 15-19: 3.3% Coolangatta — 15-19: 8.6%
20-24 6.6% / 5.6%
Back Forest — 20-24: 6.6% Coolangatta — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 13.2% / 5.2%
Back Forest — 25-34: 13.2% Coolangatta — 25-34: 5.2%
35-44 5.5% / 10.5%
Back Forest — 35-44: 5.5% Coolangatta — 35-44: 10.5%
45-54 3.3% / 13.6%
Back Forest — 45-54: 3.3% Coolangatta — 45-54: 13.6%
55-64 31.9% / 20.7%
Back Forest — 55-64: 31.9% Coolangatta — 55-64: 20.7%
65-74 9.9% / 19.1%
Back Forest — 65-74: 9.9% Coolangatta — 65-74: 19.1%
75-84 13.2% / 3.1%
Back Forest — 75-84: 13.2% Coolangatta — 75-84: 3.1%
85+ — / —
Back Forest — 85+: not among its largest Coolangatta — 85+: not among its largest

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Back Forest 66.7% couple families
Back Forest — Couple Families: 66.7% Back Forest — One Parent Families: 33.3% Back Forest — Lone Person: 0.0% Back Forest — Other Families: 0.0% Back Forest — Group Household: 0.0%
Coolangatta 58.7% couple families
Coolangatta — Couple Families: 58.7% Coolangatta — One Parent Families: 17.5% Coolangatta — Lone Person: 12.7% Coolangatta — Other Families: 6.3% Coolangatta — Group Household: 4.8%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Other Families Group Household

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%
Coolangatta 6.2% renting
Coolangatta — Owned Outright: 52.7% Coolangatta — Mortgage: 41.1% Coolangatta — Renting: 6.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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 Coolangatta
England 5.5% / 5.9%
Back Forest — England: 5.5% Coolangatta — England: 5.9%
Scotland — / 1.9%
Back Forest — Scotland: not among its largest Coolangatta — Scotland: 1.9%
Canada — / 1.2%
Back Forest — Canada: not among its largest Coolangatta — Canada: 1.2%
New Zealand — / 0.9%
Back Forest — New Zealand: not among its largest Coolangatta — New Zealand: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).

Qualifications

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

Back Forest Coolangatta
Certificate III & IV 16.5% / 20.1%
Back Forest — Certificate III & IV: 16.5% Coolangatta — Certificate III & IV: 20.1%
Bachelor Degree 18.7% / 13.6%
Back Forest — Bachelor Degree: 18.7% Coolangatta — Bachelor Degree: 13.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 11.7%
Back Forest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Coolangatta — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.7%
Postgraduate Degree 6.6% / 4.0%
Back Forest — Postgraduate Degree: 6.6% Coolangatta — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.3% / —
Back Forest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3% Coolangatta — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).

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%
Coolangatta 100.0% houses
Coolangatta — Houses: 100.0% Coolangatta — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Back Forest Coolangatta
Median house price — $2,200,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Back Forest has more rural and farming land (85% vs 60%); Coolangatta has more land zoned for conservation (38% vs 14%).

Back Forest Coolangatta
Rural and farming 85% 60%
Environmental 14% 38%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 2%
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 Coolangatta
New dwellings approved 854
across Shoalhaven
same for both
Approvals change year on year -10%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Back Forest Coolangatta
House price — Higher than 87% of NSW
Income Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 73% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 16% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 87% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 59% of NSW
same for both

Liveability

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

Risk profile

Coolangatta carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 0); Coolangatta carries more crime risk (49 vs 18).

Back Forest Coolangatta
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
65/100
Crime Low
18/100
 Moderate
49/100
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
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Back Forest Coolangatta
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 Coolangatta
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Back Forest sits further from the CBD (155.6 km vs 150.7 km).

Back Forest Coolangatta
Walkability score 5/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 155.6 km
+3% vs other
 150.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 134 min 129 min
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 2535
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 2535
same for both

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 Coolangatta
Car (driver) 63.9% / 68.6%
Back Forest — Car (driver): 63.9% Coolangatta — Car (driver): 68.6%
Worked from Home 22.2% / 25.5%
Back Forest — Worked from Home: 22.2% Coolangatta — Worked from Home: 25.5%
Walked Only 13.9% / 2.6%
Back Forest — Walked Only: 13.9% Coolangatta — Walked Only: 2.6%
Car (passenger) — / 3.3%
Back Forest — Car (passenger): not among its largest Coolangatta — Car (passenger): 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.6%).

Setting

Back Forest Coolangatta
Elevation 107 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 15 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.4 km 3.2 km

NBN connectivity

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Back Forest Coolangatta
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

Coolangatta

Acreage

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Back Forest

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

Other comparisons with Coolangatta

Coolangatta vs Shoalhaven Heads Coolangatta vs Berry Coolangatta vs Far Meadow Coolangatta vs Numbaa
Full data on Back Forest Full data on Coolangatta
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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