Back Forest vs Numbaa

Numbaa is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 56 in Back Forest. In both, most households own their home and most households are couple families. In Back Forest, the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Numbaa 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 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (94% vs 50%)
  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 32/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 67%)

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

First-home buyers

Numbaa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 80%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Back Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($252/wk vs $300/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Back Forest

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (155.6 km vs 169.2 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (134 min vs 139 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Back Forest carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 32/100)
  • Numbaa has more units and townhouses to downsize into (50% vs 6%)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Back Forest and Numbaa 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 Numbaa
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 Numbaa
Walkability 5 / 5
Back Forest — Walkability: 5/100 Numbaa — Walkability: 5/100
Safety 82 / 68
Back Forest — Safety: 82/100 Numbaa — Safety: 68/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Back Forest — Low fire risk: 100/100 Numbaa — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Numbaa has more residents (122 vs 91); Back Forest skews older (56 vs 45).

Back Forest Numbaa
Population 91 122
+34% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.3% +9.9%
Median age 56 45
Median household income $71,448/yr $80,132/yr
+12% vs other
Median weekly rent $252/wk $300/wk
+19% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Back Forest Numbaa
0-4 7.7% / 9.0%
Back Forest — 0-4: 7.7% Numbaa — 0-4: 9.0%
5-14 13.2% / 16.4%
Back Forest — 5-14: 13.2% Numbaa — 5-14: 16.4%
15-19 3.3% / 6.6%
Back Forest — 15-19: 3.3% Numbaa — 15-19: 6.6%
20-24 6.6% / —
Back Forest — 20-24: 6.6% Numbaa — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 13.2% / 4.9%
Back Forest — 25-34: 13.2% Numbaa — 25-34: 4.9%
35-44 5.5% / 14.8%
Back Forest — 35-44: 5.5% Numbaa — 35-44: 14.8%
45-54 3.3% / 10.7%
Back Forest — 45-54: 3.3% Numbaa — 45-54: 10.7%
55-64 31.9% / 17.2%
Back Forest — 55-64: 31.9% Numbaa — 55-64: 17.2%
65-74 9.9% / 15.6%
Back Forest — 65-74: 9.9% Numbaa — 65-74: 15.6%
75-84 13.2% / 9.8%
Back Forest — 75-84: 13.2% Numbaa — 75-84: 9.8%
85+ — / —
Back Forest — 85+: not among its largest Numbaa — 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 — Lone Person: 0.0% Back Forest — One Parent Families: 33.3%
Numbaa 66.7% couple families
Numbaa — Couple Families: 66.7% Numbaa — Lone Person: 33.3% Numbaa — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

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%
Numbaa 25.7% renting
Numbaa — Owned Outright: 74.3% Numbaa — Mortgage: 0.0% Numbaa — Renting: 25.7%
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 Numbaa
England 5.5% / —
Back Forest — England: 5.5% Numbaa — England: not among its largest
Philippines — / 4.1%
Back Forest — Philippines: not among its largest Numbaa — Philippines: 4.1%
New Zealand — / 3.3%
Back Forest — New Zealand: not among its largest Numbaa — New Zealand: 3.3%

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

Qualifications

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

Back Forest Numbaa
Certificate III & IV 16.5% / 18.9%
Back Forest — Certificate III & IV: 16.5% Numbaa — Certificate III & IV: 18.9%
Bachelor Degree 18.7% / 11.5%
Back Forest — Bachelor Degree: 18.7% Numbaa — Bachelor Degree: 11.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 6.6%
Back Forest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Numbaa — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Postgraduate Degree 6.6% / —
Back Forest — Postgraduate Degree: 6.6% Numbaa — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.3% / —
Back Forest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3% Numbaa — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Back Forest 93.8% houses
Back Forest — Houses: 93.8% Back Forest — Townhouses: 0.0% Back Forest — Flats / Apartments: 6.2%
Numbaa 50.0% houses
Numbaa — Houses: 50.0% Numbaa — Townhouses: 40.0% Numbaa — Flats / Apartments: 10.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Zoning mix

Back Forest Numbaa
Rural and farming 85% 81%
Environmental 14% 19%
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 Numbaa
New dwellings approved 854
across Shoalhaven
same for both
Approvals change year on year -10%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Back Forest Numbaa
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW

Liveability

Back Forest Numbaa
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Numbaa carries more crime risk (32 vs 18).

Back Forest Numbaa
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
18/100
 Low
32/100
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
same for both

Schools

Back Forest Numbaa
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 Numbaa
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Numbaa sits further from the CBD (169.2 km vs 155.6 km).

Back Forest Numbaa
Walkability score 5/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 155.6 km 169.2 km
+9% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 134 min 139 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 Numbaa
Car (driver) 63.9% / 34.1%
Back Forest — Car (driver): 63.9% Numbaa — Car (driver): 34.1%
Worked from Home 22.2% / 56.1%
Back Forest — Worked from Home: 22.2% Numbaa — Worked from Home: 56.1%
Walked Only 13.9% / 9.8%
Back Forest — Walked Only: 13.9% Numbaa — Walked Only: 9.8%

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

Setting

Back Forest Numbaa
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 4.9 km

NBN connectivity

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Back Forest Numbaa
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

Numbaa

Family Retirees Rural Townhouses Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Back Forest

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

Other comparisons with Numbaa

Numbaa vs Coolangatta Numbaa vs Terara Numbaa vs Pyree Numbaa vs Bolong
Full data on Back Forest Full data on Numbaa
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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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