Blackburn vs Forest Hill

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Blackburn, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Blackburn: a median of $1.57 million, against $1.23 million in Forest Hill. Blackburn is closer to the city centre: 22.9 km, against 26.1 km. On these figures, Forest Hill tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Blackburn

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (14 vs 10)
  • has more parks and reserves (19 vs 14)

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

First-home buyers

Forest Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,225,000 vs $1,572,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

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

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Blackburn

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (22.9 km vs 26.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Blackburn

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more GPs (6 vs 4)

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

Investors

Forest Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.5% vs 3.0%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Blackburn Forest Hill
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.

Blackburn Forest Hill
Walkability 89 / 92
Blackburn — Walkability: 89/100 Forest Hill — Walkability: 92/100
Safety 35 / 27
Blackburn — Safety: 35/100 Forest Hill — Safety: 27/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Blackburn — Low fire risk: 100/100 Forest Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 65 / 79
Blackburn — Low flood risk: 65/100 Forest Hill — Low flood risk: 79/100

Demographics

Blackburn has more residents (14,478 vs 10,780); Blackburn has higher household incomes ($107,380 vs $86,216).

Blackburn Forest Hill
Population 14,478
+26% vs other
 10,780
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.9% +1.4%
Median age 41 42
Median household income $107,380/yr
+20% vs other
 $86,216/yr
Median weekly rent $411/wk
+4% vs other
 $396/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Blackburn Forest Hill
0-4 3.9% / 5.1%
Blackburn — 0-4: 3.9% Forest Hill — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 11.9% / 11.2%
Blackburn — 5-14: 11.9% Forest Hill — 5-14: 11.2%
15-19 6.3% / 5.4%
Blackburn — 15-19: 6.3% Forest Hill — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 7.0% / 5.7%
Blackburn — 20-24: 7.0% Forest Hill — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 12.1% / 11.3%
Blackburn — 25-34: 12.1% Forest Hill — 25-34: 11.3%
35-44 13.5% / 14.1%
Blackburn — 35-44: 13.5% Forest Hill — 35-44: 14.1%
45-54 14.2% / 13.5%
Blackburn — 45-54: 14.2% Forest Hill — 45-54: 13.5%
55-64 12.4% / 11.8%
Blackburn — 55-64: 12.4% Forest Hill — 55-64: 11.8%
65-74 9.0% / 9.8%
Blackburn — 65-74: 9.0% Forest Hill — 65-74: 9.8%
75-84 5.9% / 7.9%
Blackburn — 75-84: 5.9% Forest Hill — 75-84: 7.9%
85+ 3.7% / 4.2%
Blackburn — 85+: 3.7% Forest Hill — 85+: 4.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Blackburn 45.5% couple families
Blackburn — Couple Families: 45.5% Blackburn — Lone Person: 36.5% Blackburn — One Parent Families: 11.8% Blackburn — Group Household: 4.8% Blackburn — Other Families: 1.4%
Forest Hill 44.0% couple families
Forest Hill — Couple Families: 44.0% Forest Hill — Lone Person: 35.4% Forest Hill — One Parent Families: 14.6% Forest Hill — Group Household: 3.9% Forest Hill — Other Families: 2.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Blackburn 26.5% renting
Blackburn — Owned Outright: 40.3% Blackburn — Mortgage: 33.2% Blackburn — Renting: 26.5%
Forest Hill 26.6% renting
Forest Hill — Owned Outright: 39.5% Forest Hill — Mortgage: 33.9% Forest Hill — Renting: 26.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Blackburn Forest Hill
Bachelor Degree 24.0% / 19.9%
Blackburn — Bachelor Degree: 24.0% Forest Hill — Bachelor Degree: 19.9%
Postgraduate Degree 11.4% / 8.8%
Blackburn — Postgraduate Degree: 11.4% Forest Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 8.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 8.6%
Blackburn — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Forest Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Certificate III & IV 6.6% / 7.6%
Blackburn — Certificate III & IV: 6.6% Forest Hill — Certificate III & IV: 7.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.1% / 2.5%
Blackburn — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.1% Forest Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).

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.

Blackburn Forest Hill
China 8.2% / 11.2%
Blackburn — China: 8.2% Forest Hill — China: 11.2%
India 4.3% / 3.3%
Blackburn — India: 4.3% Forest Hill — India: 3.3%
Malaysia 2.5% / 3.3%
Blackburn — Malaysia: 2.5% Forest Hill — Malaysia: 3.3%
England 2.9% / 1.9%
Blackburn — England: 2.9% Forest Hill — England: 1.9%
Vietnam 0.9% / 2.4%
Blackburn — Vietnam: 0.9% Forest Hill — Vietnam: 2.4%
New Zealand 1.1% / 1.0%
Blackburn — New Zealand: 1.1% Forest Hill — New Zealand: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Blackburn 66.0% houses
Blackburn — Houses: 66.0% Blackburn — Townhouses: 21.3% Blackburn — Flats / Apartments: 12.7%
Forest Hill 72.0% houses
Forest Hill — Houses: 72.0% Forest Hill — Townhouses: 24.9% Forest Hill — Flats / Apartments: 3.1%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Blackburn Forest Hill
Median house price $1,572,000 $1,225,000
Median unit price $653,500 $690,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 141 sales
 24 days
from 93 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Blackburn Forest Hill
2 bed $644K / $630K
Blackburn — 2 bed: $644K (86 sales) Forest Hill — 2 bed: $630K (26 sales)

86 vs 26 sales

3 bed $1.1M / $950K
Blackburn — 3 bed: $1.1M (47 sales) Forest Hill — 3 bed: $950K (9 sales)

47 vs 9 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Blackburn Forest Hill
2 bed $1M / $995K
Blackburn — 2 bed: $1M (19 sales) Forest Hill — 2 bed: $995K (8 sales)

19 vs 8 sales

3 bed $1.35M / $1.12M
Blackburn — 3 bed: $1.35M (72 sales) Forest Hill — 3 bed: $1.12M (77 sales)

72 vs 77 sales

4 bed $1.68M / $1.34M
Blackburn — 4 bed: $1.68M (75 sales) Forest Hill — 4 bed: $1.34M (71 sales)

75 vs 71 sales

5 bed $2.1M / $1.43M
Blackburn — 5 bed: $2.1M (25 sales) Forest Hill — 5 bed: $1.43M (19 sales)

25 vs 19 sales

Zoning mix

Blackburn Forest Hill
Residential 72% 78%
Parks and recreation 11% 8%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 7%
Commercial 6%
same for both
Industrial 3% 0%
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

Blackburn Forest Hill
New dwellings approved 879
across Whitehorse
same for both
Approvals change year on year +17%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Blackburn Forest Hill
Houses 3.0%
$800/wk on $1.39M
 3.5%
$750/wk on $1.1M
Units 4.6%
$550/wk on $618K
 4.5%
$560/wk on $645K

Ranking within VIC

Blackburn Forest Hill
House price Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
Income Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 56% of VIC
Schools Higher than 88% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 12% of VIC Higher than 14% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 88% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 13% of VIC Higher than 38% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 41% of VIC Higher than 33% of VIC

Liveability

Blackburn scores higher overall (84 vs 76).

Blackburn Forest Hill
Grade A+ A
Score 84/100 76/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Blackburn carries more flood risk (35 vs 21).

Blackburn Forest Hill
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
65/100
 High
73/100
Flood Low
35/100
 Low
21/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Blackburn Forest Hill
Inside the suburb 5 1
Rated above peers 3 0
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 1
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 4.7 km
 2
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 5.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.0% 3.1%

Schools in Blackburn

  • Blackburn Lake Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Blackburn Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Laburnum Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Blackburn High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • St Thomas the Apostle School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Forest Hill

  • Parkmore Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Blackburn Forest Hill
Supermarkets 5
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 19 11
Parks & reserves 19 14
Childcare 14 10
GPs 6 4
Pharmacies 4 5
Banks & Bank@Post 3 6
Fuel stations 3 4
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 4 0

Mobility

Forest Hill sits further from the CBD (26.1 km vs 22.9 km).

Blackburn Forest Hill
Walkability score 89/100 92/100
Distance to Melbourne 22.9 km 26.1 km
+14% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 29 min 30 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 360.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 209.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 3130
 2.5%
postcode 3131
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 27
postcode 3130
 28
postcode 3131

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.

Blackburn Forest Hill
Car (driver) 40.4% / 52.1%
Blackburn — Car (driver): 40.4% Forest Hill — Car (driver): 52.1%
Worked from Home 47.4% / 38.0%
Blackburn — Worked from Home: 47.4% Forest Hill — Worked from Home: 38.0%
Train 5.7% / 3.3%
Blackburn — Train: 5.7% Forest Hill — Train: 3.3%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / 3.5%
Blackburn — Car (passenger): 3.1% Forest Hill — Car (passenger): 3.5%
Walked Only 1.9% / 1.7%
Blackburn — Walked Only: 1.9% Forest Hill — Walked Only: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.1%).

Setting

Blackburn Forest Hill
Elevation 102 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 119 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 16.4 km 17.3 km

NBN connectivity

Blackburn Forest Hill
Connectivity score 78/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 12%
7,295 premises
 1%
5,062 premises

Climate

Blackburn Forest Hill
Annual rainfall 777 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.3°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Blackburn Forest Hill
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Blackburn Forest Hill
Average residential rate $1,516/yr
same for both
Council Whitehorse
same for both

Federal electorate

Blackburn Forest Hill
Division Menzies Deakin
Member Gabriel Ng Matt Gregg
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Blackburn Forest Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Blackburn

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub

Forest Hill

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Blackburn

Blackburn vs Box Hill Blackburn vs Nunawading Blackburn vs Box Hill North Blackburn vs Blackburn South Blackburn vs Box Hill South Blackburn vs Blackburn North

Other comparisons with Forest Hill

Forest Hill vs Nunawading Forest Hill vs Vermont South Forest Hill vs Vermont Forest Hill vs Blackburn South Forest Hill vs Burwood East
Full data on Blackburn Full data on Forest Hill
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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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