Forest Grove vs Laffing Waters
Laffing Waters is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 48 in Forest Grove. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Forest Grove, about half of households are couple families. In Laffing Waters, the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Laffing Waters: a median of $1.34 million, against $1.1 million in Forest Grove. On these figures, Forest Grove tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Laffing Waters suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Forest Grove carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 77/100)
- Laffing Waters is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 63%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Forest Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,100,000 vs $1,336,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Forest Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (206 km vs 211.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Forest Grove
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 16%)
- carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 77/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Forest Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.6% vs -12.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Forest Grove and Laffing Waters drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Forest Grove has higher household incomes ($164,632 vs $118,820); Forest Grove skews older (48 vs 41).
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 115 +15% vs other | 98 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +10.6% | -12.5% |
| Median age | 48 | 41 |
| Median household income | $164,632/yr +28% vs other | $118,820/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $288/wk | $300/wk +4% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,100,000 | $1,336,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Forest Grove has more rural and farming land (100% vs 88%).
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 88% |
| Residential | 0% | 9% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 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
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 177 across Bathurst same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 69% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 97% of NSW | Higher than 83% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 53% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 86% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
Liveability
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Laffing Waters carries more bushfire risk (28 vs 0); Laffing Waters carries more crime risk (77 vs 58).
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 58/100 | High 77/100 |
| 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 | 3 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Mobility
Laffing Waters sits further from the CBD (211.7 km vs 206 km).
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 8/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 206 km | 211.7 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 180 min | 183 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2795 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2795 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (90.9%).
Setting
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 739 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 737 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 44 premises | 0% 49 premises |
Climate
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 644 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.2°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,301/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bathurst same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Forest Grove | Laffing Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Forest Grove
Other comparisons with Laffing Waters
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.