Forest Grove vs Witchcliffe
Witchcliffe is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 52 in Forest Grove. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Forest Grove, about half of households are people living alone. In Witchcliffe, most households are couple families. On these figures, Forest Grove tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Witchcliffe 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 has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- Witchcliffe is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 43%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Witchcliffe
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 35%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Forest Grove
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (36% vs 25%)
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $300/wk)
- But Witchcliffe leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 21%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Witchcliffe
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (193 min vs 201 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (281 km vs 289.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Forest Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 11%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Witchcliffe
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (84.0% vs -1.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Forest Grove and Witchcliffe 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
Witchcliffe has more residents (484 vs 253); Witchcliffe has higher household incomes ($104,416 vs $62,348).
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 253 | 484 +91% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.6% | +84.0% |
| Median age | 52 | 39 |
| Median household income | $62,348/yr | $104,416/yr +67% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk | $300/wk +20% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).
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 (9.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,097,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $370,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 17 days from 9 sales |
Development activity
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 437 across Augusta Margaret River same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +76% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 5.1% $950/wk on $975K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within WA
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 20% of WA | Higher than 71% of WA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 65% of WA | Higher than 6% of WA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 92% of WA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of WA | Higher than 94% of WA |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 84% of WA |
Liveability
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Forest Grove carries more flood risk (30 vs 0); Forest Grove carries more bushfire risk (73 vs 52).
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 73/100 | Moderate 52/100 |
| Crime | Low 33/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| Flood | Low 30/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Forest Grove
- Margaret River Independent School Independent · Primary below peers
Schools in Witchcliffe
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 3 |
Mobility
Forest Grove sits further from the CBD (289.7 km vs 281 km).
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Perth | 289.7 km +3% vs other | 281 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 201 min | 193 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.6% postcode 6286 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 99 postcode 6286 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 (71.0%).
Setting
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 60 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 79 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.7 km | 10.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 26/100 | 86/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 138 premises | 80% 758 premises |
Climate
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 763 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 12.2°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,281/yr same for both | |
| Council | Augusta Margaret River same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Forrest same for both | |
| Member | Ben Small same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Forest Grove | Witchcliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $800,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Forest Grove
Other comparisons with Witchcliffe
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.