Forest Hill vs Mount Barker

Forest Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 48 in Mount Barker. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Forest Hill, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Forest Hill tends to suit people living alone and share households, while Mount Barker suits older residents.

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 Hill carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 75/100)
  • Mount Barker is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 30%)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

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

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Forest Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 20%)
  • has cheaper rent ($190/wk vs $225/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Mount Barker

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (253 min vs 274 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (363.9 km vs 389.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Forest Hill carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 75/100)
  • Mount Barker has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 10%)

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

Investors

Mount Barker

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (4.2% vs -2.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Forest Hill Mount Barker
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.

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Walkability 0 / 4
Forest Hill — Walkability: 0/100 Mount Barker — Walkability: 4/100
Safety 86 / 25
Forest Hill — Safety: 86/100 Mount Barker — Safety: 25/100
Low fire risk 62 / 64
Forest Hill — Low fire risk: 62/100 Mount Barker — Low fire risk: 64/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Forest Hill — Low flood risk: 100/100 Mount Barker — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Mount Barker has more residents (2,855 vs 143); Forest Hill has higher household incomes ($71,500 vs $57,408).

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Population 143 2,855
+1897% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.7% +4.2%
Median age 41 48
Median household income $71,500/yr
+20% vs other
 $57,408/yr
Median weekly rent $190/wk $225/wk
+18% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Forest Hill Mount Barker
0-4 — / 5.0%
Forest Hill — 0-4: not among its largest Mount Barker — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 7.0% / 12.5%
Forest Hill — 5-14: 7.0% Mount Barker — 5-14: 12.5%
15-19 5.6% / 6.2%
Forest Hill — 15-19: 5.6% Mount Barker — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 — / 3.7%
Forest Hill — 20-24: not among its largest Mount Barker — 20-24: 3.7%
25-34 19.6% / 8.7%
Forest Hill — 25-34: 19.6% Mount Barker — 25-34: 8.7%
35-44 34.3% / 10.1%
Forest Hill — 35-44: 34.3% Mount Barker — 35-44: 10.1%
45-54 16.1% / 12.9%
Forest Hill — 45-54: 16.1% Mount Barker — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 10.5% / 15.9%
Forest Hill — 55-64: 10.5% Mount Barker — 55-64: 15.9%
65-74 7.0% / 14.5%
Forest Hill — 65-74: 7.0% Mount Barker — 65-74: 14.5%
75-84 3.5% / 6.7%
Forest Hill — 75-84: 3.5% Mount Barker — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ — / 3.4%
Forest Hill — 85+: not among its largest Mount Barker — 85+: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (34.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Forest Hill 55.0% lone person
Forest Hill — Lone Person: 55.0% Forest Hill — Couple Families: 30.0% Forest Hill — Group Household: 15.0% Forest Hill — One Parent Families: 0.0% Forest Hill — Other Families: 0.0%
Mount Barker 42.2% lone person
Mount Barker — Lone Person: 42.2% Mount Barker — Couple Families: 39.1% Mount Barker — Group Household: 2.8% Mount Barker — One Parent Families: 14.7% Mount Barker — Other Families: 1.2%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Forest Hill 28.6% renting
Forest Hill — Owned Outright: 35.7% Forest Hill — Mortgage: 35.7% Forest Hill — Renting: 28.6%
Mount Barker 25.5% renting
Mount Barker — Owned Outright: 43.0% Mount Barker — Mortgage: 31.5% Mount Barker — Renting: 25.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Certificate III & IV 17.5% / 15.6%
Forest Hill — Certificate III & IV: 17.5% Mount Barker — Certificate III & IV: 15.6%
Bachelor Degree 6.3% / 7.0%
Forest Hill — Bachelor Degree: 6.3% Mount Barker — Bachelor Degree: 7.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 2.1% / 6.9%
Forest Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.1% Mount Barker — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.1%
Forest Hill — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Mount Barker — Postgraduate Degree: 1.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 0.7%
Forest Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Mount Barker — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

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.

Forest Hill Mount Barker
England 2.8% / 6.4%
Forest Hill — England: 2.8% Mount Barker — England: 6.4%
New Zealand 7.0% / 1.9%
Forest Hill — New Zealand: 7.0% Mount Barker — New Zealand: 1.9%
Afghanistan 2.1% / 2.7%
Forest Hill — Afghanistan: 2.1% Mount Barker — Afghanistan: 2.7%
Vietnam 2.8% / —
Forest Hill — Vietnam: 2.8% Mount Barker — Vietnam: not among its largest
Philippines — / 1.2%
Forest Hill — Philippines: not among its largest Mount Barker — Philippines: 1.2%
South Africa — / 0.8%
Forest Hill — South Africa: not among its largest Mount Barker — South Africa: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Forest Hill 100.0% houses
Forest Hill — Houses: 100.0% Forest Hill — Townhouses: 0.0% Forest Hill — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Mount Barker 95.4% houses
Mount Barker — Houses: 95.4% Mount Barker — Townhouses: 2.5% Mount Barker — Flats / Apartments: 2.1%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Median house price — $582,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $322,500
Typical days to sell (houses) — 32 days
from 18 sales

Development activity

Forest Hill Mount Barker
New dwellings approved 37
across Plantagenet
same for both
Approvals change year on year -57%
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.

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Houses — 3.4%
$420/wk on $650K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within WA

Forest Hill Mount Barker
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 32% of WA Higher than 14% of WA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 42% of WA Higher than 66% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 32% of WA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 44% of WA Higher than 69% of WA
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 12% of WA

Liveability

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Grade — D
Score — 28/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Mount Barker carries more crime risk (75 vs 14).

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Bushfire Low
38/100
 Low
36/100
Crime Low
14/100
 High
75/100
Flood None
0/100
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

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Forest Hill

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Mount Barker

  • Mount Barker Community College Government · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 5
Parks & reserves 3 4
Childcare 0 2
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Fuel stations 0 3
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Forest Hill sits further from the CBD (389.5 km vs 363.9 km).

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Walkability score 0/100 4/100
Distance to Perth 389.5 km
+7% vs other
 363.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 274 min 253 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 6324
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 35
postcode 6324
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.

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Car (driver) 56.7% / 79.7%
Forest Hill — Car (driver): 56.7% Mount Barker — Car (driver): 79.7%
Worked from Home 43.3% / 8.3%
Forest Hill — Worked from Home: 43.3% Mount Barker — Worked from Home: 8.3%
Car (passenger) — / 7.1%
Forest Hill — Car (passenger): not among its largest Mount Barker — Car (passenger): 7.1%
Walked Only — / 4.2%
Forest Hill — Walked Only: not among its largest Mount Barker — Walked Only: 4.2%
Bus — / 0.4%
Forest Hill — Bus: not among its largest Mount Barker — Bus: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.7%).

Setting

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Elevation 216 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 265 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 46.9 km 46.2 km

NBN connectivity

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Connectivity score 20/100 47/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
32 premises
 18%
1,498 premises

Climate

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Annual rainfall 619 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C
same for both

Council rates

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Average residential rate $3,167/yr
same for both
Council Plantagenet
same for both

Federal electorate

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Division O'connor
same for both
Member Rick Wilson
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Forest Hill Mount Barker
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Forest Hill

Multicultural Rural

Mount Barker

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Forest Hill

Forest Hill vs Kendenup Forest Hill vs Denbarker

Other comparisons with Mount Barker

Mount Barker vs Kendenup Mount Barker vs Narrikup Mount Barker vs Porongurup Mount Barker vs Woogenellup Mount Barker vs Denbarker
Full data on Forest Hill Full data on Mount Barker
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or