Forest Lake vs Heathwood

Heathwood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 37 in Forest Lake. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Forest Lake, about half of households are couple families. In Heathwood, the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Heathwood: a median of $1.08 million, against $970,000 in Forest Lake, and rent is higher there too. Forest Lake is closer to the city centre: 25.5 km, against 32.9 km. On these figures, Heathwood tends to suit 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

Forest Lake

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (59 vs 6)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (9 vs 2)
  • But Heathwood is already more of a family suburb (88% vs 71%)

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

First-home buyers

Forest Lake

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($900,000 vs $1,266,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($970,000 vs $1,080,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Forest Lake

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($390/wk vs $455/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Forest Lake

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 44/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (25.5 km vs 32.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Forest Lake

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (13% vs 5%)
  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 44/100)

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

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Forest Lake returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 3.1%)
  • Heathwood is growing faster (77.0% vs -1.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Forest Lake and Heathwood 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 Lake Heathwood
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 Lake Heathwood
Walkability 82 / 44
Forest Lake — Walkability: 82/100 Heathwood — Walkability: 44/100
Safety 38 / 36
Forest Lake — Safety: 38/100 Heathwood — Safety: 36/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Forest Lake — Low fire risk: 100/100 Heathwood — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Forest Lake has more residents (22,676 vs 4,944); Heathwood has higher household incomes ($131,404 vs $99,892).

Forest Lake Heathwood
Population 22,676
+78% vs other
 4,944
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.0% +77.0%
Median age 37 32
Median household income $99,892/yr $131,404/yr
+32% vs other
Median weekly rent $390/wk $455/wk
+17% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Forest Lake Heathwood
0-4 6.0% / 9.8%
Forest Lake — 0-4: 6.0% Heathwood — 0-4: 9.8%
5-14 14.2% / 16.9%
Forest Lake — 5-14: 14.2% Heathwood — 5-14: 16.9%
15-19 7.5% / 6.0%
Forest Lake — 15-19: 7.5% Heathwood — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 6.0% / 5.7%
Forest Lake — 20-24: 6.0% Heathwood — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 12.3% / 17.7%
Forest Lake — 25-34: 12.3% Heathwood — 25-34: 17.7%
35-44 13.7% / 20.9%
Forest Lake — 35-44: 13.7% Heathwood — 35-44: 20.9%
45-54 15.2% / 11.6%
Forest Lake — 45-54: 15.2% Heathwood — 45-54: 11.6%
55-64 11.9% / 6.8%
Forest Lake — 55-64: 11.9% Heathwood — 55-64: 6.8%
65-74 7.8% / 3.5%
Forest Lake — 65-74: 7.8% Heathwood — 65-74: 3.5%
75-84 4.1% / 1.1%
Forest Lake — 75-84: 4.1% Heathwood — 75-84: 1.1%
85+ 1.2% / 0.1%
Forest Lake — 85+: 1.2% Heathwood — 85+: 0.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Forest Lake 52.1% couple families
Forest Lake — Couple Families: 52.1% Forest Lake — Lone Person: 24.8% Forest Lake — One Parent Families: 18.7% Forest Lake — Group Household: 2.8% Forest Lake — Other Families: 1.5%
Heathwood 75.9% couple families
Heathwood — Couple Families: 75.9% Heathwood — Lone Person: 8.0% Heathwood — One Parent Families: 12.0% Heathwood — Group Household: 2.7% Heathwood — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Forest Lake 26.6% renting
Forest Lake — Owned Outright: 25.4% Forest Lake — Mortgage: 48.0% Forest Lake — Renting: 26.6%
Heathwood 25.0% renting
Heathwood — Owned Outright: 11.0% Heathwood — Mortgage: 64.0% Heathwood — Renting: 25.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Forest Lake Heathwood
Bachelor Degree 13.1% / 17.5%
Forest Lake — Bachelor Degree: 13.1% Heathwood — Bachelor Degree: 17.5%
Certificate III & IV 13.0% / 9.0%
Forest Lake — Certificate III & IV: 13.0% Heathwood — Certificate III & IV: 9.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 8.1%
Forest Lake — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Heathwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Postgraduate Degree 4.8% / 8.1%
Forest Lake — Postgraduate Degree: 4.8% Heathwood — Postgraduate Degree: 8.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 1.6%
Forest Lake — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Heathwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

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 Lake Heathwood
India 3.6% / 13.9%
Forest Lake — India: 3.6% Heathwood — India: 13.9%
Vietnam 5.3% / 6.1%
Forest Lake — Vietnam: 5.3% Heathwood — Vietnam: 6.1%
New Zealand 6.2% / 5.1%
Forest Lake — New Zealand: 6.2% Heathwood — New Zealand: 5.1%
England 3.7% / 1.6%
Forest Lake — England: 3.7% Heathwood — England: 1.6%
Sri Lanka 1.6% / 2.9%
Forest Lake — Sri Lanka: 1.6% Heathwood — Sri Lanka: 2.9%
China 1.7% / 2.0%
Forest Lake — China: 1.7% Heathwood — China: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Forest Lake 94.9% houses
Forest Lake — Houses: 94.9% Forest Lake — Townhouses: 3.4% Forest Lake — Flats / Apartments: 1.7%
Heathwood 95.8% houses
Heathwood — Houses: 95.8% Heathwood — Townhouses: 3.3% Heathwood — Flats / Apartments: 1.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Forest Lake Heathwood
Median house price $970,000 $1,080,000
Median unit price $579,000 —
Median land price $900,000 $1,266,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 262 sales
 23 days
from 20 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.

Forest Lake Heathwood
4 bed $1.05M / $1.04M
Forest Lake — 4 bed: $1.05M (203 sales) Heathwood — 4 bed: $1.04M (32 sales)

203 vs 32 sales

5 bed $1.24M / $1.24M
Forest Lake — 5 bed: $1.24M (43 sales) Heathwood — 5 bed: $1.24M (12 sales)

43 vs 12 sales

Development activity

Forest Lake Heathwood
New dwellings approved 9,382
across Brisbane
same for both
Approvals change year on year +9%
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 Lake Heathwood
Houses 4.0%
$730/wk on $949K
 3.1%
$760/wk on $1.27M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Forest Lake Heathwood
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 74% of QLD Higher than 94% of QLD
Schools Higher than 49% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 96% of QLD Higher than 85% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 90% of QLD Higher than 95% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of QLD Higher than 94% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 55% of QLD Higher than 13% of QLD

Liveability

Forest Lake is more walkable (82 vs 44); Heathwood scores higher overall (70 vs 63).

Forest Lake Heathwood
Grade B A
Score 63/100 70/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Forest Lake Heathwood
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
62/100
 Moderate
64/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 21
within 5 km
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Forest Lake Heathwood
Inside the suburb 6 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Forest Lake

  • Forest Lake State High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Forest Lake State School Government · Primary at peers
  • Grand Avenue State School Government · Primary at peers
  • St John's Anglican College Independent · Secondary below peers
  • Arethusa College - Forest Lake Campus Independent · Secondary
  • St John's Anglican College - Alpine Place Campus Independent · Primary

Schools in Heathwood

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

Amenities in the suburb

Forest Lake Heathwood
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 3 1
Parks & reserves 59 6
Childcare 9 2
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 0
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 24 1

Mobility

Heathwood sits further from the CBD (32.9 km vs 25.5 km).

Forest Lake Heathwood
Walkability score 82/100 44/100
Distance to Brisbane 25.5 km 32.9 km
+29% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 32 min 30 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 288.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 70.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.5%
postcode 4078
 2.2%
postcode 4110
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 67
postcode 4078
 93
postcode 4110

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 Lake Heathwood
Car (driver) 69.0% / 69.7%
Forest Lake — Car (driver): 69.0% Heathwood — Car (driver): 69.7%
Worked from Home 17.8% / 18.2%
Forest Lake — Worked from Home: 17.8% Heathwood — Worked from Home: 18.2%
Car (passenger) 5.7% / 5.4%
Forest Lake — Car (passenger): 5.7% Heathwood — Car (passenger): 5.4%
Train 3.9% / 3.0%
Forest Lake — Train: 3.9% Heathwood — Train: 3.0%
Bus 2.3% / 3.5%
Forest Lake — Bus: 2.3% Heathwood — Bus: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.7%).

Setting

Forest Lake Heathwood
Elevation 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 58 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 26.3 km 26.6 km

NBN connectivity

Forest Lake Heathwood
Connectivity score 74/100 85/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 36%
8,634 premises
 72%
1,803 premises

Climate

Forest Lake Heathwood
Annual rainfall 1,032 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Forest Lake Heathwood
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.99 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Forest Lake Heathwood
Average residential rate $1,519/yr
same for both
Council Brisbane
same for both

Federal electorate

Forest Lake Heathwood
Division Oxley
same for both
Member Milton Dick
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Forest Lake Heathwood
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Forest Lake

Middle-Ring Parks

Heathwood

Family Large Blocks Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Forest Lake

Forest Lake vs Inala Forest Lake vs Greenbank Forest Lake vs Doolandella Forest Lake vs Richlands Forest Lake vs Wacol Forest Lake vs Pallara

Other comparisons with Heathwood

Heathwood vs Greenbank Heathwood vs Pallara Heathwood vs Forestdale
Full data on Forest Lake Full data on Heathwood
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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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