Forest vs Stanley

Forest is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 51 in Stanley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Stanley, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Forest tends to suit families with children, while Stanley suits people living alone.

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 5 things we measure here

  • Forest is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 42%)
  • Stanley has more parks and reserves (6 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house 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

Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (397.9 km vs 403.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Stanley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 19%)

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

Investors

Stanley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (7.6% vs -3.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Forest and Stanley 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 Stanley
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 Stanley
Walkability 13 / 13
Forest — Walkability: 13/100 Stanley — Walkability: 13/100
Low fire risk 100 / 88
Forest — Low fire risk: 100/100 Stanley — Low fire risk: 88/100

Demographics

Stanley skews older (51 vs 38); Stanley has more residents (595 vs 464).

Forest Stanley
Population 464 595
+28% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.7% +7.6%
Median age 38 51
Median household income $68,692/yr $70,252/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $225/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Forest Stanley
0-4 8.2% / 4.4%
Forest — 0-4: 8.2% Stanley — 0-4: 4.4%
5-14 15.5% / 9.2%
Forest — 5-14: 15.5% Stanley — 5-14: 9.2%
15-19 7.8% / 4.0%
Forest — 15-19: 7.8% Stanley — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 3.9% / 3.2%
Forest — 20-24: 3.9% Stanley — 20-24: 3.2%
25-34 10.8% / 9.6%
Forest — 25-34: 10.8% Stanley — 25-34: 9.6%
35-44 13.1% / 11.1%
Forest — 35-44: 13.1% Stanley — 35-44: 11.1%
45-54 12.5% / 11.8%
Forest — 45-54: 12.5% Stanley — 45-54: 11.8%
55-64 11.9% / 19.3%
Forest — 55-64: 11.9% Stanley — 55-64: 19.3%
65-74 12.9% / 16.1%
Forest — 65-74: 12.9% Stanley — 65-74: 16.1%
75-84 5.0% / 7.7%
Forest — 75-84: 5.0% Stanley — 75-84: 7.7%
85+ 0.9% / 1.2%
Forest — 85+: 0.9% Stanley — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Forest 37.6% lone person
Forest — Lone Person: 37.6% Forest — Couple Families: 44.4% Forest — One Parent Families: 13.7% Forest — Group Household: 4.3% Forest — Other Families: 0.0%
Stanley 53.1% lone person
Stanley — Lone Person: 53.1% Stanley — Couple Families: 32.5% Stanley — One Parent Families: 10.0% Stanley — Group Household: 2.5% Stanley — Other Families: 1.9%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Forest 16.1% renting
Forest — Owned Outright: 40.5% Forest — Mortgage: 43.5% Forest — Renting: 16.1%
Stanley 25.0% renting
Stanley — Owned Outright: 46.8% Stanley — Mortgage: 28.2% Stanley — Renting: 25.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Forest Stanley
Certificate III & IV 17.5% / 16.5%
Forest — Certificate III & IV: 17.5% Stanley — Certificate III & IV: 16.5%
Bachelor Degree 5.0% / 9.9%
Forest — Bachelor Degree: 5.0% Stanley — Bachelor Degree: 9.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.2% / 4.9%
Forest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.2% Stanley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.9%
Postgraduate Degree 0.6% / 1.5%
Forest — Postgraduate Degree: 0.6% Stanley — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.8%
Forest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Stanley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

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 Stanley
England 1.7% / 3.7%
Forest — England: 1.7% Stanley — England: 3.7%
New Zealand 3.0% / 1.3%
Forest — New Zealand: 3.0% Stanley — New Zealand: 1.3%
Netherlands 0.9% / 1.0%
Forest — Netherlands: 0.9% Stanley — Netherlands: 1.0%
Germany 1.1% / —
Forest — Germany: 1.1% Stanley — Germany: not among its largest
Scotland — / 1.0%
Forest — Scotland: not among its largest Stanley — Scotland: 1.0%
South Africa — / 0.7%
Forest — South Africa: not among its largest Stanley — South Africa: 0.7%
India 0.6% / —
Forest — India: 0.6% Stanley — India: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Forest 98.2% houses
Forest — Houses: 98.2% Forest — Flats / Apartments: 1.8% Forest — Townhouses: 0.0%
Stanley 92.5% houses
Stanley — Houses: 92.5% Stanley — Flats / Apartments: 3.5% Stanley — Townhouses: 3.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Forest Stanley
Median house price $530,000 $560,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $525,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 43 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Forest has more rural and farming land (98% vs 81%); Stanley has more land zoned for conservation (11% vs 0%).

Forest Stanley
Rural and farming 98% 81%
Environmental 0% 11%
Residential 0% 4%
Parks and recreation 0% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 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 Stanley
New dwellings approved 7
across Circular Head
same for both

Ranking within TAS

Forest Stanley
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 52% of TAS Higher than 54% of TAS
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 80% of TAS Higher than 79% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 4% of TAS —
NBN connectivity Higher than 63% of TAS Higher than 57% of TAS

Liveability

Forest Stanley
Grade — B
Score — 50/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Stanley carries more bushfire risk (12 vs 0).

Forest Stanley
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
12/100
Crime Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 High
82/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Forest Stanley
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1
same for both

Schools in Forest

  • Forest Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Stanley

  • Stanley Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Forest Stanley
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 10
Parks & reserves 2 6
Pharmacies 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 16 0

Mobility

Stanley sits further from the CBD (403.4 km vs 397.9 km).

Forest Stanley
Walkability score 13/100
same for both
Distance to Hobart 397.9 km 403.4 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 283 min 287 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 7330
 0.0%
postcode 7331
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 23
postcode 7330
 22
postcode 7331

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 Stanley
Car (driver) 80.7% / 72.2%
Forest — Car (driver): 80.7% Stanley — Car (driver): 72.2%
Worked from Home 8.3% / 13.3%
Forest — Worked from Home: 8.3% Stanley — Worked from Home: 13.3%
Walked Only 4.7% / 10.4%
Forest — Walked Only: 4.7% Stanley — Walked Only: 10.4%
Car (passenger) 6.2% / 4.1%
Forest — Car (passenger): 6.2% Stanley — Car (passenger): 4.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.7%).

Setting

Forest Stanley
Elevation 70 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 55 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.7 km 463 m
1.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Forest Stanley
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
214 premises
 0%
382 premises

Climate

Forest Stanley
Annual rainfall 1,454 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 20.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.2°C
same for both

Federal electorate

Forest Stanley
Division Braddon
same for both
Member Anne Urquhart
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Forest Stanley
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Forest

Family Rural

Stanley

Acreage Coastal Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Forest

Forest vs Smithton Forest vs South Forest

Other comparisons with Stanley

Stanley vs Smithton
Full data on Forest Full data on Stanley
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.

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