Forreston vs Birdwood

Birdwood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 48 in Forreston. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Forreston: a median of $980,000, against $747,000 in Birdwood, though rent is higher in Birdwood. Forreston is closer to the city centre: 39.9 km, against 54.5 km. On these figures, Birdwood tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Birdwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Birdwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($747,000 vs $980,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Forreston

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 18%)
  • has cheaper rent ($258/wk vs $320/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Forreston

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (39.9 km vs 54.5 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (50 min vs 57 min)
  • But Birdwood is more walkable (46/100 vs 4/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Birdwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (46/100 vs 4/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

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

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Forreston Birdwood
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.

Forreston Birdwood
Walkability 4 / 46
Forreston — Walkability: 4/100 Birdwood — Walkability: 46/100
Safety 76 / 67
Forreston — Safety: 76/100 Birdwood — Safety: 67/100
Low fire risk 23 / 24
Forreston — Low fire risk: 23/100 Birdwood — Low fire risk: 24/100

Demographics

Birdwood has more residents (1,376 vs 407); Birdwood rents higher ($320/wk vs $258/wk).

Forreston Birdwood
Population 407 1,376
+238% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.9% +6.0%
Median age 48 43
Median household income $108,108/yr
+16% vs other
 $91,208/yr
Median weekly rent $258/wk $320/wk
+24% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Forreston Birdwood
0-4 3.4% / 5.0%
Forreston — 0-4: 3.4% Birdwood — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 10.3% / 14.5%
Forreston — 5-14: 10.3% Birdwood — 5-14: 14.5%
15-19 8.6% / 5.0%
Forreston — 15-19: 8.6% Birdwood — 15-19: 5.0%
20-24 4.7% / 6.9%
Forreston — 20-24: 4.7% Birdwood — 20-24: 6.9%
25-34 10.1% / 9.7%
Forreston — 25-34: 10.1% Birdwood — 25-34: 9.7%
35-44 9.1% / 10.5%
Forreston — 35-44: 9.1% Birdwood — 35-44: 10.5%
45-54 14.7% / 14.9%
Forreston — 45-54: 14.7% Birdwood — 45-54: 14.9%
55-64 17.2% / 16.4%
Forreston — 55-64: 17.2% Birdwood — 55-64: 16.4%
65-74 13.3% / 10.7%
Forreston — 65-74: 13.3% Birdwood — 65-74: 10.7%
75-84 6.9% / 5.0%
Forreston — 75-84: 6.9% Birdwood — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 0.7% / 1.0%
Forreston — 85+: 0.7% Birdwood — 85+: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Forreston 64.8% couple families
Forreston — Couple Families: 64.8% Forreston — Lone Person: 23.1% Forreston — One Parent Families: 7.7% Forreston — Group Household: 4.4% Forreston — Other Families: 0.0%
Birdwood 55.1% couple families
Birdwood — Couple Families: 55.1% Birdwood — Lone Person: 28.7% Birdwood — One Parent Families: 12.8% Birdwood — Group Household: 2.2% Birdwood — Other Families: 1.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Forreston 9.6% renting
Forreston — Owned Outright: 46.3% Forreston — Mortgage: 44.1% Forreston — Renting: 9.6%
Birdwood 11.2% renting
Birdwood — Owned Outright: 40.9% Birdwood — Mortgage: 47.9% Birdwood — Renting: 11.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Forreston Birdwood
Certificate III & IV 20.4% / 18.8%
Forreston — Certificate III & IV: 20.4% Birdwood — Certificate III & IV: 18.8%
Bachelor Degree 9.3% / 10.5%
Forreston — Bachelor Degree: 9.3% Birdwood — Bachelor Degree: 10.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.6% / 10.6%
Forreston — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6% Birdwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.6%
Postgraduate Degree 2.0% / 1.7%
Forreston — Postgraduate Degree: 2.0% Birdwood — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.8%
Forreston — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Birdwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).

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.

Forreston Birdwood
England 6.1% / 8.8%
Forreston — England: 6.1% Birdwood — England: 8.8%
Netherlands 1.0% / —
Forreston — Netherlands: 1.0% Birdwood — Netherlands: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 0.9%
Forreston — New Zealand: not among its largest Birdwood — New Zealand: 0.9%
Ireland — / 0.7%
Forreston — Ireland: not among its largest Birdwood — Ireland: 0.7%
South Africa — / 0.5%
Forreston — South Africa: not among its largest Birdwood — South Africa: 0.5%
Germany — / 0.4%
Forreston — Germany: not among its largest Birdwood — Germany: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Forreston 102.2% houses
Forreston — Houses: 102.2% Forreston — Townhouses: 0.0%
Birdwood 97.9% houses
Birdwood — Houses: 97.9% Birdwood — Townhouses: 2.5%
Houses Townhouses

Property market

Forreston Birdwood
Median house price $980,000 $747,000
Median unit price — $760,000
Median land price — $1,005,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 23 days
from 16 sales

Zoning mix

Forreston Birdwood
Rural and farming 100% 97%
Residential 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

Forreston Birdwood
New dwellings approved 95
across Adelaide Hills
same for both
Approvals change year on year +53%
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.

Forreston Birdwood
Houses — 6.1%
$800/wk on $682K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Forreston Birdwood
House price — Higher than 13% of SA
Income Higher than 85% of SA Higher than 70% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 60% of SA Higher than 79% of SA
Affordability — Higher than 93% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 68% of SA Higher than 75% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of SA Higher than 75% of SA
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 99% of SA

Liveability

Birdwood is more walkable (46 vs 4).

Forreston Birdwood
Grade — C
Score — 45/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Forreston Birdwood
Bushfire High
77/100
 High
76/100
Crime Low
24/100
 Low
33/100
Flood — Low
29/100
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

Forreston Birdwood
Inside the suburb 0 2
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Forreston

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

Schools in Birdwood

  • Birdwood High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Birdwood Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Forreston Birdwood
Supermarkets 0 1
Parks & reserves 4 3
Childcare 0 1
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 2 10

Mobility

Birdwood sits further from the CBD (54.5 km vs 39.9 km).

Forreston Birdwood
Walkability score 4/100 46/100
Distance to Adelaide 39.9 km 54.5 km
+37% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 50 min 57 min
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 5233
 0.9%
postcode 5234
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 82
postcode 5233
 86
postcode 5234

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.

Forreston Birdwood
Car (driver) 75.7% / 76.2%
Forreston — Car (driver): 75.7% Birdwood — Car (driver): 76.2%
Worked from Home 19.0% / 15.3%
Forreston — Worked from Home: 19.0% Birdwood — Worked from Home: 15.3%
Walked Only 3.2% / 4.8%
Forreston — Walked Only: 3.2% Birdwood — Walked Only: 4.8%
Car (passenger) 2.1% / 1.8%
Forreston — Car (passenger): 2.1% Birdwood — Car (passenger): 1.8%
Bus — / 1.8%
Forreston — Bus: not among its largest Birdwood — Bus: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.2%).

Setting

Forreston Birdwood
Elevation 364 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 391 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 31.3 km 37.2 km

NBN connectivity

Forreston Birdwood
Connectivity score 33/100 54/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
160 premises
 24%
588 premises

Climate

Forreston Birdwood
Annual rainfall 921 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Forreston Birdwood
PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.31 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Forreston Birdwood
Average residential rate $2,727/yr
same for both
Council Adelaide Hills
same for both

Federal electorate

Forreston Birdwood
Division Mayo
same for both
Member Rebekha Sharkie
same for both
Party Centre Alliance
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Forreston Birdwood
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Forreston

Outer

Birdwood

Acreage Outer Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Forreston

Forreston vs Kersbrook Forreston vs Gumeracha Forreston vs Cromer Forreston vs Mount Crawford

Other comparisons with Birdwood

Birdwood vs Mount Pleasant Birdwood vs Gumeracha Birdwood vs Mount Torrens Birdwood vs Tungkillo Birdwood vs Cromer
Full data on Forreston Full data on Birdwood
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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