Millers Forest vs Osterley

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 Millers Forest: a median of $1.45 million, against $1.25 million in Osterley. On these figures, Osterley tends to suit 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

Osterley

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 64/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (88% vs 79%)

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

First-home buyers

Osterley

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 24%)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,250,000 vs $1,450,000)

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

Millers Forest

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (119 min vs 128 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (162.8 km vs 172.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Osterley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 64/100)

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

Investors

Osterley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (12.8% vs 6.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Millers Forest Osterley
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.

Millers Forest Osterley
Walkability 25 / 25
Millers Forest — Walkability: 25/100 Osterley — Walkability: 25/100
Safety 36 / 82
Millers Forest — Safety: 36/100 Osterley — Safety: 82/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Millers Forest — Low fire risk: 100/100 Osterley — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Millers Forest has more residents (357 vs 132); Osterley has higher household incomes ($133,224 vs $102,492).

Millers Forest Osterley
Population 357
+63% vs other
 132
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.6% +12.8%
Median age 47
same for both
Median household income $102,492/yr $133,224/yr
+30% vs other
Median weekly rent $395/wk $400/wk
+1% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Millers Forest Osterley
0-4 3.9% / 5.3%
Millers Forest — 0-4: 3.9% Osterley — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 8.4% / 11.4%
Millers Forest — 5-14: 8.4% Osterley — 5-14: 11.4%
15-19 7.0% / 9.1%
Millers Forest — 15-19: 7.0% Osterley — 15-19: 9.1%
20-24 4.8% / 3.0%
Millers Forest — 20-24: 4.8% Osterley — 20-24: 3.0%
25-34 10.9% / 9.1%
Millers Forest — 25-34: 10.9% Osterley — 25-34: 9.1%
35-44 9.5% / 7.6%
Millers Forest — 35-44: 9.5% Osterley — 35-44: 7.6%
45-54 14.3% / 24.2%
Millers Forest — 45-54: 14.3% Osterley — 45-54: 24.2%
55-64 16.8% / 12.9%
Millers Forest — 55-64: 16.8% Osterley — 55-64: 12.9%
65-74 14.0% / 10.6%
Millers Forest — 65-74: 14.0% Osterley — 65-74: 10.6%
75-84 7.0% / 8.3%
Millers Forest — 75-84: 7.0% Osterley — 75-84: 8.3%
85+ 1.7% / 4.5%
Millers Forest — 85+: 1.7% Osterley — 85+: 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Millers Forest 58.8% couple families
Millers Forest — Couple Families: 58.8% Millers Forest — Lone Person: 13.2% Millers Forest — One Parent Families: 20.6% Millers Forest — Other Families: 7.4%
Osterley 88.0% couple families
Osterley — Couple Families: 88.0% Osterley — Lone Person: 12.0% Osterley — One Parent Families: 0.0% Osterley — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Millers Forest 16.7% renting
Millers Forest — Owned Outright: 45.6% Millers Forest — Mortgage: 37.7% Millers Forest — Renting: 16.7%
Osterley 11.6% renting
Osterley — Owned Outright: 37.2% Osterley — Mortgage: 51.2% Osterley — Renting: 11.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Millers Forest 90.9% houses
Millers Forest — Houses: 90.9% Millers Forest — Flats / Apartments: 9.1%
Osterley 100.0% houses
Osterley — Houses: 100.0% Osterley — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Millers Forest Osterley
Certificate III & IV 24.9% / 13.6%
Millers Forest — Certificate III & IV: 24.9% Osterley — Certificate III & IV: 13.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.3% / 7.6%
Millers Forest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3% Osterley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6%
Bachelor Degree 7.0% / 5.3%
Millers Forest — Bachelor Degree: 7.0% Osterley — Bachelor Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.1% / 3.0%
Millers Forest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1% Osterley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0%
Postgraduate Degree 0.8% / —
Millers Forest — Postgraduate Degree: 0.8% Osterley — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.9%).

Property market

Millers Forest Osterley
Median house price $1,450,000 $1,250,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Millers Forest Osterley
Rural and farming 89% 96%
Environmental 11% 3%
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

Millers Forest Osterley
New dwellings approved 1,413
across Maitland
 495
across Port Stephens
Approvals change year on year +20% -72%

Ranking within NSW

Millers Forest Osterley
House price Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 65% of NSW
Income Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 38% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 51% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 62% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW

Liveability

Millers Forest Osterley
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

Millers Forest carries more crime risk (64 vs 18).

Millers Forest Osterley
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
64/100
 Low
18/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Millers Forest Osterley
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 Millers Forest

  • Millers Forest Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Osterley

  • Mount Kanwary Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Millers Forest Osterley
Childcare 1 0
Waterways 12 0

Mobility

Osterley sits further from the CBD (172.9 km vs 162.8 km).

Millers Forest Osterley
Walkability score 25/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 162.8 km 172.9 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 119 min 128 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2324
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2324
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.

Millers Forest Osterley
Car (driver) 59.1% / 62.1%
Millers Forest — Car (driver): 59.1% Osterley — Car (driver): 62.1%
Worked from Home 26.0% / 22.7%
Millers Forest — Worked from Home: 26.0% Osterley — Worked from Home: 22.7%
Car (passenger) 6.5% / 9.1%
Millers Forest — Car (passenger): 6.5% Osterley — Car (passenger): 9.1%
Walked Only 8.4% / 6.1%
Millers Forest — Walked Only: 8.4% Osterley — Walked Only: 6.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.1%).

Setting

Millers Forest Osterley
Elevation 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.4 km 14.0 km

NBN connectivity

Millers Forest Osterley
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
137 premises
 0%
46 premises

Climate

Millers Forest Osterley
Annual rainfall 1,181 mm 996 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C 30.0°C
Winter min (Jul) 7.5°C 7.1°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Millers Forest Osterley
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.72 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Millers Forest Osterley
Average residential rate $1,908/yr $1,359/yr
Council Maitland Port Stephens

Federal electorate

Millers Forest Osterley
Division Paterson Lyne
Member Meryl Swanson Alison Penfold
Party Australian Labor Party The Nationals

First Home Owner Grant

Millers Forest Osterley
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Millers Forest

River Rural

Osterley

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Millers Forest

Millers Forest vs Raymond Terrace Millers Forest vs Thornton Millers Forest vs Woodberry Millers Forest vs Heatherbrae Millers Forest vs Hinton Millers Forest vs Nelsons Plains

Other comparisons with Osterley

Osterley vs Hinton Osterley vs Nelsons Plains
Full data on Millers Forest Full data on Osterley
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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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