Willowbank vs Mount Forbes
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Willowbank, about half of households are couple families. In Mount Forbes, most households are couple families. On these figures, Willowbank tends to suit 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
Mount Forbes
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 64/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 81%)
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
Willowbank
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 12%)
- has cheaper rent ($245/wk vs $380/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Willowbank
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (52.5 km vs 64.9 km)
- has a shorter drive in (46 min vs 56 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mount Forbes
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 64/100)
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
Willowbank and Mount Forbes drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Willowbank has more residents (1,351 vs 262); Mount Forbes rents higher ($380/wk vs $245/wk).
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,351 +81% vs other | 262 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.7% | -0.4% |
| Median age | 41 | 43 |
| Median household income | $73,372/yr | $92,092/yr +26% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $245/wk | $380/wk +55% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $845,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 19 days from 3 sales | — |
Development activity
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3,476 across Ipswich same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 43% of QLD | Higher than 65% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 5% of QLD | Higher than 60% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 85% of QLD | Higher than 63% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 80% of QLD | Higher than 47% of QLD |
Liveability
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 42/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Willowbank carries more crime risk (64 vs 10).
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 64/100 | Low 10/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | High 70/100 | None 0/100 |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
Mount Forbes sits further from the CBD (64.9 km vs 52.5 km).
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 52.5 km | 64.9 km +24% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 46 min | 56 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 4306 | 0.4% postcode 4340 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — postcode 4306 | 82 postcode 4340 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.2%).
Setting
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 28 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 91 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 71/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 40% 461 premises | 0% 86 premises |
Climate
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 897 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.3°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.27 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,713/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ipswich same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Blair same for both | |
| Member | Shayne Neumann same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Willowbank | Mount Forbes | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Willowbank
Other comparisons with Mount Forbes
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.