Black Forest SA 5035
Black Forest is a suburb in South Australia, 6 km from Adelaide CBD, around 11 minutes by car. Population is 1,982; the median age is 39 and the median household income is $86,528 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The suburb grew 2.5% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $290 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. Black Forest is characterised by no recorded bushfire exposure. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is moderate.
Is Black Forest a good suburb?
Black Forest scores a A (77/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, safety, and community, weaker on prices.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Walkable and central
Walkability 67/100 · 5.7 km · 11 min drive to Adelaide
Above the state median
Median $1.5M · Less affordable than 79% of SA
Low all-round risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 32/100 · Flood 33/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 8/10 · median age 39 · 1,982 residents
Liveability Rating
77 / 100 · Ranked #48 in SAEach bar is Black Forest's rank among SA suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Black Forest?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
77 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataBlack Forest's unit market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $625,000, roughly 20% above where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$625,000
20% above its 6 neighbours (median $520,000)
Based on 25 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 13 days — median across 7 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 22 sales $618K
Houses
$1,500,000
18% above its 7 neighbours (median $1,274,500)
Based on 24 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 16 days — median across 11 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 14 sales $1.65M
- 4 bed 7 sales $1.68M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Black Forest are currently listed at around $1.63 million on average. Based on 5 houses listed in the past six months.
$1.63M
5 houses listed in the last 6 months.
7 of the suburb's 850 dwellings (0.8%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Black Forest rent for around $650 a week on average, based on 6 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$650/wk
6 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$525/wk
6 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
12 rentals advertised against an estimated 341 rented homes (3.5%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Apr–Jun 2026- All rentals
- $580/wk
- 15 bonds
- +45% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025109 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 28% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5035.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$650/week ($34,000 a year) on a $1.63 million median
Based on a small sample (5 listings) — indicative only.
Not enough unit sales and rentals in the window to calculate a yield.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Black Forest safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Black Forest sits in the low band, with 34 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 59% on the prior year.
34 offences
59.0% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20253 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. This state’s crash data does not name the road.
Schools
One school serve Black Forest, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Black Forest Primary School leads the pack.
- • 410 students in one school (avg 410)
Primary
Universities nearby
- 4.2 kmAdelaide University, Adelaide City CampusAdelaide University · 472 courses
- 4.2 kmFlinders City CampusFlinders University · 156 courses
- 4.2 km82-98 Wakefield Street, Adelaide SA 5000Torrens University Australia · 106 courses
3.6% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Black Forest is somewhat walkable on foot — at 67/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Black Forest.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 44.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 35.1 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 25.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 19.4 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 5.5 min wait
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Black Forest.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 1,000
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Unley: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 4 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 2 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Black Forest is home to about 2,000 residents, with a median age of 39, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $87,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,982
Median Age
39
Median Household Income
$86,528/yr
Census Median Rent
$290/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$46,488/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.8%
Total Dwellings
850
Owner-Occupier Rate
59.9%
Houses
58.7%
Rental Stress
17.4%
Mortgage Stress
24.0%
Work From Home
14.3%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
55 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 13 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 331 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 73.0%
- English Spoken at Home
- 77.3%
- Employment Rate
- 63.9%
- Completed Year 12
- 58.2%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
171 residents (8.6%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,887 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
29% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (313 of 1,074).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 455 people work here; 1,074 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.4 jobs per working resident. At least 58% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,288 a year through Unley based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 90%
- Industrial 5%
- Commercial 5%
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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Unley
In the year to August 2026, 273 new dwellings were approved across Unley. That mix is 53 houses and 220 units. Approvals are down 66.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 17.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 1.12 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0.
From the Adelaide CBD monitoring station, 4.1 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Adelaide (West Terrace / Ngayirdapira), 3.9 kmDry climate — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 33 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 6.1 km
- Annual rainfall
- 457 mm
- 77 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 29.1°C
- 21 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 8.5°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
5 facilities within 5 km- 1.3 kmBread Manufacturing (Factory based)Top reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Ethanol · Carbon monoxide
- 2.2 kmBiscuit Manufacturing (Factory based)Top reported: Ammonia (total) · Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide
- 2.5 kmOther Petroleum and Coal Product ManufacturingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 3.4 kmTimber Resawing and DressingTop reported: Copper & compounds · Arsenic & compounds · Chromium (VI) compounds
- 4.3 kmFuneral, Crematorium and Cemetery ServicesTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 5035, 162 of 5,974 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 5.6% (336 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 8.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5035, 1,201 rooftop-solar systems totalling 8.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,995 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 84 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$15,000 for new homes.
No purchase-price cap. Stamp duty is fully exempted for eligible first-home buyers as a separate concession.
Mortgage repayments
2 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 8 across postcode 5035.
Conveyance duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with RevenueSA
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Louise Miller-Frost Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Louise Miller-Frost | 61.1% | 38.9% | +7.8 |
| 2022 | Louise Miller-Frost | 53.3% | 46.7% | -4.7 |
| 2019 | Nicolle Flint | 48.6% | 51.4% | -1.3 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Jayne Stinson Australian Labor Party
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Jayne Stinson ALP | 71.2% |
| 2022 | Jayne Stinson ALP | 64.8% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2024, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of South Australia.
Looking at a specific address in Black Forest?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 1,982 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Adelaide There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Adelaide suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Edwardstown SA 5039
Glandore SA 5037
Clarence Park SA 5034
Clarence Gardens SA 5039
Millswood SA 5034
Forestville SA 5035
Compare Black Forest to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Black Forest
Is Black Forest a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Black Forest is low (32/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Black Forest?
Black Forest has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a low share of it (33/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Black Forest a good place to live?
Black Forest has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (77/100), ranked against other SA suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Black Forest?
Black Forest, SA had a population of 1,982 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Black Forest, SA?
The postcode for Black Forest, SA is 5035.
How far is Black Forest from Adelaide?
Black Forest is 6 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 11 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Black Forest?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Black Forest was $86,528 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Black Forest?
The median advertised rent in Black Forest is $650 a week for houses (6 listings) and $525 a week for units (6 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Black Forest?
The median age of residents in Black Forest was 39 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Black Forest?
There is 1 school inside the Black Forest boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Black Forest walkable?
Black Forest scores 67/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Black Forest?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Black Forest (Adelaide CBD) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.8 µg/m³. That puts Black Forest below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Black Forest?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Black Forest, Adelaide (West Terrace / Ngayirdapira) (3.9 km away), summer days average 29.1°C, winter nights 8.5°C, 457 mm of rain a year over 77 rainy days, and 21 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Black Forest?
First-home buyers in SA may be eligible for $15,000 towards new homes. The grant is administered by RevenueSA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Black Forest belong to?
Black Forest sits within the Unley local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Black Forest?
The average residential rates bill through Unley is $2,288 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Black Forest?
Across Unley, 273 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 66.7% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Black Forest in?
Black Forest sits within the federal Division of Boothby, currently held by Louise Miller-Frost (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2026
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.