Forest Reefs NSW 2798

Forest Reefs is a rural locality in New South Wales, 260 km from Sydney CBD, around 3 hours 40 minutes by car. Population is 537; the median age is 43 and the median household income is $121,836 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 3.9% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $325 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,174. The area shows no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is low.

Is Forest Reefs a good place to live?

Forest Reefs scores a B (65/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on safety and community, weaker on transit.

Transit

Car-dependent

Walkability 14/100 · 260.4 km · 222 min drive to Sydney

Prices

Around the state median

Median $1.2M

Safety

Low all-round risk

Fire 0/100 · Crime 16/100

Community

Very advantaged

SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 43 · 537 residents

B

Liveability Rating

65 / 100 · Ranked #397 in NSW

Each bar is Forest Reefs's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.

Schools quality no data
no schools mapped
Safety
98
Bushfire None · Crime Low

No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.

Socio-economic
74
Very advantaged
Walkability
20
Very car-dependent
CBD access
27
260.4 km · 222 min drive to Sydney
How it's calculated: Safety rank 98 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 74 × 25% + Walkability rank 20 × 15% + CBD access rank 27 × 10% = 65 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Forest Reefs?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

65 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

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What applies here? (optional)

One rating per person. You can change yours at any time.

Median Land Price

Public listings data

The median land sale price in Forest Reefs sits at $838,000, broadly flat year-on-year. That said, only four sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.

Land

$837,500

Based on only 4 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Houses

$1,200,000

Based on only 3 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Is Forest Reefs safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Forest Reefs sits in the low band, with 4 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 33% on the prior year.

4 offences

33.3% since 2024
Harassment & Stalking 2 (50.0%)
Assault 1 (25.0%)
Theft 1 (25.0%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

2 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.

Council Flood Studies

Blayney Shire Council has published 2 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Forest Reefs is very car-dependent on foot — at 14/100, nearly all errands require a car.

14
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km 47
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Forest Reefs.

26
out of 100
Bottom 23% in NSW
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
7.8 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
2.3 arrivals/hr
Saturday
0.0 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
2 min
Span of service
8.9 hours

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 Forest Reefs.

30
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
195
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 100%

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

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
None
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
None
Waterways
12 in locality
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
1 in locality
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
1 in locality

Blayney: council population

The whole council area, not just Forest Reefs · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
7,831
+0.8% in a year
Change
+63
people since 2024
Density
5.1
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+21
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+29
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+13
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
10/10
9/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
10/10
10/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
9/10
9/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Forest Reefs is home to 537 residents, with a median age of 43, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $122,000 a year, with unemployment at 1.1%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

537

3.9% since 2016

Median Age

43

10.3% since 2016

Median Household Income

$121,836/yr

16.4% since 2016
Top 15% in NSW

Census Median Rent

$325/wk

62.5% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$2,174/mo

5.5% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.9

3.3% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$46,332/yr

13.8% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

1.1%

81.7% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

4.1%

65.0% since 2016

Total Dwellings

172

5.5% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

89.2%

4.7% since 2016

Houses

97.7%

0.8% since 2016

Rental Stress

13.9%

40.4% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

21.4%

18.9% since 2016

Work From Home

24.6%

108.5% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 168 (97.7%)
Flats / Apartments 4 (2.3%)

Property Ownership

Mortgage 78 (49.4%)
Owned Outright 63 (39.9%)
Renting 17 (10.8%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
85.8%
English Spoken at Home
91.6%
Employment Rate
63%
2.9% since 2016
Completed Year 12
37.4%

Occupations

Managers 61 (22.7%)
Professionals 58 (21.6%)
Technicians & Trades 51 (19.0%)
Clerical & Administrative 32 (11.9%)
Labourers 24 (8.9%)
Community & Personal Service 15 (5.6%)
Sales 14 (5.2%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 10 (3.7%)

Religion

Christianity 332 (61.8%)
No Religion 147 (27.4%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 10 (1.9%)
New Zealand 6 (1.1%)
South Africa 3 (0.6%)

Where New Residents Came From

Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.

9.7% of residents (50) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (38).

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 514 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.

Age Distribution

0-4 23 (4.3%)
5-14 86 (16.0%)
15-19 46 (8.6%)
20-24 15 (2.8%)
25-34 43 (8.0%)
35-44 64 (11.9%)
45-54 94 (17.5%)
55-64 72 (13.4%)
65-74 54 (10.1%)
75-84 29 (5.4%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 76 (67.3%)
Lone Person 28 (24.8%)
One Parent Families 9 (8.0%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 152 (67.9%)
Worked from Home 55 (24.6%)
Walked Only 11 (4.9%)
Car (passenger) 6 (2.7%)

Education

Bachelor Degree 82 (15.3%)
Certificate III & IV 73 (13.6%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 39 (7.3%)
Postgraduate Degree 11 (2.0%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 11 (2.0%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 21 (12.7%)
2 cars 75 (45.5%)
3 cars 33 (20.0%)
4+ cars 29 (17.6%)

Council Rates

Blayney
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $925 a year through Blayney based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$925/yr
25% below the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Forest Reefs's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 95%
  • Residential 5%

Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Blayney

The whole council area, not just Forest Reefs · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 51 new dwellings were approved across Blayney. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are up 14.3% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
51dwellings
+14.3% YoY
Houses
51
detached dwellings
Units
0
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.

Air Quality

MODERATE

PM2.5 averaged 6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.

PM10 averaged 10.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.4 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.

From the Orange monitoring station, 21.2 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Orange Agricultural Institute, 15.9 km

Moderate rainfall — warm summers, cold winters with occasional frost.

Elevation
923 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Annual rainfall
894 mm
79 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
26.3°C
1 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
2.2°C
23 frost days ≤ 0°C

Elevation is the ground at the locality 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.

EV adoption

0.8%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.3 points this year

In postcode 2798, 15 of 2,000 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.9% (57 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.6%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.31%
2024
0.46%
2025
0.75%

Rooftop solar

64
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 7.2 kW each

In postcode 2798, 502 rooftop-solar systems totalling 3.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 791 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 38 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
45
2020
51
2021
33
2022
32
2023
39
2024
32
2025
40
2026
26

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.

Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).

Verify eligibility with Revenue NSW

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$4,368
Loan amount
$670,000
Total interest over 30 years
$902,444
Deposit
$167,500
Stamp duty
$31,874
Cash needed at settlement
$199,374

Transfer 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 Revenue NSW

The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.

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 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.

Federal Electorate

Division of Calare

Currently held by Andrew Gee Independent

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Andrew Gee 37.7% 62.3% +3.2
2022 Andrew Gee 34.5% 65.5% +2.2
2019 Andrew Gee 36.7% 63.3% +1.5

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Bathurst District

Currently held by Paul Toole The Nationals

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Paul Toole NP 73.6%
2019 Paul Toole NP 67.9%
2015 Paul Toole NP 65.8%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.

Looking at a specific address in Forest Reefs?

Every figure above is a locality 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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Forest Reefs to another suburb

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Common questions about Forest Reefs

Is Forest Reefs a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Forest Reefs is low (16/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Forest Reefs?

Forest Reefs has no recorded bushfire history. These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Forest Reefs a good place to live?

Forest Reefs has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (65/100), ranked against other NSW 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 Forest Reefs?

Forest Reefs, NSW had a population of 537 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Forest Reefs, NSW?

The postcode for Forest Reefs, NSW is 2798.

How far is Forest Reefs from Sydney?

Forest Reefs is 260 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 222 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Forest Reefs?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Forest Reefs was $121,836 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 Forest Reefs?

There are too few current rental listings in Forest Reefs for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $325, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Forest Reefs?

The median age of residents in Forest Reefs was 43 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Forest Reefs walkable?

Forest Reefs scores 14/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. 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 Forest Reefs?

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Forest Reefs (Orange) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 10.8 µg/m³. That puts Forest Reefs 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 Forest Reefs?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Forest Reefs, Orange Agricultural Institute (15.9 km away), summer days average 26.3°C, winter nights 2.2°C, 894 mm of rain a year over 79 rainy days, and 1 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Forest Reefs?

First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does Forest Reefs belong to?

Forest Reefs sits within the Blayney local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Forest Reefs?

The average residential rates bill through Blayney is $925 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Forest Reefs?

Across Blayney, 51 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 14.3% 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 Forest Reefs in?

Forest Reefs sits within the federal Division of Calare, currently held by Andrew Gee (Independent).

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Data freshness

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.

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