Forrest ACT 2603
Located in Australian Capital Territory, Forrest sits 7 km from Canberra CBD, around 14 minutes by car. The suburb has 1,827 residents, a median age of 47, and a median household income of $174,876 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 13.1% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $570 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,520. The area shows no recorded bushfire exposure and no recorded flood exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is high.
Is Forrest a good suburb?
Forrest scores a A+ (91/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community.
Mixed results
1 school
Walkable and central
Walkability 81/100 · 6.9 km · 14 min drive to Canberra
Median available
Median $4.05M
Moderate crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 53/100 · Flood 0/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 47 · 1,827 residents
Liveability Rating
91 / 100 · Ranked #1 in ACTEach bar is Forrest's rank among ACT 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 Forrest?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
91 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataForrest's unit market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $685,000, about 7% below where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$685,000
9% above its 4 neighbours (median $626,250)
Based on 46 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 53 days — median across 25 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 15 sales $555K
- 2 bed 22 sales $720K
- 3 bed 9 sales $985K
Houses
$4,052,500
82% above its 3 neighbours (median $2,225,000)
Based on 12 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 120 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 4 bed 7 sales $4M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Forrest are currently listed at around $4.04 million on average, with the typical listing on the market for 23 days. Based on 4 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$4.04M
4 houses listed in the last 6 months — typical time on market 23 days.
Units
$765K
21 units listed in the last 6 months.
25 of the suburb's 786 dwellings (3.2%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Forrest rent for around $1,400 a week on average, based on 3 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$1,400/wk
3 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$680/wk
11 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
14 rentals advertised against an estimated 246 rented homes (5.7%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025128 Acceptable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 23% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2603.
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$1,400/week ($73,000 a year) on a $4.04 million median
Based on a small sample (3 listings) — indicative only.
$680/week ($35,000 a year) on a $765,000 median
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 Forrest safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Forrest sits in the moderate band, with 11 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 38% on the prior year.
11 offences
37.5% since 2024Crime Trend
Schools
One school serve Forrest, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 479 students in one school (avg 479)
Primary
Universities nearby
- 1.7 kmUNSW CanberraUniversity of New South Wales · 52 courses
- 5.5 kmAustralian National UniversityAustralian National University · 420 courses
- 8.5 kmUC - Canberra, BruceUniversity of Canberra · 192 courses
2.3% 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
Forrest is very walkable on foot — at 81/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Forrest.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 35.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 29.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 11.6 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 17.2 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 Forrest.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 24%
- Premises covered
- 1,171
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
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 4 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. Every one of them ranks in that same decile, so the average describes the whole suburb.
Forrest is home to about 1,800 residents, with a median age of 47, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $175,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,827
Median Age
47
Median Household Income
$174,876/yr
Census Median Rent
$570/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,520/mo
Avg Household Size
2.2
Median Personal Income
$94,432/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
23.8%
Total Dwellings
786
Owner-Occupier Rate
68.7%
Houses
36.5%
Rental Stress
16.9%
Mortgage Stress
17.3%
Work From Home
20.3%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
13 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 0 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 240 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 72.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 77.8%
- Employment Rate
- 66.2%
- Completed Year 12
- 74.8%
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.
49 residents (2.7%) 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 1,783 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
23% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (248 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 4,804 people work here; 1,074 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 4.5 jobs for every working resident. At least 78% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
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 $3,105 a year through Unincorporated ACT based on 2026 figures.
Building Approvals: Unincorporated ACT
In the year to August 2026, 3,750 new dwellings were approved across Unincorporated ACT. That mix is 813 houses and 2,937 units. Approvals are down 47.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 5.4 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 14.1 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 3 · ozone 0.
From the Civic monitoring station, 3.6 km away. ACT Health publishes these readings unverified, so they may still be revised.
Climate & Setting
from Canberra Airport, 6.6 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, frosty winters.
- Elevation
- 588 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Annual rainfall
- 622 mm
- 69 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 28.5°C
- 10 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 0.8°C
- 61 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
6 facilities within 5 km- 2.9 kmRailway Rolling Stock Manufacturing and Repair ServicesTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 3.8 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 3.9 kmHigher EducationTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 4.2 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 4.5 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Toluene (methylbenzene) · n-Hexane
EV adoption
In postcode 2603, 361 of 7,900 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 5.7% (454 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 10.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2603, 1,166 rooftop-solar systems totalling 12.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 4,678 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 99 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
FY2026-27No First Home Owner Grant is available in this state — the scheme has been replaced with a separate stamp-duty concession.
The Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS) instead provides a stamp-duty reduction of up to ~$34,000 for eligible buyers under the income threshold.
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in this suburb, 10 across postcode 2603.
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 ACT Revenue Office
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 Alicia Payne Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alicia Payne | 76.4% | 23.6% | +4.0 |
| 2022 | Alicia Payne | 72.5% | 27.5% | -5.4 |
| 2019 | Alicia Payne | 67.1% | 32.9% | -4.1 |
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
Elected at the 2024 election:
- Jeremy Hanson Canberra Liberals
- Chris Steel ACT Labor
- Fiona Carrick Fiona Carrick Independent
- Ed Cocks Canberra Liberals
- Marisa Paterson ACT Labor
Next election: 21 October 2028.
| Year | Seats won |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 Canberra Liberals · 2 ACT Labor · 1 Fiona Carrick Independent |
| 2020 | 2 Canberra Liberals · 2 Australian Labor Party · 1 ACT Greens |
A vacancy here is filled by a recount of the original votes, not a by-election, so a member listed may since have been replaced. Boundaries were last redrawn in 2023. Results: Elections ACT.
Looking at a specific address in Forrest?
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 1,827 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
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Suburbs to avoid in Canberra 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. Canberra suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
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Common questions about Forrest
Is Forrest a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Forrest is moderate (53/100, ranked against other ACT suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Forrest?
Forrest has no recorded bushfire history. No mapped flood overlay applies. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Forrest a good place to live?
Forrest has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A+ (91/100), ranked against other ACT 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 Forrest?
Forrest, ACT had a population of 1,827 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Forrest, ACT?
The postcode for Forrest, ACT is 2603.
How far is Forrest from Canberra?
Forrest is 7 km from Canberra CBD by road, about 14 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Forrest?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Forrest was $174,876 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 Forrest?
The median advertised rent in Forrest is $1,400 a week for houses (3 listings) and $680 a week for units (11 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Forrest?
The median age of residents in Forrest was 47 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Forrest?
There is 1 school inside the Forrest boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Forrest walkable?
Forrest scores 81/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very 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 Forrest?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Forrest (Civic) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.4 µg/m³ and PM10 of 14.1 µg/m³. That puts Forrest 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 Forrest?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Forrest, Canberra Airport (6.6 km away), summer days average 28.5°C, winter nights 0.8°C, 622 mm of rain a year over 69 rainy days, and 10 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
What first-home buyer assistance is available in Forrest?
ACT does not have a First Home Owner Grant — the scheme was replaced with the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, a stamp-duty reduction for eligible first-home buyers under the income threshold. Confirm eligibility with the ACT Revenue Office before signing a contract.
What council does Forrest belong to?
Forrest sits within the Unincorporated ACT local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Forrest?
The average residential rates bill through Unincorporated ACT is $3,105 a year (2026). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Forrest?
Across Unincorporated ACT, 3,750 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 47.7% 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 Forrest in?
Forrest sits within the federal Division of Canberra, currently held by Alicia Payne (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 2026–27
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 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 · 2024
- 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.