Forster NSW 2428
Forster is a suburb in New South Wales, 296 km from Sydney CBD, around 3 hours 40 minutes by car. Population is 14,187; the median age is 57 and the median household income is $52,468 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 3.3% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $340 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. Forster is characterised by high crime risk and high bushfire risk. Of 3 schools within the suburb boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is low.
Is Forster a good suburb?
Forster scores a C (31/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on prices, safety, and community.
Mixed results
3 schools · 1 above peer schools
Some car dependence
Walkability 34/100 · 296.2 km · 218 min drive to Sydney
Above the state median
Median $882K
High bushfire risk
Fire 74/100 · Crime 83/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 57 · 14,187 residents
Liveability Rating
31 / 100 · Ranked #1237 in NSWEach bar is Forster's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in Forster?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
31 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataForster's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $882,000, about 6% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$882,500
Based on 256 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 35 days — median across 139 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 15 sales $672K
- 3 bed 127 sales $789K
- 4 bed 84 sales $994K
- 5 bed 12 sales $1.27M
Units
$600,000
Based on 117 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 42 days — median across 55 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 8 sales $491K
- 2 bed 80 sales $531K
- 3 bed 26 sales $758K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Forster are currently listed at around $899,000 on average. Based on 169 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$899K
169 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$975K
57 units listed in the last 6 months.
226 of the suburb's 6,253 dwellings (3.6%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Forster rent for around $680 a week on average, based on 71 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$680/wk
71 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$530/wk
27 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
98 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,738 rented homes (5.6%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $650/wk
- 49 bonds
- +36% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $450/wk
- 53 bonds
- +36% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2428 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). 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 2025110 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 27% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2428.
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$680/week ($35,000 a year) on a $899,000 median
$530/week ($28,000 a year) on a $975,000 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.
Short-Stay Rentals
346 active Airbnb listings: 322 whole homes and 24 rooms. Whole homes are about 4.1% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Forster safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Forster sits in the high band, with 1,151 incidents recorded in 2025.
1,151 offences
no change since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202521 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Where they happened
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. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Mid-Coast Council has published 38 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- REVIEW OF BULAHDELAH FLOODPLAIN RISK MANAGEMENT STUDY AND PLAN 2026
- Gloucester Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2021
- Final Port Stephens Foreshore (Floodplain) Risk Management Study and Plan Review 2021
- Karuah River and Stroud Floodplain Risk Management Study 2020
- Manning River Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2020
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1989–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 2.5 km
- Rate
- -0.04 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -5.1 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Three schools serve Forster, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Great Lakes College Forster Campus leads the pack.
- • 1,396 students across 3 schools (avg 465)
- • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 934-1014, median 936 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Forster Public School (573 students)
Primary
Secondary
Walkability
Forster is car-dependent on foot — at 34/100, most errands require a car. Within the suburb there are 3 supermarkets, 19 parks and 25 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Forster.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 124.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 98.9 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 26.3 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 13.3 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 Forster.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 32%
- Premises covered
- 9,479
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
Mid-Coast: 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 33 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 7 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Forster is home to about 14,200 residents, with a median age of 57 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $52,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.9%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
14,187
Median Age
57
Median Household Income
$52,468/yr
Census Median Rent
$340/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
2.1
Median Personal Income
$30,212/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.9%
Unoccupied Dwellings
24.5%
Total Dwellings
6,253
Owner-Occupier Rate
72.2%
Houses
64.6%
Rental Stress
33.7%
Mortgage Stress
39.6%
Work From Home
11.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
100 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 133 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,639 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 81.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 90.1%
- Employment Rate
- 39.2%
- Completed Year 12
- 30.4%
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.
183 residents (1.3%) 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.
8.5% of residents (1,167) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (1,018).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 13,686 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
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (36 of 4,836).
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 4,955 people work here; 4,836 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (1.0 per resident). At least 1% 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 $1,560 a year through Mid-Coast based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Environmental 57%
- Residential 25%
- Rural and farming 8%
- Parks and recreation 5%
- Industrial 1%
- Infrastructure and transport 1%
- Zones under 1% 1%
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: Mid-Coast
In the year to August 2026, 743 new dwellings were approved across Mid-Coast. That mix is 672 houses and 71 units. Approvals are up 327.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Forster 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.
Climate & Setting
from Taree (Patanga Cl), 37.2 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 8 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.3 km
- 2.5 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 1,331 mm
- 106 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
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
1 facility within 5 km- 1.7 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Total Phosphorus · Ammonia (total)
EV adoption
In postcode 2428, 88 of 20,472 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.9% (384 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2428, 5,928 rooftop-solar systems totalling 34.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 14,384 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 377 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$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).
Mortgage repayments
2 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 4 across postcode 2428.
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.
At $882,500 this is $282,500 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
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 2026-10-27 — 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 Alison Penfold The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alison Penfold | 40.2% | 59.8% | +4.0 |
| 2022 | David Gillespie | 36.2% | 63.8% | -1.4 |
| 2019 | David Gillespie | 34.8% | 65.2% | +3.5 |
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 Tanya Thompson The Nationals
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Tanya Thompson NP | 65.8% |
| 2019 | Stephen Bromhead NP | 59.2% |
| 2015 | Stephen Bromhead NP | 58.7% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Forster?
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 14,187 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.
Compare Forster to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Forster
Is Forster a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Forster is high (83/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Forster?
Forster has a high recorded bushfire history (74/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Forster a good place to live?
Forster has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (31/100), 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 Forster?
Forster, NSW had a population of 14,187 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Forster, NSW?
The postcode for Forster, NSW is 2428.
How far is Forster from Sydney?
Forster is 296 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 218 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Forster?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Forster was $52,468 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 Forster?
The median advertised rent in Forster is $680 a week for houses (71 listings) and $530 a week for units (27 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Forster?
The median age of residents in Forster was 57 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Forster at risk of bushfire?
Forster has a high recorded bushfire history (74/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Forster?
There are 3 schools inside the Forster boundary: 1 above, 1 at, and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Forster walkable?
Forster scores 34/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it 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 weather like in Forster?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Forster, Taree (Patanga Cl) (37.2 km away), 1,331 mm of rain a year over 106 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Forster?
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 Forster belong to?
Forster sits within the Mid-Coast local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Forster?
The average residential rates bill through Mid-Coast is $1,560 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Forster?
Across Mid-Coast, 743 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 327.0% 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 Forster in?
Forster sits within the federal Division of Lyne, currently held by Alison Penfold (The Nationals).
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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 · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2023
- 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.