ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council
Forrest, 2603
Current weather
9.1°CMainly clear
76% humidity · 21.5 km/h wind · 12.2° / 6.5° today · 14.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Premium
- Heritage
- Parks
- Shops
- Metro
Suburb profile
Forrest is a practical smaller community in Unincorporated ACT, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. Sitting close to the city centre, it is easy to dip into neighbouring suburbs for work, dining and events. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix. Everyday errands and local outings are straightforward, with the wider metro area adding variety. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. Established homes and older streetscapes are part of the appeal, with heritage detail still visible throughout.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar metro suburbs, even with transport and access and parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,827
- Median age
- 47
- Median household income / week
- $3,363
- Dwelling vacancy
- 19.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 187 of 981
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,520
- Employment rate
- 66.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 43 / 133 / 366
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (2025 Q2 Apr-Jun)
- 11
- Against the person
- 0
- Against property
- 7
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 6
- State safety percentile
- 25.9th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -8.3%
Most common offence types
- Burglary Dwellings2
- Motor Vehicle Theft1
- Other Offences4
- Property Damage1
- Theft (Excluding Motor Vehicles)3
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- ACT crime statistics by suburb (quarterly) — ACT Policing / dataACT · Period: 2025 Q1 Jan-Mar → 2025 Q2 Apr-Jun; 2025 Q2 Apr-Jun · Updated on site · Quarterly XLSX release
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 1,145
- Forrest Primary SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Planning & development
Development applications from ACT planning register.
2026· 5 proposals
June 2026
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALActive
April 2026
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
March 2026
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALActive
February 2026
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALActive
2025· 4 proposals
November 2025
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALActive
June 2025
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
April 2025
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
2024· 4 proposals
November 2024
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
October 2024
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
July 2024
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
2023· 7 proposals
September 2023
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
August 2023
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
April 2023
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
March 2023
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
February 2023
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
January 2023
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
2022· 8 proposals
December 2022
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
November 2022
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
October 2022
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
September 2022
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
June 2022
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
May 2022
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
February 2022
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
2021· 3 proposals
December 2021
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
November 2021
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
October 2021
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
2020· 4 proposals
October 2020
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
September 2020
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
August 2020
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
January 2020
- SUBCFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Active & completed development applications — ACT Planning · Period: 2026 · Updated on site
Amenities
22 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Forrest PS Hobart Avenue (School Services Only)Bus stop
- Melbourne Avenue before Empire CircuitBus stop
- Melbourne Avenue opposite Senior Girls Grammar SchoolBus stop
- Melbourne Avenue South of National CircuitBus stop
- Melbourne Avenue South of Somers CrescentBus stop
- National Circuit Forrest Public School after Hobart AvenueBus stop
- National Circuit Forrest Public School before Hobart AvenueBus stop
- National Circuit opposite Fitzroy StreetBus stop
- National Circuit Pavillion after Fitzroy StreetBus stop
- Sydney Av before State CirBus stop
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Collins ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 10/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
289 state heritage places
- 3 Wilmot Crescent 1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register
- 3 Wilmot Crescent 1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register
- 43 Melbourne Avenue 1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register
- 43 Melbourne Avenue 1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register
- Blandfordia 4 Precinct 3 - Registered Places or Objects
- Blandfordia 4 Precinct 3 - Registered Places or Objects
- Blandfordia 4 Precinct 3 - Registered Places or Objects
- Blandfordia 4 Precinct 3 - Registered Places or Objects
- Blandfordia 4 Precinct 3 - Registered Places or Objects
- Blandfordia 4 Precinct 3 - Registered Places or Objects
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Forrest Early Childhood Centrekindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via ACT Bushfire Prone Area (SBMP) mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 14
- Parks (OSM)
- 14
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 45.6/100 — Average
- National rank
- 2356th in Australia
- State rank
- 88th in ACT
- Peer rank
- #4 among Metro Canberra · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #87 among Metro Canberra suburbs
- Data confidence
- 77%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- SUBCplanningFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALLodged 29 Jun 2026 · Active
- SUBCplanningFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALLodged 15 Apr 2026 · Completed
- SUBCplanningFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALLodged 30 Mar 2026 · Completed
- SUBCplanningFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALLodged 01 Mar 2026 · Active
- SUBCplanningFORREST · CANBERRA CENTRALLodged 26 Feb 2026 · Active
- Forrest Early Childhood Centrechildcarekindergarten
- 3 Wilmot Crescentheritage 1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register
- 3 Wilmot Crescentheritage 1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register
- 43 Melbourne Avenueheritage 1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register
- 43 Melbourne Avenueheritage 1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
- Active & completed development applications — ACT Planning · Updated on site
More in Unincorporated ACT Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile elsewhere in Australian Capital Territory or interstate.