VIC · Colac Otway Council
Forrest, 3236
Current weather
11.9°COvercast
78% humidity · 22 km/h wind · 14° / 8.4° today · 5 mm rain
Desirability score
Suburb snapshot
Forrest (Vic.) is a small locality in the Colac Otway area, home to around 257 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 13 offences in 2026 with rising year-on-year trends (+44%), roughly 50.6 offences per 1,000 residents, 1 school and preschool site in the area, limited but present public transport access, and some planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 257
- Median age
- 52
- Median household income / week
- $1,091
- Dwelling vacancy
- 35.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 50 of 142
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,509
- Employment rate
- 52.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 17 / 0 / 0
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 (2026)
- 13
- Against the person
- 0
- Against property
- 5
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 50.6
- State safety percentile
- 47.6th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +44.4%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary1
- B49 Other Theft2
- C32 Drug Possession4
- E13 Resist Or Hinder Officer2
- E21 Breach Family Violence Order2
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Year ending March release
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 1,009
- 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
Public transport
2 public transport stops in this suburb
- Forrest General Store/Birregurra - Forrest Rd
- Turner Dr/Birregurra -Forrest Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Planning & development
Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).
4 planning-related records
2021· 2 proposals
March 2021
- Construction of a Dwelling and Associated Works50 STATION STREET FORREST 3236Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Change to Liquor Licence73 GRANT STREET FORREST 3236Withdrawn
2020· 2 proposals
December 2020
- Building and Works Comprising Extension and Alteration of Dwelling23 Grant StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
July 2020
- Building and Works Comprising Extension and Alterations to Dwelling140 Thompsons TrackPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Period: 2020–2022 · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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
3 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Forrest CommonPark
- Souther Trails - Forrest MTB ParkPark
- Yaugher Trails - Forrest MTB ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
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
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay 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)
- 13
- Parks (OSM)
- 4
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
- 20.1/100
- National rank
- 6487th in Australia
- State rank
- 1214th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #378 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #693 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglarycrime1
- B49 Other Theftcrime2
- C32 Drug Possessioncrime4
- E13 Resist Or Hinder Officercrime2
- E21 Breach Family Violence Ordercrime2
- Forrest Commongovernmentpark
- Souther Trails - Forrest MTB Parkgovernmentpark
- Yaugher Trails - Forrest MTB Parkgovernmentpark
- Building and Works Comprising Extension and Alteration of Dwellingplanning23 Grant StreetLodged 04 Dec 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Building and Works Comprising Extension and Alterations to Dwellingplanning140 Thompsons TrackLodged 20 Jul 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site · Year ending March release
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a similar population, SEIFA decile and location.