Leafy, low-density family suburb roughly 12 km north-east of the Sydney CBD, in the Forest District ('The Forest') and the Northern Beaches local government area. The name means 'town in the forest': Forestville is bound on the east and west by bushland of Garigal National Park and to the south by Middle Harbour, and profiles describe it as a leafy, family-friendly suburb with quiet streets, quality schools, bushland surrounds and a relaxed suburban feel with convenient access to Chatswood and the CBD. Its heart is the Forestville Village Shops ('The Centre') on Darley and Starkey Streets, a Coles-anchored neighbourhood centre with specialty shops, services and food options. Housing is low density and mixed: the post-war timber 'soldier cottages' built in the 1950s and early 1960s have gradually been replaced by larger project homes and smaller townhouse-villa infill, with an increasing trend toward renovating the original cottages or building architect-designed houses that sit well in the bushland setting, and the suburb is dotted with parks and reserves. At the 2021 census it had 8,659 residents with an older-skewing profile (median age 43 vs 38 nationally; 20.4% aged 65 and over) and 64.3% born in Australia.
At a Glance
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Region | Northern Beaches |
| Council (LGA) | Northern Beaches Council |
| Postcode | 2087 |
| Distance to Sydney CBD | Forestville is roughly 12 km north-east of the Sydney CBD. A CBD trip by direct bus along the Warringah Road corridor typically runs about… |
| Median house price | ~$2.5–2.6M (12-month sold medians to mid/late 2026): realestate.com.au lists the median house price at $2,600,000; propertyvalue.com.au reports a $2.6M median from 93 house sales over the past 12 months (up 12.3% year-on-year, ~34 days to sell); auspropertyfinder puts it at $2.56M; OnTheHouse's median house value is $2,524,086 (as at Feb–Jul 2026 data) (mid-2026) |
| Median unit price | $1.3–1.6M depending on tracker (low-volume unit market): realestate.com.au lists a $1,587,500 median unit price over the past year… |
| Typical rent | Houses roughly $1,100–1,250/week ; units roughly $690–720/week |
Transport
Public transport is bus-based — Forestville has no railway station, and the nearest train/metro interchange is Chatswood, reached by bus. Warringah Road is the main thoroughfare connecting Forestville to Roseville Chase and Frenchs Forest, and CDC NSW operates numerous bus routes through the suburb, connecting Forestville to the Sydney CBD, to Chatswood (many services terminate at Chatswood Interchange, giving straightforward connections to Sydney Trains and metro services), plus Belrose, Terrey Hills and a local Loop Service.
Schools
Three primary schools sit in Forestville itself : Forestville Public School — NSW government K–6 comprehensive co-educational primary at 7 Melwood Avenue (NSW Department of Education); Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School; and Forestville Montessori School. There is no high school inside the suburb and no Northern Beaches Secondary College campus at Forestville — NBSC's campuses (Balgowlah Boys, Cromer, Freshwater Senior, Mackellar Girls and the selective Manly campus) are spread across the peninsula. The nearest government high school is Killarney Heights High School in the adjacent suburb of Killarney Heights; other nearby options are Davidson High School in neighbouring Frenchs Forest and The Forest High School, which relocated to a purpose-built campus at Allambie Road in Allambie Heights.
Shopping & Amenities
The suburb's retail heart is Forestville Village Shops ('The Centre') on Darley and Starkey Streets — a Coles-anchored neighbourhood centre with a variety of specialty shops, services and cafe and takeaway food options, with further cafes and eateries along Warringah Road. Immediately north at the Forest Way–Warringah Road junction, Forestway Shopping Centre in neighbouring Frenchs Forest adds a much larger centre with Woolworths and Aldi supermarkets and more than 50 specialty stores. Community facilities include several churches (St David's Anglican, Cityview Church, Forestville Uniting, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic and others) and sporting facilities with fields, tennis and netball courts.
Parks & Outdoors
Garigal National Park wraps Forestville's eastern and western edges, with bushland running down to Middle Harbour to the south — the suburb is 'almost completely surrounded by beautiful bushland with much native flora and fauna', dotted with parks and reserves. The national park is a short walk from many streets and offers bushwalking, mountain biking, picnicking and canoeing, with the Bantry Bay foreshore of Middle Harbour in the park to the south recalling the suburb's timber-getting origins. Local sporting grounds, tennis and netball courts host clubs including the Forest Killarney Soccer Club, Forest Netball Club and Forest Rugby Club.
Property Market
The median house price in Forestville was around ~$2.5–2.6M (12-month sold medians to mid/late 2026): realestate.com.au lists the median house price at $2,600,000; propertyvalue.com.au reports a $2.6M median from 93 house sales over the past 12 months (up 12.3% year-on-year, ~34 days to sell); auspropertyfinder puts it at $2.56M; OnTheHouse's median house value is $2,524,086 (as at Feb–Jul 2026 data) (mid-2026). See our full Sydney property price map for how the suburb compares across the city. A stable, leafy family market dominated by detached houses with low turnover. Tracker estimates diverge on recent growth: propertyvalue.com.au shows house medians up 12.3% year-on-year to mid-2026, while view.com.au puts 12-month value growth at 4.2% and OnTheHouse's median-value series shows more modest multi-year gains (houses +8.25% over five years to Jul 2026) — differences reflect small sales volumes and method. Units are a thin market (about 12–38 sales a year) and YIP reports negative unit growth (-6.61% annual), so unit figures should be read cautiously. Housing stock is mixed vintage: 1950s–60s timber soldier cottages, larger project homes and villa/townhouse infill, with a growing renovation and architect-designed rebuild trend.
New Developments
Development is low-key and mostly infill — there is no large-scale apartment or masterplanned project in the suburb. Original 1950s–60s timber cottages have gradually been replaced by larger project homes and smaller townhouse-villa developments, and council-led, organic growth under the local planning framework has favoured renovating and preserving the original cottages or building architect-designed houses that suit the bushland setting. Council records and local listings show activity concentrated in renovations, extensions and occasional villa infill on the larger blocks.
Jobs & Local Economy
Local employment centres on the retail and services of Forestville Village Shops and the suburb's schools (Forestville Public, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Forestville Montessori), while Warringah Road businesses add local jobs. Northern Beaches Hospital in neighbouring Frenchs Forest — the region's 488-bed public hospital that opened in 2018 — is the major nearby employer within a short drive or bus ride. Many residents work in professional occupations and commute to the Sydney CBD or Chatswood by bus, with car travel via the Spit Bridge corridor.
Nearby Suburbs
Frenchs Forest, Belrose, Killarney Heights, Davidson, Allambie Heights
Sources & method
Researched 4 September 2026 from named public sources — census and government records, transport authorities, council and planning documents — plus published sales data. Where sources disagree on a figure, the guide says so rather than picking one.
Sources cited in this guide:
Corrections are welcome — if something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
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