devonrexcatz

My daughter lives in the east end of Forest Lake in Centennial Park (12 years); I now live in the west at The Woods (1 year). In her tiny 5-house street alone, both her and my car have been broken into, as has her immediate neighbour's cars twice. Three doors down, their car was stolen. There have been two attempted break-ins and one successful theft at my daughter's property. Her Christmas decorations have also been taken from the yard and trashed down the street and my grandson's scooter was stolen from behind trees and under my daughter's bedroom window at night and this occurred even when the security light was activated. Five months ago another neighbour, his friend and his dog were attacked by a gang of about 12 youths (male and female) when they pulled in at an after hours FL shopping complex...they were dragged from the car and beaten resulting in the neighbour being hopitalised overnight. He was unable to work for a week. The car was dented and his dog was severely kicked. Where I presently live, my housemate's car has also been broken into.

Reflecting on what others have said, my daughter's home has also had a termite problem. Yes the yards are small in most cases and you can practically touch the homes next door. Street parking is a nightmare and getting lost around the 'rabbit warrens' is commonplace.

While this is a grim view of the seedier side of Forest Lake, the suburb also offers many fantastic resources such as parklands, some excellent, sought-after schools and all the usual amenities...it is also culturally diverse and I have met some wonderful people here. In many respects it is a tight-knit community; on the one hand there is always someone to offer assistance; on the other, not much gets unnoticed! Forest Lake is close enough to the city while similarly being tucked away in it's own leafy little niche...and the lake precinct is a wonderment itself. Crime in the area is well known now but whether you ever actually experience it or not is another thing. I, and many others, have no hesitation in calling Forest Lake 'home', but just to be on the safe side, it helps to have eyes in the back of your head.