I would love to know all about Forest Lake!
I live in NSW a.t.m and am keen to move to the Brisbane area in the coming future :)
9 Answers
Having lived in Forest Lake for two years with two young children, I can tell you it is a very nice place for a family to settle. First home buyers can still find some decent property, especially considering all the benefits you get for living in Forest Lake. Forest Lake State School, Grand Avenue State School and Forest Lake College offer pretty good teaching, whether youre looking for public or private. The Forest Lake Shopping Village offers all the shops you need, especially since the arrival of Coles and Target in 2011. Medical centre, vet, a nice indoors heated swimming pool and gym and public transport going everywhere. A direct bus service will also take you to Richlands train station which brings the CBD even closer. If youre a driver, its almost on the Centenary Highway, but far enough to avoid traffic noises. The design of Forest Lake, with its circuits and parks, makes it a pleasure to walk in as well. Youll never find yourself more than 10-15 minutes walk from a shop or a school, thanks to conveniently placed pedestrian shortcuts.
The proximity to Inala, a slightly less favoured suburb, can be perceived by some as a downside, but if you look on the bright sight of life, you will enjoy its Vietnamese restaurants and cheap shops.
I would personally recommend Forest Lake as it combines quiet living in a very clean suburb with convenient proximity to the CBD.
Philippe, for
Open House Realty Group
I have lived in Forest Lake for 12 years. This is one of the prettier suburbs of Brisbane and certainly has it's perks...great schools, parklands, etc; there is no denying however that there is a crime problem and it is increasing (according to a Police Officer I spoke to). Though many would dispute the existence of gangs, I beg to differ and I recommend you read my post regarding Forest Lake. I would also like to point out that while some residents have never experienced crime here, I know many people who have including myself and my family...several times. I do love living here and it seems disloyal to rubbish it and I certainly wouldn't want to dissuade someone from moving here but crime is rampant and there is no ignoring it.
I have lived here as a renter on and off since the suburb was created. The prettiness of the suburb and the clever way the pockets of streets were created helps to eliminate traffic noise. I loved it so much that I decided to buy my own little home here in early 2013. I work from home a bit, and so I see whats going on surrounding my home during the day. The place is dead quiet. I have never seen anyone dodgy getting about. I was told by one of the neighbours who is friendly with most the residents in our street, that no one here has had a break in yet and she has been here since 1997. Maybe I am just lucky that I picked a good street with respectful neighbours, but it flows through the rest of the suburb when I am out and about with people always willing to offer a smile and hello. I like it here, so Bill_Smith....get your facts right buddy before you start dribbling elitist garbage. By the way, my mother lives in Yeerongpilly...a supposedly 'upper class' suburb...what an interesting place that is...the amount of druggos and drunks getting around the streets at night is unnerving.
MY facts are right, talk to local Police about the crime stats, drugs, DV, petty theft, its rife in Forest Lake always has been, same as other cheap outer rabbit warren suburbs. Oh, and druggos cant afford to live at Yerongpilly, but they can afford to go to the park there on the Corso, but nice try to enmesh that with the suburb, lol FAIL.
Have lived in Forest Lake for 5 years originally lived in Hawthorne (considered a wealthy Brisbane suburb) have had no issues whatsoever at Forest Lake - also have inlaws and extended family living in the suburb with no issues in the past 15 years. Understand there are plenty of stats out there however must be quite limited/potentially skewed. I have also lived in suburbs of Woolloongabba, Earls Court and Marble Arch in London and my experience is you get bad neighbors regardless of their social situation - druGs/domestic violence and alcohol does not discriminate. My advice when choosing a home is to actually get out to the streets, do a walk around the lake of an evening and sit in your car on a street to get a vibe for the area.
My father has lived in Forest Lake for several years. It's a lovely suburb which has grown considerably since he first purchased there. The neighbourhood has a relaxed atmosphere and there is a large shopping centre, restaurants, tavern and various fast foods outlets. Public transport within the suburb is via buses, however just recently there has been a new railway station built and open for business in nearby Richlands. I quite like the place, wouldn't mind living there myself. Now on the subject of crime, well unfortunately my father's house has been broken into, twice. So as with anywhere I guess, house security is a must. For comparison, my Aunty lives in Toowong and has also been burgled twice. Get a back to base alarm installed and maybe buy a big dog for extra piece of mind.
ITs cheap because its next to Brisbanes worst suburb - Inala. The crime flows over from there. Plenty of bogans so expect plenty of hoon noise form their hotted up cars and domstic arguments. People have been mugged on the footpath. Small blocks of lands, narrow streets, everything crammed close together as per typical way money hungry developers do estates these days . Expect to be very close to your neighbours house. Has good amenties, nice trees, pathways, lakes, etc. Recommended if you cant afford anything else.
That's disappointing to hear - I actually think our crime rate is no different to any other suburb in Brisbane. Not to mention the occasional hoon noise and in the area I live in there is definitely no domestic arguments that I am aware of, it is very peaceful. All of your comments can be anywhere in Brisbane.
I just love it when people say "its the same everywhere'. LOL what a load of rubbish. The more expensive an area, the better the class of residency is. Ive lived 22 years in one of Brisbanes most expensive suburbs, and absolutely no drama on any front. Move to the outer suburbs and its totally different. PLenty of drama at Forest Lake. talk to the cops about it of you dont believe me.
Having moved from London, previously living in Hawthorne/East Brisbane (where I can assure you the stripper neighbour was not what you would call un-dramatic) Forest Lake has surprised. Quiet, on 3 major highways, price competitive. I think if you have the budget sure go for a inner city suburb (although i would like to see the stats on West End crime) However, if you are on a budget and given the inflated costs of living in Australia, looking for close proximity to schools, train station (Richlands is now open). There are bigger blocks if you have the budget. While Inala is now considered one of the less attractive suburbs in Brisbane - if you look at Hawthorne/Balmoral area 20 years ago when the Balmoral Hotel was in its hey-day this was considered a bad place to live. Suspect given Brisbane's growth and the cheap land available - 20 years from now many wishing they invested in the area.
I dont live there personally but use to work in the area; statistics from 2011 show forest lake to have the highest break ins, followed by Calamvale because there are both generally good areas sorrounded by poorer areas. The people their are fairly nice and houses are pretty good quality too, but look at other areas in Brisbane, and try to choose an area that will go up in price significantly.
Hi Alex, I hope you ended up moving to Forest Lake. I moved here almost 2 years ago (November 2017) and absolutely love, love, it. It's quiet, friendly people and I can walk to the lake and nearby shopping centre. There are no bad things I can list whatsoever. Sure there's crime in the area but sadly there's crime in lots of places nowadays.
I agree. My experience is the same. FL is a hidden gem.