Community life in Forest Hill
Forest Hill grew out of orchards. Today it's a settled, multicultural suburb with a heritage homestead at its centre, its own football club and a new home for local basketball.
Strathdon House & Orchard Precinct
Strathdon House was built in 1893 by the Fankhauser family, who ran the land as a commercial orchard. The Matheson family bought the property in 1914 and extended the house in 1918. At its peak the orchard covered almost 38 acres of apples, pears, cherries, apricots and plums, including varieties rarely grown today, such as Josephine apples and Winter Nelis pears.
Whitehorse Council acquired the site for its heritage value at the time of the 1988 Bicentenary. It is now a community precinct for nature play, sustainability and wellbeing workshops, and regular events such as Devonshire teas and community garden days.
- Address449–465 Springvale Road, Forest Hill
- OpenThursday and Friday 10am–4pm, weekends 10am–3pm
- From ChaseNext door to Forest Hill Chase, a short walk
Home of Australia's first community garden
Nunawading Community Gardens, 82 Jolimont Road. Opened on 8 October 1977 and described as the first community gardens in Australia. Local councillor Gavan Oakley was inspired by English allotments, and 64 plots were first allocated by ballot. The site has since grown to 127 organic plots, where residents from many cultures grow vegetables, herbs and flowers. Plot holders rent their plots from Whitehorse Council, and fruit trees around the edge are shared with the community. Visitors are welcome to walk through.
Strathdon House Kitchen Garden, 449–465 Springvale Road. A demonstration garden set up in 2019, with about 20 in-ground, raised and wicking beds and an edible forest garden, designed for all ages and abilities. Volunteers run weekly working bees and anyone can join.
- Free produceVolunteers set out surplus produce at Strathdon House on Saturday mornings from 10am
- Harvest swapThe urban harvest swap runs on the third Saturday of the month, February to November, 10–11:30am
- Get a plotAsk Nunawading Community Gardens about plots and the waiting list
Pools, courts, clubs and trails
Forest Hill has its own aquatic centre and a new basketball stadium, with a regional pool, bike paths and club grounds close by.
Aqualink Nunawading
Whitehorse Council's aquatic and fitness centre is in Forest Hill, on Fraser Place. It has an indoor 8-lane 50 m pool, a family leisure pool, a spa, sauna and steam room, a gym, group fitness and aqua aerobics, learn-to-swim with Nunawading Swimming Club, holiday programs and a café. Council is scoping a future redevelopment of the centre.
Aqualink Box Hill
About 5 km away on Surrey Drive. It adds a heated outdoor pool, a diving pool, a warm-water therapy pool, a toddlers' water play area, a three-court stadium and outdoor soccer and tennis courts.
Cycling. The Box Hill to Ringwood bike path is reached from Nunawading station, and Jells Park connects to longer trails to the south.
Forest Hill Football Club
The Zebras play in green and white at Forest Hill Reserve in the Eastern Football League. The club started as a junior club in 1967, fielded its first senior side in 1970 and won its premiership in 1984.
Basketball: two venues, eight courts
Nunawading Basketball has served Melbourne's east for more than 50 years, and Forest Hill families have two of its venues close by.
Nunawading Basketball Centre (~2 km, 298–330 Burwood Highway, Burwood East). Five indoor courts, including a Show Court with spectator seating, plus a café and function spaces. Known as "The Graveyard", it is home to the Nunawading Spectres and hosts NBL1 South games. A major redevelopment is being planned.
The Summit (in the suburb, Level 3 of Forest Hill Chase). Three newer courts, opened in May 2026, used for junior competitions, development programs, pickleball and holiday programs. More about The Summit.
Sport near Forest Hill
- Aqualink NunawadingIndoor 50 m pool, leisure pool, gym · Fraser Placein suburb~10 min walk
- The Summit3 basketball courts, pickleball · Forest Hill Chasein suburb~12 min walk
- Forest Hill ReserveHome of the Forest Hill Zebras football clubin suburb
- Nunawading Basketball Centre5 courts, Show Court, NBL1 South · Burwood Hwy~2 km~5 min drive
- Aqualink Box HillOutdoor and diving pools, stadium, tennis~5 km~12 min drive
- Box Hill to Ringwood bike pathJoins at Nunawading station~1.7 km~7 min ride
A diverse, settled community
Forest Hill's 10,780 residents come from many backgrounds. Most households own their home, and nearly half of families are couples with children.
- Born in AustraliaThe rest were born overseas54.4%
- Born in ChinaThe largest overseas-born group11.2%
- Born in India or Malaysia3.3% each6.6%
- Speak Mandarin at homeThe most common language after English14.1%
- Speak Cantonese at homeFollowed by Greek (3.0%) and Vietnamese (1.8%)7.2%
- Homes owned outright or with a mortgage25.7% are rented70.8%
Source: ABS 2021 Census, Forest Hill (Vic.) suburb.
Medical care on your doorstep
Forest Hill urgent care clinic, 490–524 Springvale Road. A Victorian Government urgent care centre (Priority Primary Care Centre) inside the Forest Hill Medical & Dental Centre, run by Urgent Care Network Australia with Eastern Melbourne PHN and Box Hill Hospital. It's open every day from 8am to 10pm and is 100% bulk billed with a Medicare card. It treats sprains and broken bones, cuts needing stitches, minor burns, eye and ear problems and more, with X-ray on site. Walk in or book online.
Bulk-billing GPs. Several local practices offer bulk billing, including Forest Hill Medical (385 Springvale Road), Forest Hill Chase Medical Centre (270 Canterbury Road) and the Forest Hill Medical & Dental Centre. Billing policies vary by patient and service, so check with the clinic when booking.
Hospitals. Box Hill Hospital, Eastern Health's major public hospital, and the private Epworth Eastern are both about 5 km away in Box Hill.
- Forest Hill urgent care clinic8am–10pm daily, 100% bulk billed · Springvale Rdin suburb~10 min walk
- Bulk-billing GP clinicsSpringvale Rd and Forest Hill Chasein suburb~10 min walk
- Box Hill HospitalPublic hospital with emergency department~5 km~12 min drive
- Epworth EasternPrivate hospital, Box Hill~5 km~12 min drive
For chest pain, severe breathing difficulty or any life-threatening emergency, call Triple Zero (000).