ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council

McKellar, ACT, 2617

Current weather

12.7°COvercast

80% humidity · 9.5 km/h wind · 13.2° / 10° today · 21.8 mm rain

Desirability index

64.6/100

#38 among Metro Canberra suburbs

How this score is calculated

Suburb snapshot

McKellar is a smaller suburban community in the Unincorporated ACT area, home to around 2,740 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 16 offences in 2025 Q2 Apr-Jun with falling year-on-year trends (-20%), roughly 5.8 offences per 1,000 residents, a solid spread of nearby amenities and everyday services, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.

Population

Population
2,740
Median age
43
Median household income / week
$2,687
Dwelling vacancy
3.9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
39 of 1,001
Median monthly mortgage
$2,167
Employment rate
59.7%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
58 / 58 / 3

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian 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 (2025 Q2 Apr-Jun)
16
Against the person
5
Against property
9
Rate per 1,000 residents
5.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 548 residents
State safety percentile
25th (lower crime is better)
Year-on-year change
-20%

Most common offence types

  • Assault - Fv3
  • Burglary Dwellings2
  • Motor Vehicle Theft2
  • Other Offences2
  • Theft (Excluding Motor Vehicles)3

Data sources & freshness

  • ACT crime statistics by suburb (quarterly)ACT Policing / dataACT · Period: 2025 Q1 Jan-Mar → 2025 Q2 Apr-Jun; 2025 Q2 Apr-Jun · Updated on site · Quarterly XLSX release

Planning & development

Development applications from ACT planning register (lodged 2020–2026).

25 planning-related records

2026· 4 proposals
  • April 2026

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • March 2026

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • February 2026

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
2025· 2 proposals
  • August 2025

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • April 2025

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
2024· 3 proposals
  • July 2024

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • May 2024

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • January 2024

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
2023· 8 proposals
  • December 2023

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • October 2023

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • August 2023

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • July 2023

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • June 2023

  • LVAR
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • May 2023

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • January 2023

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
2022· 2 proposals
  • October 2022

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • June 2022

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
2021· 3 proposals
  • October 2021

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • August 2021

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
2020· 3 proposals
  • November 2020

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted
  • January 2020

  • SUBC
    MCKELLAR · BELCONNENCompleted

Data sources & freshness

  • Active & completed development applicationsACT Planning · Period: 2020; 2020–2026; 2021… · Updated on site

Amenities

36 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Bench (3)
  • Bus stop (2)
  • Dumas Street 2nd after Slessor CrescentBus stop
  • Dumas Street after 2nd Bean CrescentBus stop
  • Dumas Street after Baume CrescentBus stop
  • Dumas Street after Bean CrescentBus stop
  • Dumas Street after Buggy CrescentBus stop
  • Dumas Street after Burns CircuitBus stop
  • Dumas Street after Grover CrescentBus stop
  • Dumas Street after Gundaroo DriveBus stop

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • William Palmer ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
9/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • McKellar CottageBennetts Closekindergarten

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare servicesOpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via ACT Bushfire Prone Area (SBMP) mapping.

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
6
Parks (OSM)
2

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover featuresOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability index

Desirability score
64.6/100
Cohort rank
#38 among Metro Canberra suburbs

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • McKellar CottagechildcareBennetts Closekindergarten
  • William Palmer Parkgovernmentpark
  • LVARplanningMCKELLAR · BELCONNENLodged 19 Jun 2023 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMCKELLAR · BELCONNENLodged 05 Apr 2026 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMCKELLAR · BELCONNENLodged 16 Mar 2026 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMCKELLAR · BELCONNENLodged 12 Mar 2026 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMCKELLAR · BELCONNENLodged 03 Feb 2026 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMCKELLAR · BELCONNENLodged 26 Aug 2025 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMCKELLAR · BELCONNENLodged 02 Apr 2025 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMCKELLAR · BELCONNENLodged 11 Jul 2024 · Completed

Data sources & freshness

Similar suburbs

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