ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council

O'Malley, 2606

Est. population · Jun 2025

915

Growth (1 yr)

+1.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+1.8%

Median age

51

Median income

$4,476/wk

Employment rate

60%

University qualified

51.3%

Work from home

15.4%

Median land value · 2026

$1,120,000

Languages at home

45%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Cantonese, Croatian

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

52.3/100
Average

69th in ACT

Verified 91% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Multicultural
  • Inner city
What O'Malley is known for: Multicultural, Inner city

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O'Malley, ACT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “O'Malley, ACT Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/act/o-malley

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Suburb profile

O'Malley is an inner metropolitan suburb of Canberra, in Unincorporated ACT. It has a large overseas-born and multilingual community.

Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group, placing it among the highest-ranked inner metropolitan suburbs, and open-space access is exceptionally strong. Household incomes are a relative strength, with household incomes 85% above the peer median, and working from home is another area where the suburb performs particularly well, with working from home 29% above the peer median. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. Everyday shops and services are sparse, with local amenities 81% below the peer median.

O'Malley is a better fit for people who value school quality and open space more than local amenities.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Inner metropolitan suburb · compared with inner metropolitan suburbs in Australian Capital Territory (45)

Strengths

  • Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group
  • Open-space access is exceptionally strong
  • Household incomes are a relative strength
  • Working from home is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Everyday shops and services are sparse

What stands out

  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How O'Malley compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median land value

$1.12M

-6.7% unimproved value

Median rent (Census)

$975/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

915

+1.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

9.2%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#7

among Metro Canberra · Mature

Crime rate

2nd

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

74th

percentile in ACT

Rented dwellings

11%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

93rd

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
52.3/100 — Average
National rank
1595th in Australia
State rank
69th in ACT
Peer rank
#7 among Metro Canberra · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#69 among Metro Canberra suburbs
Data confidence
91%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

Median unimproved land value (2026)
$1,120,000
Land value change
-6.7%
Valued parcels
453

Median unimproved land value is the statutory land valuation, not a house or unit sale price. ACT does not publish open suburb-level median sales.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

  • ACT unimproved land values (no open suburb-level rent or sales) — ACT Government — dataACT / Valuation · 2026 · Updated · Annual unimproved land values by parcel, median by suburb

Population

Estimated resident population

915(June 2025)

+1.3% annual · +1.8% over 5 years · 74th percentile in ACT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.3%
5-year growth
+1.8%
Change in 1 year
+12
Change in 5 years
+16
Growth rank in ACT
74th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~950), extrapolated at +0.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
928
Median age
51
Median household income / week
$4,476
Dwelling vacancy
9.2%
Unoccupied private dwellings
32 of 349
Median monthly mortgage
$3,413
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$975
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
58.7% / 30.6% / 10.6%
Employment rate
60%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
15.4% / 1.7% / 70.6%
Walked or cycled to work
2.1%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
307 / 5 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

51.3% of adults have a university degree, compared with 42.9% across Australian Capital Territory. 6.4% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified51.3% · 42.9% ACT
  • Diploma qualified7.3% · 9.3% ACT
  • Trade / vocational6.4% · 10.7% ACT
  • Year 12 or below35% · 37.1% ACT

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Management and commerce25.2%
  • Health21.5%
  • Society and culture16%
  • Information technology7.6%
  • Architecture and building6.5%
  • Engineering and related technologies6.3%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$75,166

48th percentile in ACT · +28% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$80,018

32nd percentile in ACT · +23% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
15.0%

44th percentile in ACT · +9% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$62,554

20th percentile in ACT · -1% vs Australia

Residents with business income
8.0%

72nd percentile in ACT · -23% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2606 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
9,526
Taxpayers reporting net rent
1,413
Median net rent
-$2,751
Taxpayers reporting business income
768
Taxable income vs state median
0%
Salary / wages vs state median
-2%
Rental investment vs state median
-6%
Super vs state median
-40%
Business income vs state median
+14%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in ACT, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

45% speak a language other than English at home; 45.2% born overseas

Language at home
491 English only · 401 other
Non-English at home
45%
Born overseas
405 (45.2%)
Australian citizens
818
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
17

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Mandarin21 · 13.6%
  • Cantonese16 · 10.4%
  • Croatian16 · 10.4%
  • Tamil16 · 10.4%
  • Arabic13 · 8.4%
  • Greek12 · 7.8%
  • Hindi9 · 5.8%
  • Bengali8 · 5.2%

Religion

51.7%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 51.7%, while 26.4% reported no religion. Islam is more prevalent locally than across the state. Hinduism is more prevalent locally than across the state.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion26.4%43.5%
Christianity51.7%38.1%
Hinduism7.7%4.5%
Islam6.5%3.2%
Other / not stated7.8%10.7%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic24.8%19.3%
Eastern Orthodox10.3%1.5%
Anglican7.8%8.2%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
5
Against the person
2
Against property
1
Rate per 1,000 residents
5.5
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 464 residents
State crime-rate percentile
1.8th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-74.9%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
4
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
4.37

Most common offence types

  • Assault - Non-Fv2
  • Other Offences2
  • Theft (Excluding Motor Vehicles)1

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • ACT road crash data — ACT Government / AFP crash reports · 2020–latest · Updated · Reported crash points from 2020 onward
  • ACT crime statistics by suburb (quarterly) — ACT Policing / dataACT · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Quarterly XLSX release

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
3
Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
1,139
Median ICSEA percentile
93th
School list
  • Garran Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1159 · 96th percentile · LBOTE 67% · 676 students · Top SEA quarter 64% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Canberra Christian SchoolPrimary · Independent · ICSEA 1087 · 81th percentile · LBOTE 63% · 228 students · Top SEA quarter 30% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Mawson Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1139 · 93th percentile · LBOTE 67% · 542 students · Top SEA quarter 59% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

28 mapped amenities

3 playgrounds · 1 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 6 parks mapped in suburb, 3 playgrounds nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access — 12 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
18/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
6.47
Sport & outdoors(14)
  • CBR Cycle Route C2Cycling route
  • CBR Cycle Route C4Cycling route
  • Mount Mugga Mugga Nature ReserveNature reserve
  • Park (5)
  • Tyagarah ParkPark
  • Cobbadah Street Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Culgoa Circuit Central Community PlaygroundPlayground
  • Dalman Crescent Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Swimming pool
  • alternate Centenary trailWalking trail
Transport(12)

12 bus stops

Other(2)
  • Parking
  • Australia PostPost Box

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Tyagarah ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
10%
Woodland / forest cover
2.8%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
7
Parks (OSM)
6
Typical summer maximum
27°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Canberra Hospital (1.2 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
17
Participants per 1,000 residents
18.6

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
27° / 12°
Rainfall
171 mm · ~21 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
21° / 7°
Rainfall
169 mm · ~21 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
12° / 1°
Rainfall
183 mm · ~23 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
19° / 6°
Rainfall
212 mm · ~26 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from ACT planning register.

2026· 2 proposals
  • March 2026

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • February 2026

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYActive
2025· 1 proposal
  • September 2025

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2024· 4 proposals
  • September 2024

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • April 2024

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • March 2024

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2023· 4 proposals
  • December 2023

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • October 2023

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • June 2023

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • May 2023

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2022· 4 proposals
  • November 2022

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • February 2022

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
  • January 2022

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2021· 1 proposal
  • April 2021

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2020· 1 proposal
  • June 2020

  • SUBC
    O'MALLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted

Data sources & freshness

  • Active & completed development applications — ACT Planning · 2026 · Updated

Heritage

7 heritage places

  • Aboriginal Places in the suburb of East O'MalleyEO33 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the suburb of East O'MalleyEO13 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the suburb of East O'MalleyEO53 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the suburb of East O'MalleyEO43 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the suburb of East O'MalleyEO23 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Traditional Nesting Sites of Peregrine Falcons7 - Mount Mugga Mugga quarry1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register
  • Traditional Nesting Sites of Peregrine Falcons7 - Mount Mugga Mugga quarry1 - Nomination to the Heritage Register

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
0.2% of suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via ACT Bushfire Prone Area (SBMP 2026) mapping. Flood cover uses the 1% AEP flood extent against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Bean
Member of Parliament
David SMITH (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
113,876
Turnout (2025)
92.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+6.3 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 30.7%Labor 69.3%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 3.9 km away).

Coalition 25.4%Labor 74.6%

5.3 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +6.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • MawsonLabor 73.7% · Coalition 26.3% TPP (2025)1.4 km away
  • Garran (Bean)Labor 75.0% · Coalition 25.0% TPP (2025)2.4 km away
  • PearceLabor 71.7% · Coalition 28.3% TPP (2025)2.4 km away
  • FarrerLabor 73.3% · Coalition 26.7% TPP (2025)2.8 km away
  • TorrensLabor 76.9% · Coalition 23.1% TPP (2025)2.8 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

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

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

This suburb ranks highly for

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Unincorporated ACT Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile elsewhere in Australian Capital Territory or interstate.