suburb.guide

WA · Melville Council

Alfred Cove, 6154

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,114

Growth (1 yr)

+1.6%

Growth (5 yr)

+8.5%

Median age

41

Median income

$2,262/wk

Employment rate

64.6%

University qualified

39.8%

Work from home

11.1%

Languages at home

14%non-English

Most common: Italian, Mandarin, German

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

52.6/100
Average

Top 19% of Western Australia's suburbs

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
    What Alfred Cove is known for:

    Using this data? Cite or embed. Publishers

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    Alfred Cove, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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    Alfred Cove, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

    Cite this suburb snapshot

    Suburb Guide, “Alfred Cove, WA Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/wa/alfred-cove

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    Suburb profile

    Alfred Cove is a middle-ring metropolitan suburb of Perth, in Melville Council. It is primarily residential, without a particularly distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.

    Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group, placing it among the highest-ranked middle-ring metropolitan suburbs. University qualifications are more common than in comparable places, with university qualifications 53% above the peer median. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high, and crime in the wider Fremantle Police District remains above typical levels but is improving. Reported offences have fallen 26% year on year. Trade-offs centre on thinner park access and thinner local amenities, with park access 44% below the peer median.

    Alfred Cove's appeal is better explained by housing, access and location than by a strong standalone precinct or destination.

    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

    Middle-ring metropolitan suburb · compared with middle-ring metropolitan suburbs in Western Australia (131)

    Strengths

    • Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group
    • University qualifications are more common than in comparable places

    Weaknesses

    • Park access is thinner than in comparable places
    • Local amenity access is relatively limited

    What stands out

    • Overseas-born and multilingual community
    • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high
    • Crime in the wider Fremantle Police District remains above typical levels but is improving

    Who it suits

    • Families
    • Professionals
    • Retirees
    • Students
    • Budget buyers

    Housing, growth and risk

    How Alfred Cove compares

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

    Median house price

    —

    No data available

    Median rent

    $755/wk

    Population (ERP)

    3,114

    +1.6% annual growth

    Dwelling vacancy

    5.5%

    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

    #28

    among Metro Perth · Emerging

    Pop. growth

    62nd

    percentile in WA

    Rented dwellings

    17%

    2021 Census tenure

    Advantage (IRSAD)

    10/10

    national SEIFA decile

    School ICSEA

    90th

    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
    52.6/100 — Average
    State standing
    Top 19% of Western Australia's suburbs
    National rank
    1524th in Australia
    State rank
    128th in WA
    Peer rank
    #28 among Metro Perth · Emerging suburbs
    Cohort rank
    #94 among Metro Perth suburbs
    Data confidence
    90%

    Data sources & freshness

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

    Housing

    All types (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
    $755
    Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
    715

    Median weekly rent from WA rental bond lodgements. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

    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

    • WA rental bond lodgements — Department of Communities (WA) · wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv · Updated · Monthly bond summaries

    Population

    Estimated resident population

    3,114(June 2025)

    +1.6% annual · +8.5% over 5 years · 62th percentile in WA

    Growth figures & methodology
    Annual growth
    +1.6%
    5-year growth
    +8.5%
    Change in 1 year
    +50
    Change in 5 years
    +243
    Growth rank in WA
    62th 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 (~3,300), extrapolated at +1.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

    2021 Census figures

    2021 Census

    Population
    2,830
    Median age
    41
    Median household income / week
    $2,262
    Dwelling vacancy
    5.5%
    Unoccupied private dwellings
    62 of 1,133
    Median monthly mortgage
    $2,400
    Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
    $430
    Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
    42.3% / 40.3% / 17.3%
    Employment rate
    64.6%
    Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
    11.1% / 5.9% / 66.2%
    Walked or cycled to work
    1.8%
    Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
    842 / 207 / 16 (+ 3 other)

    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

    39.8% of adults have a university degree, compared with 23.8% across Western Australia. 13.5% have a trade or vocational qualification.

    • University qualified39.8% · 23.8% WA
    • Diploma qualified10.2% · 9.3% WA
    • Trade / vocational13.5% · 17.8% WA
    • Year 12 or below36.6% · 49.1% WA

    Highest qualification field

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

    • Management and commerce26.3%
    • Engineering and related technologies16%
    • Health14.4%
    • Education11.5%
    • Society and culture10.5%
    • Architecture and building4.6%
    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)
    $63,454

    62nd percentile in WA · +8% vs Australia

    Median salary / wages (2023–24)
    $71,948

    79th percentile in WA · +11% vs Australia

    Residents with rental investments
    15.0%

    74th percentile in WA · +9% vs Australia

    Median super balance (2023–24)
    $110,054

    92nd percentile in WA · +74% vs Australia

    Residents with business income
    9.0%

    57th percentile in WA · -13% vs Australia

    Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 6154 — 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
    7,468
    Taxpayers reporting net rent
    1,147
    Median net rent
    $592
    Taxpayers reporting business income
    655
    Taxable income vs state median
    +4%
    Salary / wages vs state median
    +15%
    Rental investment vs state median
    +25%
    Super vs state median
    +73%
    Business income vs state median
    +13%

    Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in WA, 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

    14% speak a language other than English at home; 29.8% born overseas

    Language at home
    2,352 English only · 384 other
    Non-English at home
    14%
    Born overseas
    814 (29.8%)
    Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
    28 (1%)
    Australian citizens
    2,558
    Languages spoken at home (other than English)
    16

    Top languages other than English

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

    • Italian33 · 22.1%
    • Mandarin20 · 13.4%
    • German19 · 12.8%
    • Spanish11 · 7.4%
    • Persian10 · 6.7%
    • Cantonese8 · 5.4%
    • Croatian8 · 5.4%
    • Korean8 · 5.4%

    Religion

    51.3%Most common religion · Christianity

    Christianity is the most common response at 51.3%, while 41.1% reported no religion.

    MeasureSuburbState
    No religion41.1%42.5%
    Christianity51.3%41.1%
    Other / not stated7.6%16.4%
    Christian denominations
    DenominationSuburbState
    Catholic27.9%18.7%
    Anglican12.3%10.1%
    Baptist2.4%1.6%
    Uniting Church2.1%1.6%

    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

    Figures are for the Fremantle Police District, not this suburb alone.

    Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

    Offence counts & rates
    Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
    13,209
    Against the person
    3,166
    Against property
    8,312
    Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
    55.3
    State crime-rate percentile
    59.8th (higher = more crime)
    Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
    -30.9%

    Most common offence types

    • Assault (Family)
    • Drug Offences
    • Fraud & Related Offences
    • Property Damage
    • Stealing

    Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

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

    Data sources & freshness

    • WA Police district crime statistics — Western Australia Police Force · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Quarterly timeseries XLSX; district-level aggregates

    Family & Lifestyle

    Schools & preschools

    Schools within 2 km
    8
    Median school ICSEA (8 schools)
    1,126
    Median ICSEA percentile
    90th
    School list
    • Booragoon Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1121 · 89th percentile · LBOTE 42% · 435 students · Top SEA quarter 48% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
    • Melville Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1119 · 89th percentile · LBOTE 19% · 670 students · Top SEA quarter 46% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
    • Applecross Senior High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1120 · 89th percentile · LBOTE 38% · 1,962 students · Top SEA quarter 46% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
    • Attadale Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1137 · 93th percentile · LBOTE 20% · 440 students · Top SEA quarter 54% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
    • Mel Maria Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1131 · 91th percentile · LBOTE 19% · 513 students · Top SEA quarter 52% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
    • Ardross Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1149 · 95th percentile · LBOTE 60% · 448 students · Top SEA quarter 61% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
    • Santa Maria CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1133 · 92th percentile · LBOTE 10% · 1,334 students · Top SEA quarter 51% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
    • Melville Senior High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1071 · 76th percentile · LBOTE 40% · 1,398 students · Top SEA quarter 32% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →

    Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

    Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

    Data sources & freshness

    Public transport

    13 public transport stops in this suburb

    • Canning Hwy After Doney St
    • Canning Hwy After Latham St
    • Canning Hwy After North Lake Rd
    • Canning Hwy After North Lake Rd
    • Canning Hwy Before Coverley St

    Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

    Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

    Data sources & freshness

    Amenities

    53 mapped amenities

    2 restaurants · 1 pubs · 1 fast food · 1 sports centres · 1 petrol stations

    Local character & venue list

    Local character

    • Limited walkable amenities nearby
    • Reasonable bus and transport access — 13 public transport stops
    Walkability proxy
    28/100
    Cafés per 1,000 residents
    0
    Food & drink per 1,000 residents
    1.41
    Parks per 1,000 residents
    1.06
    Food & drink(4)
    • KFCFast food

      595 Canning Highway, Alfred Cove

    • TompkinsPub
    • LuresRestaurant
    • Mai ThaiRestaurant
    Shopping(2)
    • BWSBottle shop
    • Ampol FoodaryConvenience store
    Everyday services(1)
    • AmpolPetrol station
    Health & services(2)
    • Alfred Cove Dental & Denture CentreDentist
    • Melville Dental SurgeryDentist
    Sport & outdoors(8)
    • Fremantle Railway PSPCycling route
    • Mosman Park & North Fremantle LTCN Primary RouteCycling route
    • Ride around the Rivers Ride 6 - Point Walter to ApplecrossCycling route
    • Park
    • Sid Eaton ReservePark

      30 Doney Street, Alfred Cove

    • Tompkins ParkPark
    • Melville Bowling ClubSports centre

      592 Canning Highway, Alfred Cove

    • Sports field
    Transport(12)

    12 bus stops

    Other(14)
    • Align Health ChiropracticAlternative
    • Bicycle Parking (4)
    • Car wash
    • JacksonsCraft
    • Melville Community Arts AssociationGallery

      586 Canning Highway

    • Laser Eye ClinicOptometrist
    • KFC Melville Car ParkParking
    • Parking (8)
    • Precision physio & MassagePhysiotherapist
    • Australia PostPost Box
    • Shelter
    • Happy FeetShoes
    • TelstraTelephone
    • Perth Speech TherapyYes

    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

    Sporting clubs

    1 named sporting club in this suburb

    • Melville Bowling Club

      Lawn Bowls

    Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

    Data sources & freshness

    • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

    Parks & reserves

    2 parks and public open space in this suburb

    • Sid Eaton ReservePark
    • Tompkins ParkPark

    Data sources & freshness

    Green cover

    Green cover of suburb area
    14.9%
    Woodland / forest cover
    0.5%
    Parks & woodland features (OSM)
    5
    Parks (OSM)
    3
    Typical summer maximum
    29°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

    Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
    6
    Nearest hospital
    Attadale Rehabilitation Hospital (0.7 km)
    Nearest hospital type
    Hospital
    Nearest hospital emergency
    Emergency department
    Emergency department in suburb
    Not in suburb
    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).

    • Alfred Cove Dental & Denture CentreDentist
    • Align Health ChiropracticAlternative
    • Laser Eye ClinicOptometrist
    • Melville Dental SurgeryDentist
    • Perth Speech TherapySpeech_Therapist
    • Precision physio & MassagePhysiotherapist

    Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

    Hospitals, GPs and aged care

    Data sources & freshness

    NDIS participation

    NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
    51
    Participants per 1,000 residents
    16.4

    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
    29° / 16°
    Rainfall
    51 mm · ~6 rainy days

    Autumn (Mar–May)

    Usual max / min
    24° / 13°
    Rainfall
    198 mm · ~25 rainy days

    Winter (Jun–Aug)

    Usual max / min
    17° / 8°
    Rainfall
    552 mm · ~69 rainy days

    Spring (Sep–Nov)

    Usual max / min
    21° / 10°
    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

    Hazards

    Bushfire planning zone
    No overlay at centroid
    Flood / inundation overlay
    No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

    Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via WA bush fire prone area mapping. Flood cover uses floodplain mapping against the suburb boundary where published.

    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
    Tangney
    Member of Parliament
    Sam LIM (Australian Labor Party)
    Results from
    2025 federal election
    Electorate enrolment (2025)
    122,584
    Turnout (2025)
    92.7%
    Swing since 2022 (2025)
    +4.1 pp toward Labor

    Two-party preferred (2025)

    Coalition 43.0%Labor 57.0%

    Estimated suburb voting profile

    Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 2.5 km away).

    Coalition 42.4%Labor 57.6%

    0.6 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

    Estimated swing since 2022: +7.4 pp toward Labor

    Nearest polling places

    • BooragoonLabor 58.2% · Coalition 41.8% TPP (2025)0.9 km away
    • Melville EastLabor 59.4% · Coalition 40.6% TPP (2025)1.2 km away
    • ArdrossLabor 57.7% · Coalition 42.3% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
    • AttadaleLabor 49.2% · Coalition 50.8% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
    • Melville SouthLabor 62.8% · Coalition 37.2% TPP (2025)2.0 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

    Compare with

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

    More in Melville Council

    Other suburbs in the same local government area.

    Comparable suburbs

    Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Western Australia.