WA · Bunbury Council

College Grove, 6230

Est. population · Jun 2025

1,980

Growth (1 yr)

+1.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+6.2%

Median age

38

Median income

$1,899/wk

Employment rate

41.5%

Languages at home

10.7%non-English

Most common: Afrikaans, Malayalam, Mandarin

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

47.9/100
Average

Top 35% of Western Australia's suburbs

Verified 78% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Excellent transport
  • High desirability
  • Education hub
  • Café precinct
What College Grove is known for: Green suburb, Excellent transport, High desirability, Education hub, Café precinct

Suburb profile

In Bunbury Council, College Grove keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with family life visible on every street. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing.

Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses still link the suburb further afield. Homes cost more here than in most comparable suburbs.

Crime trends have improved of late compared with the previous period. An emerging neighbourhood feel is building here, with new households gradually reshaping local life.

The desirability picture is around average, weighed down by softer local dining and lifestyle amenities relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

College Grove snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$600/wk

Population (ERP)

1,980

+1.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

5.1%

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

#6

among Country & regional · Emerging

Safety

22nd

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

48th

percentile in WA

Advantage (IRSAD)

5/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

61st

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
47.9/100 — Average
State standing
Top 35% of Western Australia's suburbs
National rank
2452nd in Australia
State rank
239th in WA
Peer rank
#6 among Country & regional · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#25 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
78%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

All types (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
$600
Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
4,514

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 (15%) · Future Growth (7%)

Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum

Data sources & freshness

  • WA rental bond lodgementsDepartment 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

1,980(June 2025)

+1.1% annual · +6.2% over 5 years · 48th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.1%
5-year growth
+6.2%
Change in 1 year
+22
Change in 5 years
+115
Growth rank in WA
48th 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 (~2,050), extrapolated at +0.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
1,821
Median age
38
Median household income / week
$1,899
Dwelling vacancy
5.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
24 of 475
Median monthly mortgage
$1,556
Employment rate
41.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
449 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Crime & safety

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

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
8,011
Against the person
2,104
Against property
3,892
Rate per 1,000 residents
4,046
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 1 residents
State safety percentile
21.9th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-22%

Most common offence types

  • Assault (Family)943
  • Breach Of Violence Restraint Order964
  • Drug Offences1051
  • Property Damage780
  • Stealing1857

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • WA Police district crime statisticsWestern Australia Police Force · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Quarterly timeseries XLSX; district-level aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
1,033
Median ICSEA percentile
61th
School list
  • Manea Senior CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1033 · 61th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 547 students · Top SEA quarter 16% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

14 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Campus Rd Ecu Bunbury
  • Somerville Dr After Winthrop Av
  • Somerville Dr Before Lakeside Dr
  • Winthrop Av After Keble Hts
  • Winthrop Av After St Peters Grn

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

15 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 restaurants · 2 cafes

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access14 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
27/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
1.1
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
1.65
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.1
Food & drink(3)
  • Co-op Cafe and BookshopCafe
  • Co-Op Cafe BookshopCafe
  • Epicure Training RestaurantRestaurant
Community(1)
  • South West Institute Of TechnologySchool

    Robertson Drive

Health & services(2)
  • Bunbury Regional HospitalHospital
  • St John of God HospitalHospital
Sport & outdoors(1)
  • Sports field
Transport(1)

1 bus stops

Other(5)
  • Bicycle Parking (3)
  • Parking
  • Bunbury Regional Prison Pre-Release CentrePrison
  • Telephone
  • Vending machine

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
13
Parks (OSM)
2

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

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
5
Nearest hospital
St John of God Hospital (1.3 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
  • Bunbury Regional HospitalHospital
  • Bunbury Regional HospitalHospital
  • South West Health CampusHospital
  • St John of God Bunbury HospitalRobertson DriveHospital
  • St John of God HospitalHospital

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
81
Participants per 1,000 residents
40.9

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
28° / 14°
Rainfall
56 mm · ~7 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
22° / 11°
Rainfall
193 mm · ~24 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
16° / 7°
Rainfall
477 mm · ~60 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
20° / 9°
Rainfall
204 mm · ~26 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via WA bush fire prone area mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Forrest
Member of Parliament
Ben SMALL (Liberal)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
117,485
Turnout (2025)
89.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+1.9 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 52.2%Labor 47.8%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.5 km away).

Coalition 43.9%Labor 56.1%

8.3 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.1 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Carey Park SouthLabor 56.7% · Coalition 43.3% TPP (2025)1.9 km away
  • Carey ParkLabor 62.8% · Coalition 37.2% TPP (2025)3.0 km away
  • Bunbury SouthLabor 57.4% · Coalition 42.6% TPP (2025)3.1 km away
  • WithersLabor 58.2% · Coalition 41.8% TPP (2025)3.1 km away
  • WollastonLabor 50.9% · Coalition 49.1% TPP (2025)3.7 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)
5/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

More in Bunbury Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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