WA · Augusta Margaret River Council

Cowaramup, 6284

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,041

Growth (1 yr)

+4.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+23.8%

Median age

39

Median income

$1,925/wk

Employment rate

68.1%

Languages at home

5.7%non-English

Most common: German, Italian, Portuguese

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

41.6/100
Average

Top 48% of Western Australia's suburbs

Verified 78% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Excellent transport
  • Education hub
  • Café precinct
  • National parks
What Cowaramup is known for: Green suburb, Excellent transport, Education hub, Café precinct, National parks

Suburb profile

Away from the major hubs, Cowaramup is a smaller community in Augusta Margaret River Council with its own quieter rhythm. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town.

Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many regional towns, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area. Property prices run toward the upper end of the local market.

Crime trends have improved of late compared with the previous period. The suburb still has an emerging character, as newer residents settle in and local identity forms.

Desirability lands around average here: softer schools and education weighing on the result versus similar regional towns, even with community and employment holding up better.

At a glance

Cowaramup snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

3,041

+4.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

15.9%

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

#20

among Country & regional · Emerging

Safety

17th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

94th

percentile in WA

Advantage (IRSAD)

8/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

69th

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
41.6/100 — Average
State standing
Top 48% of Western Australia's suburbs
National rank
3486th in Australia
State rank
331st in WA
Peer rank
#20 among Country & regional · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#60 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
78%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

3,041(June 2025)

+4.3% annual · +23.8% over 5 years · 94th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+4.3%
5-year growth
+23.8%
Change in 1 year
+124
Change in 5 years
+585
Growth rank in WA
94th 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 (~3,750), extrapolated at +4.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
2,482
Median age
39
Median household income / week
$1,925
Dwelling vacancy
15.9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
146 of 916
Median monthly mortgage
$1,950
Employment rate
68.1%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
741 / 16 / 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
2,634.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 1 residents
State safety percentile
16.9th (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
1,053
Median ICSEA percentile
69th
School list
  • Cowaramup Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1053 · 69th percentile · LBOTE 14% · 400 students · Top SEA quarter 22% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

3 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Cowaramup Bay Rd Transwa Cowaramup Turnoff
  • Cowaramup Bay Rd Transwa Cowaramupturnoff
  • Transwa Bay Transwa Gracetown Turnoff

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

23 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

2 cafes · 1 pharmacies · 1 bakeries · 1 playgrounds · 1 petrol stations · 1 post offices

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space3 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
26/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.81
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
1.21
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.21
Food & drink(3)
  • Cowaramup French BakeryBakery
  • Cowtown Cafe & BakeshopCafe
  • Two Cracks CoffeeCafe
Shopping(1)

No named venues listed.

Health & services(1)
  • Cowaramup PharmacyPharmacy
Sport & outdoors(2)
  • Playground
  • Sports field
Transport(1)

1 bus stops

Other(15)
  • Bbq
  • Cowaramup AutotechCar repair
  • Reborn CodeClothes
  • Candy CowConfectionery
  • Moon HavenGift
  • Two Moody CowsGift
  • Cowie CutsHairdresser
  • Parking (2)
  • BP CowaramupPetrol station
  • Australia PostPost Box
  • Cowaramup NewsagencyPost office
  • Public toilets
  • Lions Club of Cowaramup Op ShopSecond Hand
  • Purple CrownTattoo
  • Seven Seas TeaTea

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)
315
Parks (OSM)
3

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
1
Nearest hospital
Margaret River District Hospital (10.5 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
  • Cowaramup PharmacyPharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
66
Participants per 1,000 residents
21.7

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
26° / 15°
Rainfall
49 mm · ~6 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
22° / 13°
Rainfall
242 mm · ~30 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
17° / 9°
Rainfall
600 mm · ~75 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
20° / 11°
Rainfall
248 mm · ~31 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 25.2 km away).

Coalition 44.5%Labor 55.5%

7.8 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +1.7 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • CowaramupLabor 55.7% · Coalition 44.3% TPP (2025)2.4 km away
  • Margaret RiverLabor 61.2% · Coalition 38.8% TPP (2025)10.7 km away
  • Margaret River SouthLabor 57.4% · Coalition 42.6% TPP (2025)11.7 km away
  • Rosa BrookLabor 48.0% · Coalition 52.0% TPP (2025)13.9 km away
  • WitchcliffeLabor 57.8% · Coalition 42.2% TPP (2025)18.6 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)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
9/10

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

Compare with

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

More in Augusta Margaret River Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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