suburb.guide

WA · Stirling Council

Gwelup, 6018

Est. population · Jun 2025

5,919

Growth (1 yr)

+0.6%

Growth (5 yr)

+6.5%

Median age

42

Median income

$2,658/wk

Employment rate

61.7%

University qualified

35.2%

Work from home

10.9%

Languages at home

13.4%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Italian, Cantonese

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

52.8/100
Average

Top 18% of Western Australia's suburbs

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
    What Gwelup is known for:

    Using this data? Cite or embed. Publishers

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    Gwelup, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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    Gwelup, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

    Cite this suburb snapshot

    Suburb Guide, “Gwelup, WA Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/wa/gwelup

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    Suburb profile

    Gwelup is a middle-ring metropolitan suburb of Perth, in Stirling Council. It is mainly residential, with little in the way of a distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.

    Household incomes are a relative strength, with household incomes 36% above the peer median, and green cover is an exceptional strength, placing it among the highest-ranked middle-ring metropolitan suburbs, and working from home is more common than in comparable places, with working from home 45% above the peer median. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. The main trade-offs are weaker population growth and higher rents, with population growth 38% below the peer median.

    Gwelup'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

    • Household incomes are a relative strength
    • Green cover is a relative strength
    • Working from home is more common than in comparable places

    Weaknesses

    • Population has been growing more slowly than in comparable places, or declining
    • Median rents are a relative weakness

    What stands out

    • Overseas-born and multilingual community
    • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

    Who it suits

    • Families
    • Professionals
    • Retirees
    • Students
    • Budget buyers

    Housing, growth and risk

    How Gwelup compares

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

    Median house price

    —

    No data available

    Median rent

    $780/wk

    Population (ERP)

    5,919

    +0.6% annual growth

    Dwelling vacancy

    4.0%

    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

    #27

    among Metro Perth · Emerging

    Pop. growth

    38th

    percentile in WA

    Rented dwellings

    10%

    2021 Census tenure

    Advantage (IRSAD)

    10/10

    national SEIFA decile

    School ICSEA

    82nd

    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
    52.8/100 — Average
    State standing
    Top 18% of Western Australia's suburbs
    National rank
    1484th in Australia
    State rank
    122nd in WA
    Peer rank
    #27 among Metro Perth · Emerging suburbs
    Cohort rank
    #90 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)
    $780
    Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
    3,221

    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

    5,919(June 2025)

    +0.6% annual · +6.5% over 5 years · 38th percentile in WA

    Growth figures & methodology
    Annual growth
    +0.6%
    5-year growth
    +6.5%
    Change in 1 year
    +36
    Change in 5 years
    +361
    Growth rank in WA
    38th 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 (~6,350), extrapolated at +1.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

    2021 Census figures

    2021 Census

    Population
    5,391
    Median age
    42
    Median household income / week
    $2,658
    Dwelling vacancy
    4%
    Unoccupied private dwellings
    75 of 1,882
    Median monthly mortgage
    $2,600
    Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
    $600
    Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
    43.1% / 47% / 9.9%
    Employment rate
    61.7%
    Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
    10.9% / 3.1% / 65.9%
    Walked or cycled to work
    1.8%
    Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
    1,542 / 161 / 55 (+ 52 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

    35.2% of adults have a university degree, compared with 23.8% across Western Australia. 11.7% have a trade or vocational qualification.

    • University qualified35.2% · 23.8% WA
    • Diploma qualified11.2% · 9.3% WA
    • Trade / vocational11.7% · 17.8% WA
    • Year 12 or below41.9% · 49.1% WA

    Highest qualification field

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

    • Management and commerce28%
    • Engineering and related technologies16.5%
    • Health13.3%
    • Education10.4%
    • Society and culture8.5%
    • Natural and physical sciences5.7%
    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)
    $71,597

    88th percentile in WA · +22% vs Australia

    Median salary / wages (2023–24)
    $76,465

    92nd percentile in WA · +18% vs Australia

    Residents with rental investments
    15.0%

    73rd percentile in WA · +9% vs Australia

    Median super balance (2023–24)
    $93,197

    86th percentile in WA · +47% vs Australia

    Residents with business income
    9.0%

    53rd percentile in WA · -13% vs Australia

    Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 6018 — 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
    29,880
    Taxpayers reporting net rent
    4,426
    Median net rent
    -$50
    Taxpayers reporting business income
    2,798
    Taxable income vs state median
    +18%
    Salary / wages vs state median
    +22%
    Rental investment vs state median
    +25%
    Super vs state median
    +46%
    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

    13.4% speak a language other than English at home; 28.5% born overseas

    Language at home
    4,515 English only · 700 other
    Non-English at home
    13.4%
    Born overseas
    1,492 (28.5%)
    Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
    16 (0.3%)
    Australian citizens
    4,860
    Languages spoken at home (other than English)
    22

    Top languages other than English

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

    • Mandarin59 · 21.4%
    • Italian38 · 13.8%
    • Cantonese20 · 7.2%
    • Afrikaans19 · 6.9%
    • Portuguese19 · 6.9%
    • Gujarati15 · 5.4%
    • Greek14 · 5.1%
    • Vietnamese13 · 4.7%

    Religion

    52.4%Most common religion · Christianity

    Christianity is the most common response at 52.4%, while 38.8% reported no religion.

    MeasureSuburbState
    No religion38.8%42.5%
    Christianity52.4%41.1%
    Other / not stated8.8%16.4%
    Christian denominations
    DenominationSuburbState
    Catholic27.5%18.7%
    Anglican13.5%10.1%
    Christian (not further defined)2.4%3.4%
    Uniting Church2%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 Mirrabooka 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)
    12,039
    Against the person
    2,891
    Against property
    7,029
    Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
    48.8
    State crime-rate percentile
    8.7th (higher = more crime)
    Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
    -33.4%

    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
    6
    Median school ICSEA (6 schools)
    1,090.5
    Median ICSEA percentile
    82th
    School list
    • Lake Gwelup Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1126 · 91th percentile · LBOTE 21% · 552 students · Top SEA quarter 49% · 0.3 km awayView on My School →
    • West Balcatta Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1070 · 75th percentile · LBOTE 44% · 495 students · Top SEA quarter 27% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
    • Balcatta Senior High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1045 · 66th percentile · LBOTE 55% · 1,088 students · Top SEA quarter 22% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
    • Karrinyup Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1115 · 88th percentile · LBOTE 26% · 561 students · Top SEA quarter 45% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
    • Our Lady of Good Counsel SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1095 · 83th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 152 students · Top SEA quarter 36% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
    • Newborough Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1086 · 80th percentile · LBOTE 26% · 344 students · Top SEA quarter 40% · 2.0 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

    22 public transport stops in this suburb

    • Balcatta Rd After Careniup Av
    • Erindale Rd After North Beach Rd
    • Karrinyup Rd After Huntriss Rd
    • Karrinyup Rd After Muir St
    • Karrinyup Rd After North Beach Rd

    Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

    Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

    Data sources & freshness

    Amenities

    103 mapped amenities

    1 restaurants · 2 places of worship · 5 playgrounds · 1 caravan parks · 1 ev charging · 1 petrol stations

    Local character & venue list

    Local character

    • A car helps for daily needs
    • Great for outdoor family life — 8 parks mapped in suburb, 5 playgrounds nearby
    • Well connected by public transport — 22 public transport stops
    Walkability proxy
    32/100
    Cafés per 1,000 residents
    0
    Food & drink per 1,000 residents
    0.19
    Parks per 1,000 residents
    1.48
    Food & drink(1)
    • KW CafeRestaurant

      467 North Beach Road, Gwelup

    Shopping(1)
    • Convenience store
    Everyday services(2)
    • EV charging
    • Ampol Foodary KarrinyupPetrol station

      490 Karrinyup Road

    Community(1)
    • Lake Gwelup Primary SchoolSchool

      59 Porter Street, Gwelup

    Sport & outdoors(20)
    • BBQ
    • Mitchell Freeway PSP (West)Cycling route
    • Drinking water (3)
    • Careniup ReservePark
    • Dardanup Green ReservePark
    • Lake Gwelup ReservePark
    • Park (5)
    • Playground (5)
    • Public toilets
    • Sports field
    Camping & holiday parks(2)
    • Karrinyup Waters ResortCaravan park

      467 North Beach Road, Gwelup

    • Dump point
    Entertainment(1)
    • Viewpoint
    Transport(22)

    22 bus stops

    Other(10)
    • Bench
    • Bicycle Parking (2)
    • Camp Pitch (42)
    • Parking (2)
    • Lake Gwelup Christian ChurchPlace of worship
    • Scarborough Church of ChristPlace of worship
    • Shelter
    • TelstraTelephone
    • Waste Basket
    • Water Point

    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

    3 parks and public open space in this suburb

    • Careniup ReservePark
    • Dardanup Green ReservePark
    • Lake Gwelup ReservePark

    Data sources & freshness

    Green cover

    Green cover of suburb area
    32%
    Woodland / forest cover
    0.7%
    Parks & woodland features (OSM)
    9
    Parks (OSM)
    8
    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

    Places of worship

    2 places of worship within ~1.5 km

    • Lake Gwelup Christian Church
    • Scarborough Church of Christ

    From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

    Data sources & freshness

    Health access

    Nearest hospital
    Osborne Park Hospital (1.9 km)
    Nearest hospital type
    Hospital
    Nearest hospital emergency
    Emergency department
    GP clinics in suburb
    0
    Aged-care services
    3
    Residential aged-care places
    257

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

    Aged-care services
    • Baptistcare David Buttfield CentreGWELUPResidential
    • Bethanie GwelupGWELUPResidential
    • St Francis HostelGWELUPResidential

    Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.

    Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

    Hospitals, GPs and aged care

    Data sources & freshness

    NDIS participation

    NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
    104
    Participants per 1,000 residents
    17.6

    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
    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
    Moore
    Member of Parliament
    Tom FRENCH (Australian Labor Party)
    Results from
    2025 federal election
    Electorate enrolment (2025)
    121,758
    Turnout (2025)
    92.2%
    Swing since 2022 (2025)
    +3.8 pp toward Labor

    Two-party preferred (2025)

    Coalition 47.1%Labor 52.9%

    Estimated suburb voting profile

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

    Coalition 51.4%Labor 48.6%

    4.3 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

    Estimated swing since 2022: +2.5 pp toward Labor

    Nearest polling places

    • GwelupLabor 48.5% · Coalition 51.5% TPP (2025)0.2 km away
    • KarrinyupLabor 55.5% · Coalition 44.5% TPP (2025)1.9 km away
    • CarineLabor 52.9% · Coalition 47.1% TPP (2025)2.7 km away
    • Duncraig EastLabor 50.9% · Coalition 49.1% TPP (2025)3.4 km away
    • North BeachLabor 49.3% · Coalition 50.7% TPP (2025)3.5 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 Stirling Council

    Other suburbs in the same local government area.

    Comparable suburbs

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