WA · South Perth Council

Karawara, 6152

Est. population · Jun 2025

2,027

Growth (1 yr)

+0.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+8.2%

Median age

31

Median income

$1,718/wk

Employment rate

56%

University qualified

32.1%

Work from home

8.2%

Languages at home

37.6%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

55.7/100
Good

Top 12% of Western Australia's suburbs

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Walkable
  • Multicultural
  • Markets
  • Inner city
What Karawara is known for: Walkable, Multicultural, Markets, Inner city

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Karawara, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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

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Suburb profile

Karawara is an inner metropolitan suburb of Perth, in South Perth Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development.

Dining and cafés are a relative strength, placing it among the highest-ranked inner metropolitan suburbs. Open-space access is exceptionally strong. Green cover is an exceptional strength. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high, and crime in the wider Cannington Police District remains above typical levels but is improving. Reported offences have fallen 30% year on year. Employment is a relative weakness, with employment 11% below the peer median.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising open space and dining over employment.

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 Western Australia (67)

Strengths

  • Open-space access is exceptionally strong
  • Dining and cafés are a relative strength
  • Green cover is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Employment is a relative weakness

What stands out

  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high
  • Crime in the wider Cannington Police District remains above typical levels but is improving

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Karawara compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$700/wk

Population (ERP)

2,027

+0.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

7.8%

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

#17

among Metro Perth · Emerging

Pop. growth

35th

percentile in WA

Rented dwellings

46%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

6/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

76th

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
55.7/100 — Good
State standing
Top 12% of Western Australia's suburbs
National rank
1027th in Australia
State rank
80th in WA
Peer rank
#17 among Metro Perth · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#62 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)
$700
Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
2,684

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

2,027(June 2025)

+0.4% annual · +8.2% over 5 years · 35th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.4%
5-year growth
+8.2%
Change in 1 year
+8
Change in 5 years
+154
Growth rank in WA
35th 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 (~2,100), extrapolated at +0.8% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
1,842
Median age
31
Median household income / week
$1,718
Dwelling vacancy
7.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
50 of 643
Median monthly mortgage
$2,000
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$300
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
28.1% / 25.6% / 46.3%
Employment rate
56%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
8.2% / 5.6% / 63%
Walked or cycled to work
4.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
435 / 155 / 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

32.1% of adults have a university degree, compared with 23.8% across Western Australia. 9.6% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified32.1% · 23.8% WA
  • Diploma qualified9.3% · 9.3% WA
  • Trade / vocational9.6% · 17.8% WA
  • Year 12 or below49% · 49.1% WA

Highest qualification field

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

  • Management and commerce24.1%
  • Engineering and related technologies18.7%
  • Society and culture12.1%
  • Health11.1%
  • Natural and physical sciences6.5%
  • Education6.4%
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)
$64,845

67th percentile in WA · +10% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$70,726

74th percentile in WA · +9% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
15.0%

79th percentile in WA · +9% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$75,382

67th percentile in WA · +19% vs Australia

Residents with business income
10.0%

74th percentile in WA · -4% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 6152 — 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
18,580
Taxpayers reporting net rent
2,796
Median net rent
$665
Taxpayers reporting business income
1,935
Taxable income vs state median
+7%
Salary / wages vs state median
+13%
Rental investment vs state median
+25%
Super vs state median
+18%
Business income vs state median
+25%

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

37.6% speak a language other than English at home; 48.1% born overseas

Language at home
1,073 English only · 646 other
Non-English at home
37.6%
Born overseas
834 (48.1%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
102 (5.5%)
Australian citizens
1,356
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
24

Top languages other than English

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

  • Mandarin71 · 24.1%
  • Cantonese29 · 9.8%
  • Indonesian27 · 9.2%
  • Urdu23 · 7.8%
  • Vietnamese16 · 5.4%
  • Arabic14 · 4.7%
  • Persian14 · 4.7%
  • French11 · 3.7%

Religion

40.1%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 40.1%, while Christianity accounts for 34.3%. Buddhism is more prevalent locally than across the state.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion40.1%42.5%
Christianity34.3%41.1%
Hinduism2.9%2%
Islam5.3%2.5%
Buddhism7.9%2.2%
Other / not stated9.6%9.8%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic17%18.7%
Anglican4.9%10.1%
Christian (not further defined)3.4%3.4%

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 Cannington 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)
14,034
Against the person
3,038
Against property
8,831
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
75.2
State crime-rate percentile
70.7th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-34.2%

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
7
Median school ICSEA (7 schools)
1,073
Median ICSEA percentile
76th
School list
  • Curtin Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1036 · 62th percentile · LBOTE 55% · 138 students · Top SEA quarter 32% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Como Secondary CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1056 · 71th percentile · LBOTE 48% · 838 students · Top SEA quarter 31% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Canning CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1073 · 76th percentile · LBOTE 74% · 247 students · Top SEA quarter 32% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
  • Clontarf Aboriginal CollegeSpecial · Catholic · ICSEA 712 · 1th percentile · LBOTE 25% · 135 students · Top SEA quarter 1% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Penrhos CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1143 · 94th percentile · LBOTE 29% · 1,033 students · Top SEA quarter 59% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Manning Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1105 · 86th percentile · LBOTE 36% · 436 students · Top SEA quarter 48% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
  • St Pius X Catholic SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1136 · 92th percentile · LBOTE 28% · 172 students · Top SEA quarter 58% · 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

22 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Gillon St Before Kardan Cct
  • Gillon St Before Koolunda Ct
  • Walanna Dr After Gillon St
  • Walanna Dr After Melinga Ct
  • Walanna Dr Before Lowan Loop Sth

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

97 mapped amenities

6 restaurants · 1 cafes · 2 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 8 fast food · 1 bakeries · 1 places of worship · 4 playgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Highly walkable for shops and everyday services
  • Great for outdoor family life — 7 parks mapped in suburb, 4 playgrounds nearby
  • Well connected by public transport — 22 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
100/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.54
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
8.69
Parks per 1,000 residents
3.8
Food & drink(16)
  • Bakery
  • Gloria Jean'sCafe

    Karawara

  • Domino'sFast food
  • Grill'dFast food

    230 Manning Road

  • House of PastaFast food
  • Hungry Jack'sFast food
  • KFCFast food
  • McDonald'sFast food
  • SubwayFast food
  • ZambreroFast food
  • Druk CafeRestaurant
  • Kitchen Inn ExpressRestaurant
  • MikasaRestaurant
  • Nando'sRestaurant

    230 Manning Road

  • Varsity WaterfordRestaurant

    Unit 55 230 Manning Road

  • Waterford Fish & ChipsRestaurant
Shopping(8)
  • LiquorlandBottle shop

    Unit 2 213 Kent Street, Karawara

  • Greengrocer
  • Farmer's Market on ManningMarketplace
  • Village GreenShopping centre
  • Village Green Shopping CentreShopping centre
  • ColesSupermarket

    31 Walanna Drive, Karawara

  • SpudshedSupermarket

    31 Walanna Drive

Everyday services(3)
  • Commbank ATMATM
  • Coles ExpressPetrol station
  • Australia PostPost office
Health & services(1)
  • Pharmacy
Sport & outdoors(21)
  • Kent Street Shared PathCycling route
  • Multipurpose PathCycling route
  • SAFE Route ManningCycling route
  • SE 16Cycling route
  • SE 26Cycling route
  • SE 33Cycling route
  • Nature reserve
  • George Burnett ReservePark
  • Karawara GreenPark
  • Park (5)
  • Playground (4)
  • Public toilets
  • South Perth Rugby League ClubSports centre
  • Sports field
Places to stay(1)
  • Guest house

    2 Kardan Circuit, Karawara

Transport(21)

21 bus stops

Other(14)
  • Bicycle Parking (8)
  • TABBookmaker
  • Hairdresser (2)
  • The Lucky CharmNewsagent
  • Optician
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Parking (6)
  • Picnic Table
  • Kensington Congregation of Jehovah's WitnessesPlace of worship
  • Australia PostPost Box
  • Shelter
  • Travel Agency
  • The Reject ShopVariety Store
  • Waste Basket

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

  • South Perth Rugby League Club

    Rugby League

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

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • George Burnett ReservePark
  • Karawara GreenPark
  • Park or reserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
28.6%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
8
Parks (OSM)
7
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

1 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Kensington Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
South Perth Community Centre Hospital (2.8 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).

  • PharmacyPharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
40
Participants per 1,000 residents
19.7

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
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
Swan
Member of Parliament
Zaneta MASCARENHAS (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
116,105
Turnout (2025)
87.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+4.6 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 36.0%Labor 64.0%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 2.6 km away).

Coalition 37.8%Labor 62.2%

1.8 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +5.9 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Manning NorthLabor 65.0% · Coalition 35.0% TPP (2025)0.7 km away
  • Manning EastLabor 54.8% · Coalition 45.2% TPP (2025)1.3 km away
  • ManningLabor 54.6% · Coalition 45.4% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
  • Como SouthLabor 55.8% · Coalition 44.2% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
  • Como EastLabor 59.2% · Coalition 40.8% 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)
6/10
IRSD decile (2021)
3/10

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

More in South Perth Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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