WA · South Perth Council
Kensington, 6151
Current weather
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65% humidity · 6.4 km/h wind · 16° / 10.7° today · 0.2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- Excellent transport
- Cycling
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Kensington is a well-connected mid-sized suburb in South Perth with everyday amenities close at hand. Sitting close to the city centre, it is easy to dip into neighbouring suburbs for work, dining and events. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Everyday errands and local outings are straightforward, with the wider metro area adding variety. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Buses and trains connect the area to surrounding suburbs, keeping the wider city within easy reach. Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar metro suburbs, even with community and employment and transport and access holding up better.
Population
- Population
- 4,627
- Median age
- 38
- Median household income / week
- $2,496
- Dwelling vacancy
- 8.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 152 of 1,784
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,600
- Employment rate
- 67.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 91 / 203 / 95
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- All types (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
- $765
- Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
- 2,728
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 lodgements — Department of Communities (WA) · Period: wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv · Updated on site · Monthly bond summaries
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 3
- Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
- 1,041
- Kensington Primary SchoolPrimary
- Kensington Secondary SchoolSpecial
- Kent Street Senior High SchoolSecondary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
43 public transport stops in this suburb
- Canning Hwy After Douglas Av
- Canning Hwy After Way Rd
- Canning Hwy Before Brandon St
- Canning Hwy Before Collins St
- Canning Hwy Before Renwick St
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Amenities
78 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bbq
- Bench (7)
- Bicycle Parking (6)
- Bright St After Brandon StBus stop
- Bus stop (3)
- Canning Hwy After Douglas AvBus stop
- Canning Hwy After Way RdBus stop
- Canning Hwy Before Brandon StBus stop
- Canning Hwy Before Collins StBus stop
- Canning Hwy Before Renwick StBus stop
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
8 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bill McGrath ReservePark
- David Vincent ReservePark
- George Street ReserveNature reserve
- Gwenyfred ReservePark
- Harold Rossiter ParkPark
- Kensington Bushland ReserveNature reserve
- Kent Street Sand PitNature reserve
- Moresby Street ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- South Perth Medical Centre & After Hours GPDouglas Avenuedoctor
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 10/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Kent Street Senior High School89 Kent St, Kensington3372
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
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 overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 11
- Parks (OSM)
- 5
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
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 55.6/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 21% of Western Australia's suburbs
- National rank
- 1309th in Australia
- State rank
- 146th in WA
- Peer rank
- #104 among Metro Perth · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #111 among Metro Perth suburbs
- Data confidence
- 65%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Australia Postamenitiespost_box
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Bicycle Parkingamenitiesbicycle_parking
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
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.