WA · Plantagenet Council
Mount Barker, 6324
Current weather
11.8°COvercast
81% humidity · 9.1 km/h wind · 12.3° / 9.1° today · 1.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Heritage area
- Education hub
- High desirability
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Set among the hills of Plantagenet, Mount Barker is a mid-sized suburb with bushland views and a cooler, leafier feel. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Elevated streets and bushland backdrops bring a sense of fresh country air to daily life.
A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and safety lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in parks and green space. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 2,855
- Median age
- 48
- Median household income / week
- $1,104
- Dwelling vacancy
- 17.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 216 of 1,257
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,226
- Employment rate
- 48.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 79 / 26 / 3
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)
- $375
- Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
- 167
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
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 945
- Mount Barker Community CollegeCombined
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
1 public transport stops in this suburb
- Transwa Bay Transwa Mt Barker
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
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Wilson Park Nature PlaygroundPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 2
- Emergency department
- On site
- Mt Barker Country ChemistLowood Roadpharmacy
- Plantagenet Hospitalhospital
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)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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
5 state heritage places
- Round House, Mount Barker31712 Albany Hwy, Mt Barker16781
- St Werburgh's Farm BuildingsSt Werburghs Rd, Mount Barker10996
- Mount Barker Railway Station (fmr)Albany Hwy & Lowood Rd, Mount Barker2318
- Police Station and Gaol Complex (fmr)Albany Hwy, Mount Barker2268
- St Werburgh's Chapel and CemeteryChapel Rd, Mount Barker2284
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
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 overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 35
- 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
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 22.2/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6335th in Australia
- State rank
- 574th in WA
- Peer rank
- #112 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #236 among Country & regional 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
- Round House, Mount Barkerheritage31712 Albany Hwy, Mt Barker16781
- St Werburgh's Farm BuildingsheritageSt Werburghs Rd, Mount Barker10996
- Mount Barker Railway Station (fmr)heritageAlbany Hwy & Lowood Rd, Mount Barker2318
- Police Station and Gaol Complex (fmr)heritageAlbany Hwy, Mount Barker2268
- St Werburgh's Chapel and CemeteryheritageChapel Rd, Mount Barker2284
- Mt Barker Country ChemisthealthLowood Roadpharmacy
- Plantagenet Hospitalhealthhospital
- Wilson Park Nature Playgroundgovernmentpark
- Transwa Bay Transwa Mt Barkertransport
- Mount Barker Community CollegeschoolsCombined
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
More in Plantagenet Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Western Australia.