suburb.guide

WA · Cockburn Council

South Lake, 6164

Est. population · Jun 2025

8,787

Growth (1 yr)

+1.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+8.6%

Median age

36

Median income

$1,742/wk

Employment rate

62.3%

University qualified

18%

Work from home

4.6%

Languages at home

22.9%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Tagalog, Portuguese

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

48.7/100
Average

Top 27% of Western Australia's suburbs

Verified 93% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Walkable
What South Lake is known for: Walkable

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South Lake, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “South Lake, WA Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/wa/south-lake

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Suburb profile

South Lake is a middle-ring metropolitan suburb of Perth, in Cockburn Council. It is primarily residential, without a particularly distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.

Everyday destinations are relatively walkable, well above typical levels for middle-ring metropolitan suburbs. Dining and café access is an exceptional strength. Health access is a very strong feature of the suburb, with health access 50% above the peer median. Crime in the wider Fremantle Police District remains above typical levels but is improving. Reported offences have fallen 26% year on year. Trade-offs centre on lower school ICSEA scores and lower socio-economic advantage.

South Lake'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

  • Everyday destinations are relatively walkable
  • Dining and café access is a relative strength
  • Health access is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Local school ICSEA scores sit below those of comparable places
  • Socio-economic advantage sits below the peer median

What stands out

  • Overseas-born and multilingual community
  • Crime in the wider Fremantle Police District remains above typical levels but is improving

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How South Lake compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$720/wk

Population (ERP)

8,787

+1.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

7.5%

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

#38

among Metro Perth · Emerging

Pop. growth

47th

percentile in WA

Rented dwellings

27%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

4/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

44th

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
48.7/100 — Average
State standing
Top 27% of Western Australia's suburbs
National rank
2270th in Australia
State rank
186th in WA
Peer rank
#38 among Metro Perth · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#133 among Metro Perth suburbs
Data confidence
93%

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)
$720
Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
4,807

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

8,787(June 2025)

+1.1% annual · +8.6% over 5 years · 47th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.1%
5-year growth
+8.6%
Change in 1 year
+92
Change in 5 years
+696
Growth rank in WA
47th 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 (~9,100), extrapolated at +0.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
5,831
Median age
36
Median household income / week
$1,742
Dwelling vacancy
7.5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
171 of 2,295
Median monthly mortgage
$1,600
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$350
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
25% / 48.5% / 26.5%
Employment rate
62.3%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
4.6% / 2.8% / 74.9%
Walked or cycled to work
0.9%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,979 / 146 / 8

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

18% of adults have a university degree, compared with 23.8% across Western Australia. 19.1% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified18% · 23.8% WA
  • Diploma qualified7.9% · 9.3% WA
  • Trade / vocational19.1% · 17.8% WA
  • Year 12 or below55% · 49.1% WA

Highest qualification field

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

  • Engineering and related technologies23.7%
  • Management and commerce17.5%
  • Society and culture13.3%
  • Health10.6%
  • Education8.3%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services6.9%
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)
$68,998

82nd percentile in WA · +18% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$73,620

86th percentile in WA · +13% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
11.0%

38th percentile in WA · -20% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$64,903

52nd percentile in WA · +3% vs Australia

Residents with business income
9.0%

59th percentile in WA · -13% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 6164 — 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
48,910
Taxpayers reporting net rent
5,137
Median net rent
-$1,942
Taxpayers reporting business income
4,184
Taxable income vs state median
+14%
Salary / wages vs state median
+17%
Rental investment vs state median
-8%
Super vs state median
+2%
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

22.9% speak a language other than English at home; 34.2% born overseas

Language at home
4,247 English only · 1,262 other
Non-English at home
22.9%
Born overseas
1,885 (34.2%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
233 (4%)
Australian citizens
4,837
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
31

Top languages other than English

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

  • Mandarin81 · 15.8%
  • Tagalog43 · 8.4%
  • Portuguese35 · 6.8%
  • Indonesian29 · 5.7%
  • Serbian29 · 5.7%
  • Filipino27 · 5.3%
  • Spanish26 · 5.1%
  • Cantonese23 · 4.5%

Religion

45.9%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 45.9%, while Christianity accounts for 39.5%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion45.9%42.5%
Christianity39.5%41.1%
Islam2.1%2.5%
Buddhism2.1%2.2%
Other / not stated10.4%11.7%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic18%18.7%
Anglican8.2%10.1%
Christian (not further defined)3.8%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 Fremantle 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)
13,209
Against the person
3,166
Against property
8,312
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
55.3
State crime-rate percentile
62.4th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-30.9%

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
4
Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
993
Median ICSEA percentile
44th
School list
  • Lakeland Senior High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 944 · 22th percentile · LBOTE 29% · 566 students · Top SEA quarter 6% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
  • South Lake Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 979 · 37th percentile · LBOTE 40% · 280 students · Top SEA quarter 11% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Havenport MSL CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1007 · 50th percentile · LBOTE 0% · 37 students · Top SEA quarter 8% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Bibra Lake Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1031 · 60th percentile · LBOTE 23% · 378 students · Top SEA quarter 17% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap

  • Djinda Dreaming Educationkindergarten
  • South Lake Childcare CentreSouth Lake Drivechildcare

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Childcare centres per 1,000 residents

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Public transport

33 public transport stops in this suburb

  • North Lake Rd - Lakes Shopping Ctr
  • North Lake Rd After Berrigan Dr
  • North Lake Rd After Elderberry Dr
  • North Lake Rd After Osprey Dr
  • North Lake Rd After Rimmington Ct

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

139 mapped amenities

3 restaurants · 1 cafes · 1 pubs · 3 supermarkets · 2 pharmacies · 4 fast food · 1 food courts · 1 bakeries

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Highly walkable for shops and everyday services
  • Great for outdoor family life — 9 parks mapped in suburb, 3 playgrounds nearby
  • Well connected by public transport — 33 public transport stops
  • Good everyday shopping nearby — 6 shops and services
  • Strong local sport and recreation — 27 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
92/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.17
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
1.89
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.54
Food & drink(11)
  • Bakery
  • Local perksCafe
  • Domino'sFast food
  • Fast food
  • Med KebabFast food
  • SubwayFast food
  • Food court
  • Fitzi'sPub
  • Fitzy's South LakeRestaurant

    South Lake

  • Jai Ho - Indian Gourmet RestaurantRestaurant

    Unit 8 752 North Lake Road

  • Restaurant
Shopping(12)
  • Bottle shop
  • Bottle shop

    Berrigan Drive, South Lake

  • Butcher
  • Convenience store
  • EG South LakeConvenience store

    752 North Lake Road

  • Shopping centre
  • South Lake Shopping CentreShopping centre

    Berrigan Drive

  • ALDISupermarket
  • ColesSupermarket

    620 North Lake Road

  • NPSupermarket
Everyday services(5)
  • ATM
  • EG Ampol South LakePetrol station

    752 North Lake Road, South Lake

  • Petrol station
  • UnitedPetrol station

    Berrigan Drive, South Lake

  • Australia PostPost office
Community(5)
  • South Lake Childcare CentreChildcare

    South Lake Drive

  • South Lake Ottey CentreCommunity centre

    South Lake Drive

  • Djinda Dreaming EducationKindergarten
  • Lakeland Senior High SchoolSchool

    106 South Lake Drive

  • South Lake Primary SchoolSchool

    62 Mason Court, South Lake

Health & services(5)
  • Cockburn OrthodonticsDentist

    Unit 11 752 North Lake Road

  • Medical clinic
  • Murdoch PsychiatryMedical clinic

    Unit 7 752 North Lake Road

  • Pharmacy
  • Pharmacy 777Pharmacy
Sport & outdoors(43)
  • BBQ
  • Berrigan Drive Shared PathCycling route
  • Kwinana Freeway PSPCycling route
  • North Lake Road PSPCycling route
  • Drinking water
  • Fitness station
  • Bloodwood ParkPark
  • Park (8)
  • Playground (3)
  • Unisex Toilet LHPublic toilets

    752 North Lake Road

  • Lakelands Hockey and Sporting FacilitySports centre
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (22)
Transport(25)

25 bus stops

Other(17)
  • Align Chiro & HealthAlternative

    Unit 5 752 North Lake Road

  • Artwork
  • Cleopatra's Temple - Day Spa & Beauty CentreBeauty salon

    Unit 4 752 North Lake Road

  • Bench
  • Bicycle Parking (3)
  • Good SammysClothes
  • Op ShopClothes
  • Deli
  • Free choice tobaccoDeli
  • Newsagency
  • Parking (14)
  • Picnic Table
  • The Potter's HousePlace of worship

    Unit 10 752 North Lake Road

  • Post Box
  • Shelter (4)
  • Telephone
  • Waste Disposal

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

  • Fremantle Cockburn Hockey Club

    Hockey

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

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bloodwood ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
8.6%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
9
Parks (OSM)
9
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

  • The Potter's House

    Unit 10 752 North Lake Road

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
6
Nearest hospital
Fiona Stanley Hospital (Emergency Department) (4.1 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
2
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 2

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

  • GpGP
  • Murdoch PsychiatryNorth Lake RoadGP
  • Align Chiro & HealthNorth Lake RoadAlternative
  • Cockburn OrthodonticsNorth Lake RoadDentist
  • PharmacyPharmacy
  • Pharmacy 777Pharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
246
Participants per 1,000 residents
28.0

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
Fremantle
Member of Parliament
Josh WILSON (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
118,331
Turnout (2025)
89.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+1.8 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 31.3%Labor 68.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.0 km away).

Coalition 30.0%Labor 70.0%

1.3 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.3 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • South LakeLabor 71.4% · Coalition 28.6% TPP (2025)0.4 km away
  • South Lake EastLabor 65.5% · Coalition 34.5% TPP (2025)0.7 km away
  • Bibra LakeLabor 68.4% · Coalition 31.6% TPP (2025)1.4 km away
  • Yangebup SouthLabor 64.3% · Coalition 35.7% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
  • YangebupLabor 71.7% · Coalition 28.3% TPP (2025)2.2 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)
4/10
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

Compare with

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

More in Cockburn Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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