WA · Cockburn Council
South Lake, 6164
Current weather
15.6°CClear sky
61% humidity · 7 km/h wind · 16.1° / 10.3° today · 0.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Excellent transport
- Cycling
- Café precinct
- Education hub
Suburb profile
South Lake is a practical mid-sized suburb in Cockburn, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. Well placed between the city and outer suburbs, it offers practical access in every direction. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with family life visible on every street. Local eateries and coffee spots give the area a friendly, everyday social rhythm. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Public transport links make it easy to move between neighbouring suburbs without relying on the car. Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers.
On the desirability index, the suburb rates good overall, led by transport and access and parks and green space, while housing affordability sit closer to the middle of the pack for similar metro suburbs.
Population
- 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
- Employment rate
- 62.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 202 / 146 / 8
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)
- $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 (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
- 2
- Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
- 961.5
- Lakeland Senior High SchoolSecondary
- South Lake Primary SchoolPrimary
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
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 (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
74 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Alcohol
- Alcohol
Berrigan Drive, South Lake
- ATM
- Bakery
- Bbq
- Cleopatra's Temple - Day Spa & Beauty CentreBeauty salon
Unit 4 752 North Lake Road
- Bench
- Bicycle Parking (3)
- Berrigan Dr After Briggs StBus stop
- Elderberry Dr After Apara CtBus 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
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bloodwood ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 6
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Align Chiro & HealthNorth Lake Roadalternative
- Cockburn OrthodonticsNorth Lake Roaddentist
- Doctordoctor
- Murdoch PsychiatryNorth Lake Roaddoctor
- Pharmacypharmacy
- Pharmacy 777pharmacy
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)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
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
Childcare
2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- Djinda Dreaming Educationkindergarten
- South Lake Childcare CentreSouth Lake Drivechildcare
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · 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)
- 9
- Parks (OSM)
- 9
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
- 56.5/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 19% of Western Australia's suburbs
- National rank
- 1058th in Australia
- State rank
- 130th in WA
- Peer rank
- #93 among Metro Perth · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #98 among Metro Perth suburbs
- Data confidence
- 72%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Djinda Dreaming Educationchildcarekindergarten
- South Lake Childcare CentrechildcareSouth Lake Drivechildcare
- Align Chiro & HealthhealthNorth Lake Roadalternative
- Cockburn OrthodonticshealthNorth Lake Roaddentist
- Doctorhealthdoctor
- Murdoch PsychiatryhealthNorth Lake Roaddoctor
- Pharmacyhealthpharmacy
- Pharmacy 777healthpharmacy
- Bloodwood Parkgovernmentpark
- North Lake Rd - Lakes Shopping Ctrtransport
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
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.