WA · Yilgarn Council

Southern Cross, 6426

Est. population · Jun 2025

587

Growth (1 yr)

-0.5%

Growth (5 yr)

-0.8%

Median age

50

Median income

$1,244/wk

Employment rate

56.1%

Languages at home

8.5%non-English

Most common: Italian, Filipino, Malayalam

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

24.4/100
Below average

582nd in WA

Verified 78% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • Heritage area
  • Excellent transport
  • National parks
  • High desirability
What Southern Cross is known for: Education hub, Heritage area, Excellent transport, National parks, High desirability

Suburb profile

Southern Cross offers a slower smaller community life in Yilgarn Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.

Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many regional towns, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area. Housing is more affordable than in many parts of the state.

Reported crime has been falling recently. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

Versus similar regional towns, the suburb reads below average on desirability, chiefly because community and employment, plus schools and education trail behind. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Southern Cross snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

587

-0.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

33.1%

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

#110

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

23rd

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

5th

percentile in WA

Advantage (IRSAD)

2/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

29th

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
24.4/100 — Below average
National rank
6352nd in Australia
State rank
582nd in WA
Peer rank
#110 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#232 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
78%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

587(June 2025)

-0.5% annual · -0.8% over 5 years · 5th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
-0.5%
5-year growth
-0.8%
Change in 1 year
-3
Change in 5 years
-5
Growth rank in WA
5th 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 (~550), extrapolated at -1.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
572
Median age
50
Median household income / week
$1,244
Dwelling vacancy
33.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
123 of 372
Median monthly mortgage
$769
Employment rate
56.1%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
229 / 19 / 0 (+ 5 other)

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
1,321
Against the person
359
Against property
538
Rate per 1,000 residents
2,250.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 2 residents
State safety percentile
23.2th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-57.3%

Most common offence types

  • Assault (Family)182
  • Breach Of Violence Restraint Order89
  • Drug Offences335
  • Property Damage137
  • Stealing188

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • WA Police district crime statisticsWestern Australia Police Force · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Quarterly timeseries XLSX; district-level aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
940
Median ICSEA percentile
29th
School list
  • Southern Cross District High SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 874 · 7th percentile · LBOTE 7% · 54 students · Top SEA quarter 2%View on My School →
  • St Joseph's SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1006 · 50th percentile · LBOTE 4% · 30 students · Top SEA quarter 21%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

2 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Southern Cross Stn Transwa Southern Cross
  • Southern Cross Stn Transwa Southern Cross

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Constellation ParkPark
  • Southern Cross Rotary ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
2
Parks (OSM)
2

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

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
4
Nearest hospital
Hospital (2.7 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
  • HospitalHospital
  • Southern Cross General PracticeDoctor
  • Southern Cross Health ServiceGreat Eastern HighwayHospital
  • Southern Cross PharmacyPharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
10
Participants per 1,000 residents
17.0

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
33° / 17°
Rainfall
57 mm · ~7 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
26° / 12°
Rainfall
97 mm · ~12 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
17° / 5°
Rainfall
123 mm · ~15 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
25° / 10°
Rainfall
56 mm · ~7 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

8 heritage places

  • Old Primary School, Southern Cross28 Antares St, Southern Cross10022
  • Railway Rock Catchment Dam Group, YilgarnStephens Rd, Bodallin25378
  • Court House & Registrar's Office (fmr)26 Antares St, Southern Cross2804
  • Masonic Hall (fmr), Southern Cross14 Spica St, Southern Cross2815
  • Our Lady of Montserrat, Southern Cross50 Altair St, Southern Cross2801
  • Palace Hotel, Southern Cross6 Orion St, Southern Cross2812
  • Police Lock-up (fmr)Antares St, Southern Cross2806
  • Southern Cross Post Office24 Antares St, Southern Cross2808

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · current · Updated

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 overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
O'Connor
Member of Parliament
Rick WILSON (Liberal)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
122,006
Turnout (2025)
86.7%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-6.6 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 63.3%Labor 36.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 193.0 km away).

Coalition 79.0%Labor 20.9%

15.8 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -15.6 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Southern CrossLabor 20.9% · Coalition 79.0% TPP (2025)2.4 km away
  • NarembeenLabor 14.0% · Coalition 86.0% TPP (2025)126.8 km away
  • Bruce RockLabor 21.3% · Coalition 78.7% TPP (2025)132.1 km away
  • HydenLabor 5.5% · Coalition 94.5% TPP (2025)140.4 km away
  • KondininLabor 21.9% · Coalition 78.2% TPP (2025)171.2 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)
2/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

More in Yilgarn Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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