suburb.guide

WA · Gosnells Council

Southern River, 6110

Est. population · Jun 2025

15,610

Growth (1 yr)

+3.6%

Growth (5 yr)

+17.8%

Median age

33

Median income

$2,364/wk

Employment rate

69.2%

University qualified

29.3%

Work from home

6.9%

Languages at home

41.6%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Arabic, Urdu

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

45.2/100
Average

Top 36% of Western Australia's suburbs

Verified 93% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • River access
  • Multicultural
What Southern River is known for: River access, Multicultural

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Southern River, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Southern River, WA Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/wa/southern-river

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Suburb profile

Southern River is a middle-ring metropolitan suburb of Perth, in Gosnells Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development.

Employment rates are stronger than in comparable places, with employment 13% above the peer median. Rents are relatively affordable. Population has been growing faster than in comparable places, with population growth 71% above the peer median. Crime in the wider Armadale Police District remains above typical levels but is improving. Reported offences have fallen 26% year on year. The clearer weaknesses are limited school access and thinner dining and café options, with school access 50% below the peer median.

Overall, Southern River suits people prioritising lower rents and employment over school access.

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

  • Rents are relatively affordable
  • Employment rates are stronger than in comparable places
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • School access is relatively limited
  • Dining and café options are thinner than in comparable places

What stands out

  • Crime in the wider Armadale Police District remains above typical levels but is improving

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Southern River compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$675/wk

Population (ERP)

15,610

+3.6% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

3.6%

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

#44

among Metro Perth · Growth area

Pop. growth

91st

percentile in WA

Rented dwellings

17%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

9/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

64th

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
45.2/100 — Average
State standing
Top 36% of Western Australia's suburbs
National rank
3078th in Australia
State rank
251st in WA
Peer rank
#44 among Metro Perth · Growth area suburbs
Cohort rank
#169 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)
$675
Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
3,588

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

15,610(June 2025)

+3.6% annual · +17.8% over 5 years · 91th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+3.6%
5-year growth
+17.8%
Change in 1 year
+541
Change in 5 years
+2,357
Growth rank in WA
91th 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 (~18,900), extrapolated at +3.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
12,852
Median age
33
Median household income / week
$2,364
Dwelling vacancy
3.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
144 of 4,015
Median monthly mortgage
$2,100
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$420
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
20% / 63.1% / 16.9%
Employment rate
69.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
6.9% / 2.6% / 73.3%
Walked or cycled to work
0.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
3,753 / 94 / 10 (+ 5 other)

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

29.3% of adults have a university degree, compared with 23.8% across Western Australia. 15.9% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified29.3% · 23.8% WA
  • Diploma qualified10.3% · 9.3% WA
  • Trade / vocational15.9% · 17.8% WA
  • Year 12 or below44.5% · 49.1% WA

Highest qualification field

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

  • Management and commerce25.4%
  • Engineering and related technologies20.8%
  • Health12.1%
  • Society and culture10.6%
  • Education8%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services5.9%
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)
$57,708

39th percentile in WA · -2% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$64,343

53rd percentile in WA · -1% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
8.0%

13th percentile in WA · -42% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$44,850

20th percentile in WA · -29% vs Australia

Residents with business income
12.0%

92nd percentile in WA · +15% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 6110 — 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
29,807
Taxpayers reporting net rent
2,323
Median net rent
-$1,672
Taxpayers reporting business income
3,500
Taxable income vs state median
-5%
Salary / wages vs state median
+3%
Rental investment vs state median
-33%
Super vs state median
-30%
Business income vs state median
+50%

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

41.6% speak a language other than English at home; 49.3% born overseas

Language at home
7,235 English only · 5,153 other
Non-English at home
41.6%
Born overseas
6,147 (49.3%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
122 (0.9%)
Australian citizens
10,394
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
30

Top languages other than English

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

  • Mandarin414 · 21.4%
  • Arabic167 · 8.6%
  • Urdu164 · 8.5%
  • Punjabi153 · 7.9%
  • Malayalam126 · 6.5%
  • Tamil105 · 5.4%
  • Indonesian96 · 5%
  • Cantonese89 · 4.6%

Religion

37.7%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 37.7%, while 31.4% reported no religion. Islam is more prevalent locally than across the state. Hinduism is more prevalent locally than across the state.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion31.4%42.5%
Christianity37.7%41.1%
Hinduism6.8%2%
Islam14%2.5%
Buddhism3.2%2.2%
Other / not stated7%9.8%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic16.1%18.7%
Anglican6.3%10.1%
Christian (not further defined)4.9%3.4%
Pentecostal3%1%
Baptist2.2%1.6%

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 Armadale 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)
13,351
Against the person
3,987
Against property
7,164
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
61.8
State crime-rate percentile
69.8th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-30.4%

Most common offence types

  • Assault (Family)
  • Breach Of Violence Restraint Order
  • Drug 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
3
Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
1,040
Median ICSEA percentile
64th
School list
  • Southern Grove Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1038 · 63th percentile · LBOTE 54% · 530 students · Top SEA quarter 22% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Yarralinka Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1040 · 64th percentile · LBOTE 69% · 253 students · Top SEA quarter 20% · 1.1 km awayView on My School →
  • Bletchley Park Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1050 · 68th percentile · LBOTE 56% · 692 students · Top SEA quarter 22% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

5 childcare services from OpenStreetMap

  • Great Beginningschildcare
  • Warooga Childcarechildcare
  • Wild Berries Early Learningchildcare
  • childcarechildcare
  • kindergartenkindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Childcare centres per 1,000 residents

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Public transport

47 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Furley Rd Providence Christian College
  • Ranford Rd After Lakey St
  • Warton Rd After Barrett St
  • Warton Rd Before Holmes St
  • Warton Rd Before Tincurrin Dr

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

225 mapped amenities

1 supermarkets · 1 fast food · 1 places of worship · 8 playgrounds · 104 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Reasonably walkable — many shops and services reachable on foot or by bus
  • Great for outdoor family life — 33 parks mapped in suburb, 8 playgrounds nearby
  • Well connected by public transport — 47 public transport stops
  • Strong local sport and recreation — 113 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
57/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.08
Parks per 1,000 residents
2.57
Food & drink(1)
  • McDonald'sFast food
Shopping(1)
  • ColesSupermarket
Community(6)
  • Great BeginningsChildcare
  • Wild Berries Early LearningChildcare
  • Kindergarten
  • Bletchley Park Primary SchoolSchool

    Balfour Street, Southern River

  • Southern Grove Primary SchoolSchool

    34 Lockway Street, Southern River

  • Yarralinka Primary SchoolSchool

    12 Yarralinka Road, Southern River

Sport & outdoors(140)
  • Armadale Road PSPCycling route
  • Ranford Road PSPCycling route
  • Ranford Road Shared PathCycling route
  • Tonkin Highway PSPCycling route
  • Harpenden Street BushlandNature reserve
  • Nature reserve (2)
  • Ranford BlockNature reserve
  • Tincurrin Drive ReserveNature reserve
  • Abmience ParkPark
  • Aldenham Drive ReservePark
  • Bergan Promenade ReservePark
  • Byfield ParkPark
  • Castlewood Parkway ReservePark
  • Park

    66 Castlewood Parkway

  • Park (11)
  • Wildlife Way ReservePark
  • Playground (8)
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (104)
Transport(33)

33 bus stops

Other(8)
  • Come TogetherArtwork
  • Bench (18)
  • Bicycle Parking (4)
  • Parking (15)
  • Picnic Table (2)
  • Free Reformed Church of Southern RiverPlace of worship
  • Shelter (2)
  • Waste Basket

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

Parks & reserves

19 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Abmience ParkPark
  • Aldenham Drive ReservePark
  • Bergan Promenade ReservePark
  • Bodallin Crescent ReservePark
  • Byfield ParkPark
  • Castlewood Parkway ReservePark
  • Figbird Way ReservePark
  • Greentree Drive ReservePark
  • Harpenden Street BushlandNature reserve
  • Nile ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
8%
Woodland / forest cover
5.2%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
57
Parks (OSM)
33
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

  • Free Reformed Church of Southern River

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
5
Nearest hospital
Armadale Kelmscott District Memorial Hospital (6.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Public 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).

  • Southern River Family PracticeRanford RoadGP
  • Greg’s Discount ChemistRanford RoadPharmacy
  • Southern River DentalRanford RoadDentist
  • Southern River Medical CentreClinic
  • Wize TherapyRanford RoadSpeech_Therapist;Physiotherapist;Occupational_Therapist

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
368
Participants per 1,000 residents
23.6

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
Overlay applies
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
Burt
Member of Parliament
Matt KEOGH (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
119,997
Turnout (2025)
86.1%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+2.4 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 34.3%Labor 65.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.2 km away).

Coalition 27.6%Labor 72.4%

6.7 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +6.8 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Southern River EastLabor 78.3% · Coalition 21.7% TPP (2025)0.9 km away
  • Southern RiverLabor 69.2% · Coalition 30.8% TPP (2025)1.0 km away
  • Harrisdale NorthLabor 63.7% · Coalition 36.3% TPP (2025)1.9 km away
  • HarrisdaleLabor 64.3% · Coalition 35.7% TPP (2025)2.7 km away
  • Gosnells SouthLabor 76.4% · Coalition 23.6% TPP (2025)3.5 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)
9/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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 Gosnells Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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