WA · Cockburn Council

Wattleup, 6166

Est. population · Jun 2025

484

Growth (1 yr)

+5.5%

Growth (5 yr)

+27.7%

Median age

50

Median income

$1,384/wk

Employment rate

52.7%

Languages at home

13.1%non-English

Most common: Croatian, Italian

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

20.9/100
Below average

648th in WA

Verified 68% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Excellent transport
  • Education hub
  • High desirability
What Wattleup is known for: Excellent transport, Education hub, High desirability

Suburb profile

Wattleup is a quieter residential smaller community in Cockburn Council, more about homes and street life than a busy local strip. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Dining is thinner on the ground than in busier metro pockets, so many residents head to neighbouring suburbs for a night out.

Open space is thinner than in many metro suburbs, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses still link the suburb further afield. Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers.

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

Desirability sits below average overall, with community and employment the main drag compared with similar metro suburbs. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Wattleup snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$850/wk

Population (ERP)

484

+5.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

11.6%

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

#42

among Metro Perth · Mature

Safety

46th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

96th

percentile in WA

Advantage (IRSAD)

4/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

70th

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
20.9/100 — Below average
National rank
6656th in Australia
State rank
648th in WA
Peer rank
#42 among Metro Perth · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#273 among Metro Perth suburbs
Data confidence
68%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
$850
Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
473

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 lodgementsDepartment 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

484(June 2025)

+5.5% annual · +27.7% over 5 years · 96th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+5.5%
5-year growth
+27.7%
Change in 1 year
+25
Change in 5 years
+105
Growth rank in WA
96th 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 (~600), extrapolated at +4.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
443
Median age
50
Median household income / week
$1,384
Dwelling vacancy
11.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
22 of 189
Median monthly mortgage
$1,625
Employment rate
52.7%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
166 / 0 / 0

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)
13,209
Against the person
3,166
Against property
8,312
Rate per 1,000 residents
27,291.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 1 residents
State safety percentile
45.7th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-17%

Most common offence types

  • Assault (Family)1367
  • Drug Offences1073
  • Fraud & Related Offences1417
  • Property Damage1340
  • Stealing4359

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
1
Median school ICSEA
1,054
Median ICSEA percentile
70th
School list
  • Jilbup Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1054 · 70th percentile · LBOTE 47% · 294 students · Top SEA quarter 22% · 1.9 km awayView 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

  • Rockingham Rd After Dalison Av
  • Rockingham Rd Before Wattleup Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

4 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
3/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Transport(3)

3 bus stops

Other(1)
  • Perth Sand & SoilsGarden Centre

    79 Mortimer Street, Wattleup

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.

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

Health access

Nearest hospital
Kwinana Dental (8.2 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
11
Participants per 1,000 residents
22.7

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 (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from WA Region Scheme applications (lodged 2020–2026).

1 planning-related records

Other· 1 proposal
  • Hope Valley - Wattleup Redevelopment AreaRedevelopment act area

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

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 overlaysState 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 4.5 km away).

Coalition 30.2%Labor 69.8%

1.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +4.4 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Hammond ParkLabor 71.3% · Coalition 28.6% TPP (2025)2.6 km away
  • SuccessLabor 68.5% · Coalition 31.5% TPP (2025)3.3 km away
  • BeeliarLabor 68.9% · Coalition 31.1% TPP (2025)3.4 km away
  • Hammond Park CentralLabor 74.9% · Coalition 25.1% TPP (2025)3.4 km away
  • Success NorthLabor 72.0% · Coalition 28.1% TPP (2025)3.9 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)
4/10

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

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.