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Suburb profile ·Augusta Margaret River LGA · WA ·6285

Margaret River WA 6285

Margaret River is in Augusta Margaret River LGA, WA, postcode 6285, with population 8,918.

The read

Growth-momentum

The page has enough signal to be useful, but the story is mixed rather than decisive. Use compare mode to pressure-test it against stronger nearby options, then use the calculator if it still makes the shortlist.

$750/wk
Rising
+10.3% YoY
Oct 2024 → May 2026 · 20 periods
WA rental bonds · suburb grain · May 2026
$775
$680
Oct 2024May 2026
Why it fits

Recent price movement shows visible market momentum. Population movement supports a growth-led read. School coverage gives the page a stronger family/livability signal.

Read full evidence → Compare suburb Run calculator
Median house
$980K
House median, latest period
↑16.0%YoY D6 vs AU
Median rent
$750/wk
Income-stretched rent market
↑10.3%YoY D10 vs AU
Gross yield
4.0%
Below investor band
D10 vs AU
Population
8,918
9K local footprint
D10 vs AU
Schools
5
Matched school context
D10 vs AU
Drive to city
3h 18m
268.8 km to Perth CBD · free-flow
Solar
2,051
163 added 12mo · 13MW
Price cycleAt its peak
LowPeak

At / near its all-time high

See trend depth →

Price history

House, unit and vacant land medians · ABS + state datasets

Houses to 2026 · Units to 2024 — house and unit medians are released on separate cycles, so their latest period can differ.

Trend & investor depth

Derived from this suburb's own price, rent and income history
Cycle positionAt its peak
Low · 2020Peak · 2026

At / near its all-time high

Price growth (compound)% per year
3-yr
+14.1%
5-yr
+15.2%
Affordability trajectoryStable
Price
+5.2%/yr
Income
+5.5%/yr

Growth in median price vs median household income — broadly stable vs incomes.

Yield trend3.7% → 4.1% (+0.3pp · rent outgrowing price)
Indicative cashflow-$402/wk (-$20,926/yr) · interest-only @ 6.4%, 80% LVR
Rent stabilitytypical — rents vary ±7.3% around trend
Value vs advantage+29% vs suburbs of similar SEIFA advantage (decile 6)

Indicative cashflow is interest-only and excludes tax — use the calculator for a full projection. Turnover divides recorded sales by an estimated household count (population over average household size).

Investment grade

Composite · growth · yield · stability
Agrade · 90/100 · top 10% of 3,604AU suburbs
Peer distributionstronger than 90% of AU suburbs
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth85
Rental yield80
Stability72
Volatility-9.2ppCycle-2.0

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer · stability drivers signed (+ = steadier)

Relative grade across Australian suburbs, combining qp's capital-growth (multi-year CAGR + cycle timing), rental-yield, and stability (price volatility + cycle + affordability) metrics via a three-pillar property-scoring method with an imbalance penalty. Within-Australia relative, indicative only — not financial advice.

Investor profile

Who invests in Margaret River

Owner-occupied 72%Rented 28%
Investor activityATO
Negatively geared4.9%
388 of 1,161 landlords
Avg rental loss$6,033/yr
Landlords (rental income)1,161
Reported capital gains751
Investor exposure index(moderate vs national)79.8/100
The read

Owner-occupier stronghold

70% of homes here are owner-occupied and 27% rented, with 5% of landlords negatively geared.

Why it fits

70% owner-occupied — owner-occupiers hold longer and absorb rate shocks, supporting price stability.

ABS Census 2021 tenure (G37), ATO postcode rental statistics, and QuickProperty's investor-exposure index. Owner-occupied = owned outright + with a mortgage.

Mortgage affordability

RBA rate · ABS Census 2021 household income
68%
of household income to service a new loan
15.3 yrs
to save a 20% deposit
Severe
housing-stress band
Rent vs buyRenting cheaper

New-loan repayment $4,802/mo vs median rent $3,250/mo (+48% · +$358/wk)

If rates move

At 4.2%: $3,834/mo (-968) · at 6.2% (current): $4,802/mo · at 8.2%: $5,862/mo (+1,061)

Assumes a 20% deposit and a 30-year principal-and-interest loan at the current RBA new owner-occupier variable rate, against median weekly household income (ABS Census 2021). Stress bands follow the 30% / 45%-of-income thresholds used in ANZ-CoreLogic and AIHW reporting. Rent vs buy compares that repayment with the suburb's median advertised rent; it excludes rates, insurance, maintenance and deposit opportunity cost.

Stronger alternatives nearby

Similar-priced suburbs in other council areas that rate higher on a metric.

Higher yield

similar price · cross-LGA

Stronger 5-yr growth

similar price · cross-LGA

More affordable

lower price-to-income

Alternatives are similar-priced suburbs (0.7–1.4x this suburb's median) in other council areas that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Affordability

Buying & renting · ABS Census + state data
Buying
11.5x
median home price as a multiple of annual household income
Stretched
Renting
46%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
High stress

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,694/mo, while renters pay about $3,250/mo — renting runs $1,556/mo higher on these medians.

Median price
$980K
Household income · yr
$85K
Median rent · wk
$750
Owner mortgage · mo
$1,694
Gross yield
4.0%

Household income

ABS Census · ATO
$85K household · yr-0.3% vs WA suburb median
Personal
$44K
Family
$101K
Household
$85K
Household income distribution (ABS Census 2021 · weekly)10% could service the median house
Under $300
96
$300-649
345
$650-999
317
$1,000-1,499
491
$1,500-1,999
362
$2,000-2,999
602
$3,000-3,999
280
$4,000+
205

Serviceability line: a household needs about $3,694/wk to hold a new loan on the median house at 30% of income (20% deposit, 30-year P&I, current RBA rate).

At the median asking rent, about 73% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $2,500/wk income).

Median taxable income trend (ATO, 2018-19 – 2022-23)$37K → $46K

Housing stock and tenure

ABS Census 2021
Tenure (3,076 households)2.6% social housing
Owned outright
29%
Owned with mortgage
41%
Rented
27%
Dwelling structure19.2% of dwellings unoccupied on census night
Separate house
92%
Townhouse / semi
7%
Flat / apartment
0%

Getting to work: 76% drive, 1% public transport, 6% walk or cycle, 12% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).

Schools

ACARA 2025
Total5
Avg ICSEA1052
Students2,503
Catholic1
Government3
Independent1
  • Margaret River Senior High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1048
  • Margaret River Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1043
  • St Thomas More Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1060
  • Margaret River Montessori School - Margaret River campusCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1094
  • Rapids Landing Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1013

Livability

OSM · GTFS · schools + hospitals
85/ 100 livability index

Top 15% most liveable of 4,565Australian suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 85% of Australian suburbs
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access90
Public transport (1 stops)12
Schools & hospitals92

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within Australian suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Development screen

Could a secondary dwelling be worth investigating?

More supporting context
ancillary dwelling / granny flat screening context Low broad constraint context

Policy position

Official policy reviewed

R-Codes Volume 1 apply across WA and are administered by local government; compliant ancillary dwellings can be proposed on residential zoned land including grouped/multiple dwellings and strata lots.

Rental use: Same-title ancillary dwellings can be relevant to hosted accommodation rules; check STRA registration and local government requirements where used short-term.

Open official policy source

Separate houses

74.0%

Suburb share of occupied private dwellings recorded as separate houses.

Near the state median

State median 78.0% · 438 valid suburbs

Residential-zone context

Not staged

A comparable planning-zone layer is not staged for this state.

Rental households

26.6%

Demand context only; it does not establish permission to rent a secondary dwelling.

Near the state median

State median 24.1% · 438 valid suburbs

Mapped hazards

Not staged

No broad-area layer staged for this suburb. No broad-area layer staged for this suburb.

Approval pathway

Four checks, each with a different evidence threshold.

This is an investigation sequence, not a guarantee that every step applies or that approval will be granted.

  1. 01 Source reviewed

    State policy position

    QuickProperty reviewed the official ancillary dwelling / granny flat policy source.

  2. 02 Property dependent

    Planning pathway

    Confirm zoning, lot controls, overlays, setbacks, site coverage and whether planning approval is required.

  3. 03 Design dependent

    Building approval

    Confirm the building approval route after the design, site classifications, services and construction requirements are known.

  4. 04 Check separately

    Intended use

    Confirm long-term rental, short-stay or family-use rules separately from permission to construct the dwelling.

Property due diligence

Turn the suburb screen into a property checklist.

Every check starts unconfirmed. Progress stays in this browser and suburb evidence never clears an address-level requirement.

0evidence acquired
0evidence missing
0reviews due
0consultant questions

Active record: Margaret River unnamed property

0/14checked
0issues found

Site controls

Lot area and dimensions

Confirm title dimensions, usable site area and any minimum lot threshold.

Status for Lot area and dimensions
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Setbacks and site coverage

Test setbacks, private open space, landscaping and maximum site coverage against a concept plan.

Status for Setbacks and site coverage
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Slope and ground conditions

Check survey levels, soil classification, retaining needs and likely earthworks.

Status for Slope and ground conditions
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Title and planning

Zoning and overlays

Obtain current property-level zoning, overlays and applicable planning controls.

Status for Zoning and overlays
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Title, easements and covenants

Review the title for easements, covenants, restrictions and common property.

Status for Title, easements and covenants
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Services and access

Sewer and stormwater

Locate assets and connection points, then confirm capacity, clearances and discharge requirements.

Status for Sewer and stormwater
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Power, water and metering

Confirm service routes, upgrade needs and whether separate metering is permitted or practical.

Status for Power, water and metering
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Vehicle access and parking

Test driveway width, gradients, turning, parking and emergency access requirements.

Status for Vehicle access and parking
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Construction constraints

Bushfire exposure

Order an address-level bushfire assessment and determine any BAL construction response.

Status for Bushfire exposure
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Flood and overland flow

Obtain property flood information and check floor levels, flow paths and drainage constraints.

Status for Flood and overland flow
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Wind, corrosion and termite

Confirm site classifications that affect structural design, materials and durability.

Status for Wind, corrosion and termite
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Approval and use

Planning approval pathway

Confirm exemption, complying pathway or permit requirements with the responsible authority.

Status for Planning approval pathway
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Building approval and consultants

Identify required survey, design, engineering, energy, certification and inspection evidence.

Status for Building approval and consultants
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Rental and intended use

Confirm occupation, rental, short-stay and family-use rules plus insurance and tax implications.

Status for Rental and intended use
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Margaret River, WA 6285 · Local browser record

Investigation aid only. Confirm current planning, building, title, service and hazard requirements with qualified professionals and responsible authorities.

Building due diligence

Construction requirements can change by location.

Code baseline only

The National Construction Code is the baseline. Local hazards and site classifications can change the required structure, materials, fixings, insulation and detailing.

Known here

SUBURB CONTEXT

No local compliance layer is staged.

This is missing evidence, not evidence that the property has no constraints.

Check the property

ADDRESS + DESIGN

NCC climate zone

Check the property

Confirm the NCC climate zone used for the building design and energy provisions.

May affect: Insulation and glazing · Condensation control · Roof-space ventilation

Wind class and BAL

Site assessment required

A suburb layer cannot determine the site wind classification or Bushfire Attack Level.

May affect: Structure and tie-downs · Cladding and fixings · Openings and bushfire detailing

Corrosion and termite exposure

Check the property

Confirm marine or corrosive exposure and the applicable termite-management requirements.

May affect: Fasteners and connectors · Roofing and coatings · Termite management

This screen identifies investigation triggers, not building quality or property compliance. Confirm the address, design and current jurisdiction rules with the council, building surveyor or certifier, designer and engineer.

NCC 2022 Housing Provisions: how to use · NCC 2022 Volume Two and Housing Provisions

Short-term rentals

Inside Airbnb
461
active listings · ~51.7 per 1,000 residents
89%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
57%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$249
median nightly (entire home)
35%
estimated occupancy
$29,837
estimated annual revenue (gross)

Estimated short-let income is 0.8× the $39,000/yr a long-term let would earn at the median rent — before management fees, cleaning, vacancy beyond the occupancy model, and short-stay regulation.

Active Airbnb listings point-mapped to this suburb from Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0). Occupancy and revenue are estimates from Inside Airbnb's San Francisco model (review-rate proxy, minimum-stay assumption, occupancy capped at 70%) — they are gross, indicative, and not a guarantee of returns. Short-stay letting is subject to state and local regulation.

Population outlook

ABS projection · Margaret River SA2 area · 2022 base
10,848 people · 202213,130 by 2032 (+21.0%)

ABS population projection (2022 base) for the Margaret River SA2 statistical area — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Full data detail Census · ATO · ABS · state datasets
Margaret River WA — Property Data and Demographics

Margaret River is a mid-sized suburb in Western Australia within the Augusta Margaret River local government area (postcode 6285). It is home to about 8,918 residents, with an established demographic and a median age of 39. Households earn a median income of $85K per year, with an average household size of 2.6 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement into the broader catchment, with population growth running at +3.5% year-on-year at the LGA level. WA employment has moved +1.9% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. WA also had 24 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 12 underway, and 12 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are professionals, technicians & trades, labourers. Employment in the area leans toward accommodation & food and retail trade. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.

Median house prices in Margaret River stand at $980,000, having climbed sharply by 16% over the last twelve months. Units have a median price of $520,000 (+4% YoY). The current median weekly rent is $750. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 4.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,694.

Margaret River is served by 5 schools, including 3 primary, 1 secondary, 1 combined. The average ICSEA score is 1052, which is above the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 1 bus stop. Healthcare facilities include 1 public hospital.

From an investment perspective, Margaret River shows a gross rental yield of approximately 4.0%, rated as moderate yield. Property prices are near the state median ($980K/$1.0M). The price-to-income ratio of 11.5x is considered stretched. House prices have moved +16.0% year-on-year. Population growth of +3.5% year-on-year points to strong growth demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Rental Yield4.0%· Moderate Yield
Price vs State$980K/$1.0M· Near Median
Affordability11.5x↓ Stretched
Price Momentum+16.0%↑ Rising
Pop. Growth+3.5%↑ Strong Growth
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentWA
Mortgage · mth$1,694
Rent · wk(Census)$380
Market rent · wk(Feb 2026)$750
Gross yield2.0%
Price / income11.5x
Population growth · Augusta Margaret River LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)20,170
5-year growth+3.7% CAGR
YoY change+3.5%
20012025
Development · Augusta Margaret River LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)354
Houses 91%Units 9%
YoY change+0%
Employment · Augusta Margaret River LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)1.7%
YoY change-0.3pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 6285ATO
Negatively geared4.9%
388 of filers
Avg rental loss$6,033/yr
Landlords (rental income)1,161
Reported capital gains751
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population8,918
Median age39
Household size2.6
HH income · wk$1,640
Personal income · wk$839
Persons / bedroom0.8
IncomeATO 22-23
Median income$45,897
Mean income$62,936
Earners8,623
YoY change-2.1%
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)6/10
Education (IEO)6/10
Economic (IER)6/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)6/10
Income momentumCensus 16→21
HH income · wk$1,325 → $1,640
Change+23.8%
vs WA median+10.1 pp
Median rent+11.8%
gentrifyingvs WA 2016–21
Top occupationsCensus
Professionals839Technicians & Trades809Labourers641Managers590Community & Personal Service583
Top industriesCensus
Accommodation & Food604Retail Trade462Construction446Healthcare431Manufacturing408
Top ancestryCensus
English4,016Australian3,079Irish959Scottish955Italian405
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets3
Pharmacies2
GP / clinics1
Fuel stations3
Cafes & dining28
coles1
iga1
woolworths1
TransportGTFS
Bus stops1
Hospitals · Augusta Margaret River LGAAIHW
Public2
Private0
Augusta Hospitalpublic
Margaret River Hospitalpublic · in suburb
Aged care · Augusta Margaret River LGAGEN
Facilities2
Residential places82
Baptistcare Mirrambeena46 places · in suburb
Augusta Multi-Purpose Service36 places
Childcare · Augusta Margaret River LGAACECQA
Services9
Approved places486
Exceeding NQS0
Margaret River Recreation Centre OSHC95 places · in suburb
Bluebird Margaret River63 places · in suburb
Bluebird Margaret River OSHC61 places · in suburb
Sprouts School of Early Learning - Margaret River61 places · in suburb
Margaret River Community Centre for Children56 places · in suburb
The Early Learning Centre of Margaret River50 places · in suburb
+3 more in Augusta Margaret River LGA
Nearby in Augusta Margaret River LGA12
Cowaramup$1.2M · 2,482Augusta$1.0M · 1,463Karridale$930K · 317Hamelin Bay$890K · 58Witchcliffe$1.2M · 484Prevelly$1.6M · 205Molloy Island$670K · 163Gnarabup$1.8M · 525East Augusta$900K · 41Rosa Brook$430K · 216Gracetown$2.6M · 238Bramley · 113
Tax calculatorsaustax.tools
Stamp Duty CalculatorWA ↗Land Tax CalculatorWA ↗Capital Gains Tax↗Depreciation Calculator↗Investment Property Tax↗
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Margaret River has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Prices come from release-based suburb series.

REIWA public suburb pages (annual median series) scraped monthly; unmatched suburbs fall back to annual ABS SA2 series

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
REIWA · 2026 · REIWA public suburb pages (annual median series) scraped monthly; unmatched suburbs fall back to annual ABS SA2 series
medium stability · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Market rent
WA rental bonds · Feb 2026 · State market dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Crime
State crime dataset · No linked local crime series
Missing
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 5 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · 1 hospitals matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
GTFS feeds · 1 matched stops/stations
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.

Margaret River FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Margaret River in?

    Margaret River is in the Augusta Margaret River Local Government Area, WA, postcode 6285. Council-level context for Augusta Margaret River LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Margaret River?

    The current median house price in Margaret River, WA is $980K, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.

  3. What is the typical weekly rent in Margaret River?

    The median weekly rent in Margaret River is $750/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  4. What does the rent signal say about Margaret River?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 85% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  5. Is Margaret River a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Margaret River show: Moderate Yield, Near Median, Stretched. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  6. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Margaret River?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  7. How often is the Margaret River data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.