Bowelling vs Mcalinden
McAlinden is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 48 in Bowelling. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, McAlinden tends to suit families with children and older residents.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Bowelling has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- Mcalinden carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 64/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bowelling
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 28%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
McAlinden
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($130/wk vs $275/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 17%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Bowelling has a shorter drive in (168 min vs 184 min)
- Mcalinden sits closer to the CBD (238.8 km vs 242.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
McAlinden
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 64/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 13%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
McAlinden
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.9% vs 1.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bowelling and Mcalinden drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Bowelling rents higher ($275/wk vs $130/wk); Bowelling has higher household incomes ($82,836 vs $58,500).
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 84 +17% vs other | 70 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.2% | +12.9% |
| Median age | 48 | 40 |
| Median household income | $82,836/yr +29% vs other | $58,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk +53% vs other | $130/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3 across West Arthur | 9 across Boyup Brook |
| Approvals change year on year | — | +0% |
Ranking within WA
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 45% of WA | Higher than 16% of WA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 2% of WA | Higher than 43% of WA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 13% of WA | Higher than 14% of WA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 1% of WA | Higher than 25% of WA |
Liveability
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Bowelling carries more crime risk (64 vs 20).
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 67/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 64/100 | Low 20/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 same for both | |
Mobility
Bowelling sits further from the CBD (242.4 km vs 238.8 km).
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Perth | 242.4 km +1% vs other | 238.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 168 min | 184 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 6225 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 6225 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (54.5%).
Setting
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 261 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 222 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 22 premises | 0% 20 premises |
Climate
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 765 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | O'connor same for both | |
| Member | Rick Wilson same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bowelling | Mcalinden | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $800,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bowelling
Mcalinden
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.