Middlesex vs Smith Brook

Smith Brook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 55 in Middlesex. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Middlesex, about half of households are people living alone. In Smith Brook, most households are couple families. On these figures, Middlesex tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Smith Brook suits couples.

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

  • Middlesex carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 54/100)
  • Smith Brook is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 50%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Smith Brook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 26%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Smith Brook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($111/wk vs $178/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Middlesex

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (219 min vs 224 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (309.6 km vs 314.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Middlesex

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 54/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 7%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Middlesex and Smith Brook drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Middlesex Smith Brook
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Middlesex Smith Brook
Walkability 0 / 0
Middlesex — Walkability: 0/100 Smith Brook — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 88 / 46
Middlesex — Safety: 88/100 Smith Brook — Safety: 46/100
Low fire risk 42 / 37
Middlesex — Low fire risk: 42/100 Smith Brook — Low fire risk: 37/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Middlesex — Low flood risk: 100/100 Smith Brook — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Middlesex has more residents (232 vs 59); Middlesex rents higher ($178/wk vs $111/wk).

Middlesex Smith Brook
Population 232
+75% vs other
 59
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.9% +5.4%
Median age 55 47
Median household income $82,836/yr
+10% vs other
 $74,724/yr
Median weekly rent $178/wk
+38% vs other
 $111/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Middlesex Smith Brook
0-4 2.6% / 6.8%
Middlesex — 0-4: 2.6% Smith Brook — 0-4: 6.8%
5-14 10.3% / —
Middlesex — 5-14: 10.3% Smith Brook — 5-14: not among its largest
15-19 3.0% / 8.5%
Middlesex — 15-19: 3.0% Smith Brook — 15-19: 8.5%
20-24 2.2% / 5.1%
Middlesex — 20-24: 2.2% Smith Brook — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 8.2% / 11.9%
Middlesex — 25-34: 8.2% Smith Brook — 25-34: 11.9%
35-44 9.9% / 13.6%
Middlesex — 35-44: 9.9% Smith Brook — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 12.5% / 15.3%
Middlesex — 45-54: 12.5% Smith Brook — 45-54: 15.3%
55-64 25.0% / 32.2%
Middlesex — 55-64: 25.0% Smith Brook — 55-64: 32.2%
65-74 19.0% / 6.8%
Middlesex — 65-74: 19.0% Smith Brook — 65-74: 6.8%
75-84 3.9% / —
Middlesex — 75-84: 3.9% Smith Brook — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 3.9% / —
Middlesex — 85+: 3.9% Smith Brook — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Middlesex 33.3% couple families
Middlesex — Couple Families: 33.3% Middlesex — Lone Person: 50.0% Middlesex — One Parent Families: 16.7%
Smith Brook 66.7% couple families
Smith Brook — Couple Families: 66.7% Smith Brook — Lone Person: 33.3% Smith Brook — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Middlesex 16.0% renting
Middlesex — Owned Outright: 53.1% Middlesex — Mortgage: 30.9% Middlesex — Renting: 16.0%
Smith Brook 0.0% renting
Smith Brook — Owned Outright: 60.0% Smith Brook — Mortgage: 40.0% Smith Brook — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Middlesex Smith Brook
England 2.6% / 6.8%
Middlesex — England: 2.6% Smith Brook — England: 6.8%
Ireland — / 5.1%
Middlesex — Ireland: not among its largest Smith Brook — Ireland: 5.1%
New Zealand 3.4% / —
Middlesex — New Zealand: 3.4% Smith Brook — New Zealand: not among its largest
Italy 2.6% / —
Middlesex — Italy: 2.6% Smith Brook — Italy: not among its largest
Canada 1.3% / —
Middlesex — Canada: 1.3% Smith Brook — Canada: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.8%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Middlesex Smith Brook
Certificate III & IV 13.8% / 18.6%
Middlesex — Certificate III & IV: 13.8% Smith Brook — Certificate III & IV: 18.6%
Bachelor Degree 10.3% / 18.6%
Middlesex — Bachelor Degree: 10.3% Smith Brook — Bachelor Degree: 18.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.9% / 5.1%
Middlesex — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9% Smith Brook — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / 6.8%
Middlesex — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Smith Brook — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 6.8%
Postgraduate Degree 2.6% / —
Middlesex — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6% Smith Brook — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Middlesex 100.0% houses
Middlesex — Houses: 100.0%
Smith Brook 100.0% houses
Smith Brook — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Development activity

Middlesex Smith Brook
New dwellings approved 43
across Manjimup
same for both
Approvals change year on year +300%
same for both

Ranking within WA

Middlesex Smith Brook
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 45% of WA Higher than 36% of WA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 36% of WA Higher than 21% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 18% of WA Higher than 17% of WA
NBN connectivity Higher than 53% of WA Higher than 42% of WA

Liveability

Middlesex Smith Brook
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Smith Brook carries more crime risk (54 vs 12).

Middlesex Smith Brook
Bushfire Moderate
58/100
 Moderate
63/100
Crime Low
12/100
 Moderate
54/100
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

Middlesex Smith Brook
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

Middlesex Smith Brook
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 6 1

Mobility

Smith Brook sits further from the CBD (314.8 km vs 309.6 km).

Middlesex Smith Brook
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Perth 309.6 km 314.8 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 219 min 224 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 6258
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 33
postcode 6258
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.

Middlesex Smith Brook
Car (driver) 68.7% / 51.5%
Middlesex — Car (driver): 68.7% Smith Brook — Car (driver): 51.5%
Worked from Home 22.6% / 27.3%
Middlesex — Worked from Home: 22.6% Smith Brook — Worked from Home: 27.3%
Car (passenger) 2.6% / 21.2%
Middlesex — Car (passenger): 2.6% Smith Brook — Car (passenger): 21.2%
Walked Only 6.1% / —
Middlesex — Walked Only: 6.1% Smith Brook — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.7%).

Setting

Middlesex Smith Brook
Elevation 234 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 146 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 46.7 km 43.2 km

NBN connectivity

Middlesex Smith Brook
Connectivity score 27/100 19/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
119 premises
 0%
24 premises

Climate

Middlesex Smith Brook
Annual rainfall 815 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.2°C
same for both

Council rates

Middlesex Smith Brook
Average residential rate $2,453/yr
same for both
Council Manjimup
same for both

Federal electorate

Middlesex Smith Brook
Division O'connor
same for both
Member Rick Wilson
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Middlesex Smith Brook
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Middlesex

Retirees Rural

Smith Brook

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Middlesex

Middlesex vs Manjimup Middlesex vs Dingup Middlesex vs Jardee Middlesex vs Upper Warren

Other comparisons with Smith Brook

Smith Brook vs Upper Warren
Full data on Middlesex Full data on Smith Brook
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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.

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