Mount Barker vs Narrikup
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Narrikup, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Narrikup: a median of $815,000, against $582,000 in Mount Barker, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Mount Barker tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Narrikup
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 75/100)
- has more parks and reserves (9 vs 4)
- is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 54%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Mount Barker
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($582,500 vs $815,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Mount Barker has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 15%)
- Narrikup leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 20%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Barker
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (253 min vs 265 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (363.9 km vs 380.7 km)
- But Narrikup is more walkable (13/100 vs 4/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Narrikup
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 75/100)
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 4/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Mount Barker and Narrikup 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
Mount Barker has more residents (2,855 vs 514); Narrikup has higher household incomes ($83,304 vs $57,408).
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,855 +82% vs other | 514 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.2% | +4.5% |
| Median age | 48 | 49 |
| Median household income | $57,408/yr | $83,304/yr +45% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $225/wk | $240/wk +7% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $582,500 | $815,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $322,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 32 days from 18 sales | — |
Development activity
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 37 across Plantagenet same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -57% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.4% $420/wk on $650K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within WA
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 14% of WA | Higher than 45% of WA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 66% of WA | Higher than 71% of WA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 32% of WA | Higher than 53% of WA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 69% of WA | Higher than 45% of WA |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 12% of WA | — |
Liveability
Narrikup is more walkable (13 vs 4); Narrikup scores higher overall (50 vs 28).
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | B |
| Score | 28/100 | 50/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Mount Barker carries more crime risk (75 vs 16); Narrikup carries more bushfire risk (58 vs 36).
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 36/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| Crime | High 75/100 | Low 16/100 |
| 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
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Mount Barker
- Mount Barker Community College Government · Combined at peers
Schools in Narrikup
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 5 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 9 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 3 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 1 |
Mobility
Narrikup sits further from the CBD (380.7 km vs 363.9 km).
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 4/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Perth | 363.9 km | 380.7 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 253 min | 265 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 6324 | 0.5% postcode 6326 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 35 postcode 6324 | 36 postcode 6326 |
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 (79.7%).
Setting
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 265 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 127 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 46.2 km | 28.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 47/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 18% 1,498 premises | 0% 155 premises |
Climate
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 619 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,167/yr same for both | |
| Council | Plantagenet same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | O'connor same for both | |
| Member | Rick Wilson same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Barker | Narrikup | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $800,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Mount Barker
Narrikup
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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.