Ord River vs Sturt Creek

Sturt Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 25 against 34 in Ord River. In both, most homes are detached houses. In Ord River, most households own their home and most households are people living alone. In Sturt Creek, the large majority of households rent and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Ord River tends to suit people living alone, while Sturt Creek suits renters, families with children, and couples.

Ord River and Sturt Creek are both remote WA communities with distinct profiles. Ord River has a smaller population of 158 people and a notably higher median household income of $48,048 compared to Sturt Creek's $36,504, though rental costs are considerably lower at $35 per week versus $75. Sturt Creek's population of 330 is larger and skews younger at a median age of 25, but it carries higher crime risk at 82 compared to Ord River's 51. Both suburbs have minimal walkability and sit far from the CBD; Ord River faces greater bushfire and flood risks, while Sturt Creek's flood risk is negligible.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Sturt Creek

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
  • is already more of a family suburb (72% vs 42%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (90% vs 71%)
  • But Ord River carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 82/100)

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

Renters

Ord River

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (4% vs 11%)
  • has cheaper rent ($35/wk vs $75/wk)
  • But Sturt Creek has a bigger rental market to choose from (95% vs 44%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Sturt Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (2091 min vs 2237 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (2965.6 km vs 3032.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Ord River

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (8% vs 2%)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (29% vs 10%)
  • carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 82/100)

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

Where they sit

Ord River and Sturt Creek drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Ord River Sturt Creek
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.

Ord River Sturt Creek
Walkability 0 / 0
Ord River — Walkability: 0/100 Sturt Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 49 / 18
Ord River — Safety: 49/100 Sturt Creek — Safety: 18/100
Low fire risk 38 / 49
Ord River — Low fire risk: 38/100 Sturt Creek — Low fire risk: 49/100
Low flood risk 89 / 100
Ord River — Low flood risk: 89/100 Sturt Creek — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Sturt Creek rents higher ($75/wk vs $35/wk); Sturt Creek has more residents (330 vs 158).

Ord River Sturt Creek
Population 158 330
+109% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +17.9% —
Median age 34 25
Median household income $48,048/yr
+24% vs other
 $36,504/yr
Median weekly rent $35/wk $75/wk
+114% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ord River Sturt Creek
0-4 8.9% / 11.8%
Ord River — 0-4: 8.9% Sturt Creek — 0-4: 11.8%
5-14 13.9% / 17.9%
Ord River — 5-14: 13.9% Sturt Creek — 5-14: 17.9%
15-19 8.2% / 9.1%
Ord River — 15-19: 8.2% Sturt Creek — 15-19: 9.1%
20-24 9.5% / 10.3%
Ord River — 20-24: 9.5% Sturt Creek — 20-24: 10.3%
25-34 13.3% / 20.3%
Ord River — 25-34: 13.3% Sturt Creek — 25-34: 20.3%
35-44 13.3% / 10.9%
Ord River — 35-44: 13.3% Sturt Creek — 35-44: 10.9%
45-54 21.5% / 9.7%
Ord River — 45-54: 21.5% Sturt Creek — 45-54: 9.7%
55-64 8.2% / 7.0%
Ord River — 55-64: 8.2% Sturt Creek — 55-64: 7.0%
65-74 8.2% / 1.5%
Ord River — 65-74: 8.2% Sturt Creek — 65-74: 1.5%
75-84 — / —
Ord River — 75-84: not among its largest Sturt Creek — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / —
Ord River — 85+: not among its largest Sturt Creek — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ord River 26.9% couple families
Ord River — Couple Families: 26.9% Ord River — Lone Person: 57.7% Ord River — One Parent Families: 15.4% Ord River — Other Families: 0.0%
Sturt Creek 51.2% couple families
Sturt Creek — Couple Families: 51.2% Sturt Creek — Lone Person: 19.5% Sturt Creek — One Parent Families: 20.7% Sturt Creek — Other Families: 8.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ord River 44.0% renting
Ord River — Owned Outright: 56.0% Ord River — Mortgage: 0.0% Ord River — Renting: 44.0%
Sturt Creek 94.9% renting
Sturt Creek — Owned Outright: 5.1% Sturt Creek — Mortgage: 0.0% Sturt Creek — Renting: 94.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ord River 71.4% houses
Ord River — Houses: 71.4% Ord River — Flats / Apartments: 28.6% Ord River — Townhouses: 0.0%
Sturt Creek 89.5% houses
Sturt Creek — Houses: 89.5% Sturt Creek — Flats / Apartments: 7.0% Sturt Creek — Townhouses: 3.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Qualifications

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

Ord River Sturt Creek
Certificate III & IV 14.6% / 4.8%
Ord River — Certificate III & IV: 14.6% Sturt Creek — Certificate III & IV: 4.8%
Bachelor Degree 7.0% / 2.4%
Ord River — Bachelor Degree: 7.0% Sturt Creek — Bachelor Degree: 2.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 3.0%
Ord River — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Sturt Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 1.9% / —
Ord River — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 1.9% Sturt Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.6%).

Development activity

Ord River Sturt Creek
New dwellings approved 18
across Halls Creek
same for both

Ranking within WA

Ord River Sturt Creek
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 8% of WA —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 6% of WA Higher than 8% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 4% of WA Higher than 5% of WA

Liveability

Ord River Sturt Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

Ord River carries more flood risk (11 vs 0); Sturt Creek carries more crime risk (82 vs 51).

Ord River Sturt Creek
Bushfire Moderate
62/100
 Moderate
51/100
Crime Moderate
51/100
 High
82/100
Flood Low
11/100
 None
0/100
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

Ord River Sturt Creek
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Ord River

  • Purnululu Aboriginal Independent Community School Independent · Combined

Schools in Sturt Creek

  • John Pujajangka Piyirn School Catholic · Combined
  • Kururrungku Catholic Education Centre Catholic · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Ord River Sturt Creek
Supermarkets 0 2
Parks & reserves 1 4
Waterways 39 11

Mobility

Ord River sits further from the CBD (3032.4 km vs 2965.6 km).

Ord River Sturt Creek
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Perth 3032.4 km
+2% vs other
 2965.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 2237 min 2091 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 6770
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 6
postcode 6770
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.

Ord River Sturt Creek
Walked Only 50.0% / 76.9%
Ord River — Walked Only: 50.0% Sturt Creek — Walked Only: 76.9%
Car (driver) 28.8% / 17.3%
Ord River — Car (driver): 28.8% Sturt Creek — Car (driver): 17.3%
Worked from Home 15.4% / —
Ord River — Worked from Home: 15.4% Sturt Creek — Worked from Home: not among its largest
Car (passenger) 5.8% / 5.8%
Ord River — Car (passenger): 5.8% Sturt Creek — Car (passenger): 5.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.9%).

Setting

Ord River Sturt Creek
Elevation 301 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 331 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Ord River Sturt Creek
Connectivity score 15/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
38 premises
 0%
66 premises

Council rates

Ord River Sturt Creek
Average residential rate $3,185/yr
same for both
Council Halls Creek
same for both

Federal electorate

Ord River Sturt Creek
Division Durack
same for both
Member Melissa Price
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ord River Sturt Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ord River

Family Multicultural Rural Young Families

Sturt Creek

Family Multicultural Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ord River

Ord River vs Halls Creek Ord River vs Warmun Ord River vs Mueller Ranges Ord River vs Lake Argyle Ord River vs Durack

Other comparisons with Sturt Creek

Sturt Creek vs Tanami Sturt Creek vs Mueller Ranges Sturt Creek vs Kundat Djaru
Full data on Ord River Full data on Sturt Creek
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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