Parkes vs Yarralumla
Parkes is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 50 in Yarralumla. In Yarralumla, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Parkes is closer to the city centre: 5.2 km, against 7.6 km.
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 3 things we measure here
- Parkes has more parks and reserves (20 vs 15)
- Yarralumla has more childcare (6 vs 1)
Weighs schools, parks, and childcare.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs unit prices.
Renters
Parkes
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $547/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Parkes sits closer to the CBD (5.2 km vs 7.6 km)
- Yarralumla is more walkable (66/100 vs 44/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Yarralumla
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (66/100 vs 44/100)
Weighs GPs and walkability.
Where they sit
Parkes and Yarralumla 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
Yarralumla has more residents (3,120 vs 0); Yarralumla rents higher ($547/wk vs $0/wk).
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | — | 3,120 (not reported on the other side) |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — | +8.0% |
| Median age | 32 | 50 |
| Median household income | — | $173,004/yr |
| Median weekly rent | — | $547/wk (not reported on the other side) |
Property market
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,967,500 |
| Median unit price | $798,500 | $775,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 54 days from 20 sales |
Development activity
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3,750 across Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -48% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 3.4% $1,250/wk on $1.9M |
| Units | 4.7% $812/wk on $899K | — |
Ranking within ACT
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 94% of ACT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 27% of ACT | Higher than 57% of ACT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 77% of ACT | Higher than 79% of ACT |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 81% of ACT | Higher than 57% of ACT |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 15% of ACT |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 15% of ACT | — |
Liveability
Yarralumla is more walkable (66 vs 44).
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 57/100 |
| Socio-economic band | — | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Yarralumla carries more bushfire risk (62 vs 0); Parkes carries more flood risk (84 vs 66).
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 62/100 |
| Crime | — | Moderate 51/100 |
| Flood | High 84/100 | Moderate 66/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 6 within 5 km | 3 within 5 km |
Schools
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
| Universities within 10 km | 3 UNSW Canberra, 1.1 km | 3 Australian National University, 3.7 km |
Schools in Parkes
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Yarralumla
- Yarralumla Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 19 | 6 |
| Parks & reserves | 20 | 15 |
| Childcare | 1 | 6 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 4 | 3 |
Mobility
Yarralumla sits further from the CBD (7.6 km vs 5.2 km).
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 44/100 | 66/100 |
| Distance to Canberra | 5.2 km | 7.6 km +46% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 13 min | 15 min |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 128.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 54.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 4.2% postcode 2600 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 29 postcode 2600 same for both | |
Setting
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 563 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 564 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 94/100 | 62/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 84% 101 premises | 29% 1,668 premises |
Climate
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 622 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 0.8°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,105/yr same for both | |
| Council | Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Canberra same for both | |
| Member | Alicia Payne same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Parkes | Yarralumla | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | Not offered same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | None same for both | |
Tags
Yarralumla
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Parkes
Other comparisons with Yarralumla
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.