Wadderin vs Bruce Rock
Wadderin is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 49 in Bruce Rock. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Wadderin, most households are couple families. In Bruce Rock, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Wadderin tends to suit couples, while Bruce Rock suits people living alone and older residents.
Wadderin and Bruce Rock are both small rural communities in WA, but they differ notably in economic profile and safety. Wadderin has a significantly higher median household income of $94,224 compared to Bruce Rock's $64,272, and a lower crime risk score of 17 versus 37. Bruce Rock is larger with 742 residents to Wadderin's 100, and sits closer to the CBD at 246.2 km rather than 305.7 km. Wadderin may suit buyers prioritising stronger household incomes and lower crime, while Bruce Rock offers more population density and slightly better accessibility to the city.
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
Wadderin
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 36/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 46%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 85%)
- But Bruce Rock has more parks and reserves (12 vs 3)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Bruce Rock
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($160/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Bruce Rock
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (246.2 km vs 305.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (191 min vs 228 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Wadderin carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 36/100)
- Bruce Rock has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Wadderin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.9% vs 5.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Wadderin and Bruce Rock 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
Bruce Rock has more residents (742 vs 100); Wadderin has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $64,272).
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 100 | 742 +642% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +14.9% | +5.5% |
| Median age | 43 | 49 |
| Median household income | $94,224/yr +32% vs other | $64,272/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk +20% vs other | $160/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).
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.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.0%).
Property market
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $237,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $46,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 16 days from 5 sales |
Development activity
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 2 across Narembeen | 1 across Bruce Rock |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% | — |
Ranking within WA
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 59% of WA | Higher than 22% of WA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 38% of WA | Higher than 68% of WA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 41% of WA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 22% of WA | Higher than 36% of WA |
Liveability
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 46/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Bruce Rock carries more bushfire risk (22 vs 0); Bruce Rock carries more crime risk (36 vs 16).
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Crime | Low 16/100 | Low 36/100 |
| 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
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Wadderin
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Bruce Rock
- Bruce Rock District High School Government · Combined below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 12 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Wadderin sits further from the CBD (305.7 km vs 246.2 km).
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 4/100 |
| Distance to Perth | 305.7 km +19% vs other | 246.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 228 min | 191 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 6369 | 0.4% postcode 6418 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 58 postcode 6369 | 75 postcode 6418 |
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 (66.8%).
Setting
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 310 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 316 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 18 premises | 0% 97 premises |
Climate
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 338 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 33.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.0°C same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | O'connor same for both | |
| Member | Rick Wilson same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Wadderin | Bruce Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $800,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Wadderin
Bruce Rock
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Wadderin
Other comparisons with Bruce Rock
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.