Hill River WA 6521

Hill River is a rural locality in Western Australia, 245 km from Perth CBD, around 2 hours 45 minutes by car. Population is 107; the median age is 48 and the median household income is $102,336 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the middle range nationally. The locality grew 15.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $110 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,086. Hill River is characterised by high bushfire risk and no recorded flood exposure. Walkability is low.

This locality is too small to rate.

The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 107. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.

How do you rate the liveability in Hill River?

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Our score

Not enough data to score this locality.

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…

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Short-Stay Rentals

No active Airbnb listings.

Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months.

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Hill River is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Hill River.

16
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
37
Technology mix
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 95%
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 5%

NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.

Amenities

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
5 in locality
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
None
Waterways
3 in locality
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Dandaragan: council population

The whole council area, not just Hill River · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
4,089
+3.9% in a year
Change
+154
people since 2024
Density
0.6
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+5
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+103
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+46
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
5/10
4/10 within WA
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
7/10
6/10 within WA
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
5/10
5/10 within WA
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Hill River is home to 107 residents, with a median age of 48, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $102,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

107

15.1% since 2016

Median Age

48

4.3% since 2016

Median Household Income

$102,336/yr

35.0% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$110/wk

Census Median Mortgage

$1,086/mo

0.3% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.7

12.5% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$51,064/yr

27.9% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

0.0%

Unoccupied Dwellings

9.8%

52.2% since 2016

Total Dwellings

41

5.1% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

80.6%

2.8% since 2016

Houses

87.8%

12.2% since 2016

Rental Stress

5.6%

Mortgage Stress

12.7%

25.7% since 2016

Work From Home

39.7%

61.4% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 36 (87.8%)
Flats / Apartments 5 (12.2%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 18 (58.1%)
Mortgage 7 (22.6%)
Renting 6 (19.4%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
85.0%
English Spoken at Home
93.5%
Employment Rate
75.3%
13.0% since 2016
Completed Year 12
46.7%

Occupations

Managers 36 (59.0%)
Labourers 6 (9.8%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 6 (9.8%)
Technicians & Trades 4 (6.6%)

Religion

No Religion 56 (52.3%)
Christianity 43 (40.2%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 8 (7.5%)
New Zealand 4 (3.7%)

Age Distribution

0-4 10 (9.3%)
5-14 11 (10.3%)
15-19 4 (3.7%)
20-24 7 (6.5%)
25-34 5 (4.7%)
35-44 11 (10.3%)
45-54 9 (8.4%)
55-64 15 (14.0%)
65-74 17 (15.9%)
75-84 13 (12.1%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 15 (83.3%)
Lone Person 3 (16.7%)

Commute to Work

Worked from Home 25 (39.7%)
Car (driver) 18 (28.6%)
Walked Only 14 (22.2%)
Car (passenger) 6 (9.5%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 22 (20.6%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9 (8.4%)
Bachelor Degree 6 (5.6%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 8 (19.5%)
2 cars 10 (24.4%)
3 cars 15 (36.6%)
4+ cars 8 (19.5%)

Council Rates

Dandaragan
FY 2023-24

Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,912 a year through Dandaragan based on 2023 figures.

Avg residential rate
$2,912/yr
Valuation basis
Gross Rental Value / Unimproved Value
GRV for urban, UV for rural/mining

Building Approvals: Dandaragan

The whole council area, not just Hill River · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 58 new dwellings were approved across Dandaragan. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are down 21.4% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
58dwellings
-21.4% YoY
Houses
58
detached dwellings
Units
0
townhouses + apartments

Climate & Setting

from Badgingarra Research Stn, 25.3 km

Dry climate — very hot summers, mild winters.

Elevation
119 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
24.0 km
Annual rainfall
417 mm
54 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
34.0°C
55 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
8.0°C
0 frost days ≤ 0°C

Elevation is the ground at the locality centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.

EV adoption

0.0%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021

In postcode 6521, 0 of 520 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 0.6% (3 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 0.6%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.00%
2024
0.00%
2025
0.00%

Rooftop solar

48
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 11.1 kW each

In postcode 6521, 100 rooftop-solar systems totalling 1.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 206 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 1 went up in the last year.

Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
13
2020
10
2021
5
2022
5
2023
4
2024
5
2025
3
2026
1

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$10,000 for new homes priced up to $800,000.

Cap is $800,000 SOUTH of the 26th parallel (which includes all of metropolitan Perth) and $1,000,000 NORTH of it. We store the southern figure because that is where almost every buyer is; the northern cap is higher, so the stored value never overstates eligibility. The southern cap rose from $750,000 on 7 May 2026 in the 2026-27 Housing Taxation Package. The same package moved the first home owner RATE OF DUTY thresholds, which is a different scheme and lives in the web repo's app/stamp_duty.py.

Verify eligibility with Department of Finance WA

Federal Electorate

Division of Durack

Currently held by Melissa Price Liberal

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Melissa Price 39.9% 60.1% -5.5
2022 Melissa Price 45.7% 54.3% -9.2
2019 Melissa Price 35.2% 64.8% +3.7

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Mid-West District

Currently held by Shane Love The Nationals WA

Next state election: 10 March 2029.

Year Winner Won with
2025 Shane Love NP 63.7%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2023, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Western Australian Electoral Commission.

Looking at a specific address in Hill River?

Every figure above is a locality average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.

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Nearby suburbs

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Common questions about Hill River

Is Hill River a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Hill River is low (11/100, ranked against other WA suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Hill River?

Hill River has a moderate recorded bushfire history (61/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). No mapped flood overlay applies. These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Hill River?

Hill River, WA had a population of 107 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Hill River, WA?

The postcode for Hill River, WA is 6521.

How far is Hill River from Perth?

Hill River is 245 km from Perth CBD by road, about 165 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Hill River?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Hill River was $102,336 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.

What is the median weekly rent in Hill River?

There are too few current rental listings in Hill River for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $110, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Hill River?

The median age of residents in Hill River was 48 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Hill River at risk of bushfire?

Hill River has a moderate recorded bushfire history (61/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.

What is the weather like in Hill River?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Hill River, Badgingarra Research Stn (25.3 km away), summer days average 34°C, winter nights 8°C, 417 mm of rain a year over 54 rainy days, and 55 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Hill River?

First-home buyers in WA may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $800,000. The grant is administered by Department of Finance WA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does Hill River belong to?

Hill River sits within the Dandaragan local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Hill River?

The average residential rates bill through Dandaragan is $2,912 a year (2023). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Hill River?

Across Dandaragan, 58 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 21.4% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Which federal electorate is Hill River in?

Hill River sits within the federal Division of Durack, currently held by Melissa Price (Liberal).

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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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