Upper Capel WA 6239

Located in Western Australia, Upper Capel sits 212 km from Perth CBD, around 2 hours 25 minutes by car. The locality has 177 residents, a median age of 48, and a median household income of $82,316 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The locality fell 6.3% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,647. Upper Capel is characterised by high bushfire risk. 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 177. 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 Upper Capel?

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Our score

Not enough data to score this locality.

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Short-Stay Rentals

2 active Airbnb listings: 2 whole homes and 0 rooms.

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

Upper Capel 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 Upper Capel.

22
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
87
Technology mix
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 52%
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 48%

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
None
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
None
Waterways
1 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

Donnybrook-Balingup: council population

The whole council area, not just Upper Capel · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
6,698
+1.4% in a year
Change
+90
people since 2024
Density
4.3
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+15
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+46
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+29
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
9/10
8/10 within WA
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
10/10
9/10 within WA
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
7/10
7/10 within WA
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Upper Capel is home to 177 residents, with a median age of 48, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $82,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.6%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

177

6.3% since 2016

Median Age

48

6.7% since 2016

Median Household Income

$82,316/yr

6.2% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$300/wk

150.0% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,647/mo

6.3% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.8

12.0% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$39,416/yr

23.9% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

5.6%

30.2% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

0.0%

Total Dwellings

61

3.4% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

93.4%

13.5% since 2016

Houses

96.7%

1.9% since 2016

Rental Stress

19.0%

167.6% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

24.0%

no change since 2016

Work From Home

24.6%

31.6% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 59 (96.7%)
Flats / Apartments 2 (3.3%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 31 (50.8%)
Mortgage 26 (42.6%)
Renting 4 (6.6%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
78.0%
English Spoken at Home
92.1%
Employment Rate
62.2%
0.5% since 2016
Completed Year 12
47.5%

Occupations

Managers 22 (24.2%)
Technicians & Trades 15 (16.5%)
Professionals 13 (14.3%)
Labourers 10 (11.0%)
Community & Personal Service 8 (8.8%)
Sales 5 (5.5%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 5 (5.5%)
Clerical & Administrative 4 (4.4%)

Religion

No Religion 94 (53.1%)
Christianity 73 (41.2%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 12 (6.8%)
New Zealand 6 (3.4%)
South Africa 3 (1.7%)
Zimbabwe 3 (1.7%)

Age Distribution

0-4 7 (4.0%)
5-14 22 (12.4%)
15-19 10 (5.6%)
20-24 9 (5.1%)
25-34 13 (7.3%)
35-44 21 (11.9%)
45-54 21 (11.9%)
55-64 25 (14.1%)
65-74 33 (18.6%)
75-84 4 (2.3%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 31 (68.9%)
Lone Person 10 (22.2%)
One Parent Families 4 (8.9%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 42 (60.9%)
Worked from Home 17 (24.6%)
Car (passenger) 7 (10.1%)
Walked Only 3 (4.3%)

Education

Bachelor Degree 31 (17.5%)
Certificate III & IV 31 (17.5%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 14 (7.9%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5 (2.8%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 9 (14.8%)
2 cars 24 (39.3%)
3 cars 21 (34.4%)
4+ cars 7 (11.5%)

Council Rates

Donnybrook-Balingup
FY 2023-24

Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,680 a year through Donnybrook-Balingup based on 2023 figures.

Avg residential rate
$2,680/yr
Valuation basis
Gross Rental Value / Unimproved Value
GRV for urban, UV for rural/mining

Building Approvals: Donnybrook-Balingup

The whole council area, not just Upper Capel · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 35 new dwellings were approved across Donnybrook-Balingup. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are up 50.0% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
35dwellings
+50.0% YoY
Houses
35
detached dwellings
Units
0
townhouses + apartments

Climate & Setting

from Donnybrook, 10.6 km

Moderate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.

Elevation
115 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
31.3 km
Annual rainfall
851 mm
90 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
30.9°C
21 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
6.7°C
1 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

0.4%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.2 points this year

In postcode 6239, 19 of 5,037 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.5% (77 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.9%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.07%
2023
0.06%
2024
0.18%
2025
0.38%

Rooftop solar

75
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 5.8 kW each

In postcode 6239, 1,417 rooftop-solar systems totalling 8.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,892 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 74 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
82
2020
82
2021
121
2022
108
2023
102
2024
82
2025
60
2026
44

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 O'connor

Currently held by Rick Wilson Liberal

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Rick Wilson 36.7% 63.3% -6.6
2022 Rick Wilson 43.0% 57.0% -8.4
2019 Rick Wilson 35.5% 64.5% -0.6

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

Collie-Preston District

Currently held by Jodie Hanns WA Labor

Next state election: 10 March 2029.

Year Winner Won with
2025 Jodie Hanns ALP 54.3%
2021 Jodie Hanns ALP 73.4%
2017 Mick Murray ALP 64.7%

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 Upper Capel?

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 Upper Capel

Is Upper Capel a safe place to live?

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

What natural hazards affect Upper Capel?

Upper Capel has a moderate recorded bushfire history (66/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a low share of it (16/100). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Upper Capel?

Upper Capel, WA had a population of 177 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Upper Capel, WA?

The postcode for Upper Capel, WA is 6239.

How far is Upper Capel from Perth?

Upper Capel is 212 km from Perth CBD by road, about 147 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Upper Capel?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Upper Capel was $82,316 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 Upper Capel?

There are too few current rental listings in Upper Capel for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $300, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Upper Capel?

The median age of residents in Upper Capel was 48 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Upper Capel at risk of bushfire?

Upper Capel has a moderate recorded bushfire history (66/100). 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 Upper Capel?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Upper Capel, Donnybrook (10.6 km away), summer days average 30.9°C, winter nights 6.7°C, 851 mm of rain a year over 90 rainy days, and 21 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Upper Capel?

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 Upper Capel belong to?

Upper Capel sits within the Donnybrook-Balingup local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Upper Capel?

The average residential rates bill through Donnybrook-Balingup is $2,680 a year (2023). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Upper Capel?

Across Donnybrook-Balingup, 35 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 50.0% 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 Upper Capel in?

Upper Capel sits within the federal Division of O'connor, currently held by Rick Wilson (Liberal).

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