Cockburn Central vs WellardTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Cockburn Central (WA 6164) is approximately 24 km south of the Perth CBD, on the Kwinana Freeway and the Mandurah line. Wellard (WA 6170) is approximately 37 km south of the Perth CBD, around Wellard station. At the 2021 Census, Cockburn Central had 1,521 residents with a median age of 31, and Wellard had 14,127 residents with a median age of 31.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Cockburn Central and separate houses in Wellard. Flats and apartments made up 73% of occupied dwellings in Cockburn Central and 2% in Wellard, while 63% of Cockburn Central households rented compared with 26% in Wellard. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
WA 6164 · Southern suburbs of Perth
Cockburn Central
Cockburn Central is a transit-oriented suburb created in 2007 around its station, where 73.0 per cent of homes are apartments and 63.3 per cent of households rent.
City of Cockburn. Approximately 24 km south of the Perth CBD, on the Kwinana Freeway and the Mandurah line.
Read the full Cockburn Central guideWA 6170 · Southern suburbs of Perth
Wellard
Wellard is a City of Kwinana suburb built around Perth's first transit-oriented development, which grew more than fourfold in the decade to 2021.
City of Kwinana. Approximately 37 km south of the Perth CBD, around Wellard station.
Read the full Wellard guide
What buying in Cockburn Central and Wellard would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Cockburn Central and Wellard.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Cockburn Central to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Wellard to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Cockburn Central and Wellard: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Cockburn Central | Wellard |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 1,521 | 14,127 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 31 | 31 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 1.9 | 3.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,626 | $2,115 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $355 | $350 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,517 | $1,902 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 63% | 26% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 26% | 65% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 9% | 9% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 27% | 95% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 1% | 2% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 73% | 2% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 71% | 5% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 18% | 62% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 13% | 6% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Cockburn Central and Wellard
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Cockburn Central
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Single-development exposure limits bind readily in a suburb of only 745 occupied dwellings.
- One and two bedroom dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power.
- Renting at 63.3 per cent means most purchases are assessed as investment lending.
- An older industrial area sits alongside the residential town centre.
Wellard
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Outright ownership of only 9.1 per cent means budgets are highly sensitive to changes in repayments.
- High loan-to-value borrowing is common, so lenders mortgage insurance or the 5% Deposit Scheme is often relevant.
- The development will ultimately hold 1,700 households, so new stock continues to compete with resales.
- Construction loans are drawn in stages and valued on an as-if-complete basis.
- Developer encumbrances controlling design and external appearance may remain registered on titles.
Housing stock in Cockburn Central and Wellard compared
Cockburn Central
- High-rise apartments
- The 544 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 73.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- One and two bedroom dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 379 dwellings had two bedrooms and 149 had one.
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 200 at the 2021 Census, only 26.8 per cent of occupied homes.
Wellard
- Four-bedroom estate homes
- The dominant size at 2,612 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, with 246 more having five or more bedrooms.
- Three-bedroom houses
- The 1,446 three-bedroom dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, with only 201 two-bedroom homes.
- Apartments near the station
- The 107 flats counted at the 2021 Census form part of the transit-oriented development around the station.
Official sale price and rent figures for Cockburn Central and Wellard
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Cockburn Central
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Cockburn Central, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Wellard
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Wellard, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Cockburn Central and Wellard
Cockburn Central
Transport
- Cockburn Central Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Kwinana Freeway (road)
- Armadale Road (road)
Amenities
- Cockburn ARC
- Cockburn Gateway shopping centre
- Cockburn Central town square
Wellard
Transport
- Wellard Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Kwinana Freeway (road)
Amenities
- The Village at Wellard
- Kwinana town centre
- Wellard local reserves
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Western Australia education department.
Compare Cockburn Central or Wellard with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Cockburn Central or Wellard
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Cockburn Central and Wellard, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.