Cook vs HawkerTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Cook (ACT 2614) is approximately 8 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, in southern Belconnen. Hawker (ACT 2614) is approximately 10 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, in western Belconnen. At the 2021 Census, Cook had 2,965 residents with a median age of 42, and Hawker had 3,008 residents with a median age of 42.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 3% of occupied dwellings in Cook and 20% in Hawker, while 24% of Cook households rented compared with 23% in Hawker. 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.
ACT 2614 · Belconnen
Cook
Cook is a southern Belconnen suburb gazetted in 1968 and named after two men, with a large townhouse share and 40.6 per cent owning outright.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 8 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, in southern Belconnen.
Read the full Cook guideACT 2614 · Belconnen
Hawker
Hawker is a Belconnen suburb gazetted in 1972 with an unusually large apartment share for the district, where 44.9 per cent of households own outright.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 10 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, in western Belconnen.
Read the full Hawker guide
What buying in Cook and Hawker 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 Cook and Hawker.
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 Cook to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Hawker 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.
Cook and Hawker: 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 | Cook | Hawker |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 2,965 | 3,008 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 42 | 42 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,269 | $2,251 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $440 | $375 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,167 | $2,000 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 24% | 23% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 35% | 31% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 41% | 45% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 60% | 67% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 36% | 12% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 3% | 20% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 25% | 23% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 30% | 47% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 5% | 5% |
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 Cook and Hawker
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.
Cook
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Complexes from the late 1960s warrant close review of sinking fund adequacy.
- A special levy for major works is a real possibility at this stage of a complex's life.
- Single-development exposure limits apply to any particular townhouse complex.
- The 1968 gazettal falls at the start of the loose-fill asbestos period.
- Only 35 flats exist, so attached evidence comes from townhouses alone.
Hawker
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Single-development exposure limits matter where one complex is a large share of attached stock.
- Two and one bedroom dwellings can meet a lender's minimum internal floor area requirement.
- Complexes of this age warrant close review of sinking fund adequacy.
- Buildings near the group centre may sit on leases permitting mixed commercial use.
- The 1972 gazettal falls within the loose-fill asbestos installation period.
Housing stock in Cook and Hawker compared
Cook
- Detached houses from the late 1960s
- Separate houses numbered 746 at the 2021 Census, 60.3 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses
- At 448 dwellings, or 36.2 per cent of occupied homes, nearly three times the national share.
- Three bedroom homes
- At 534 dwellings, the most common size recorded at the 2021 Census.
Hawker
- Large detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 788 at the 2021 Census, 66.7 per cent of occupied homes.
- Apartments
- The 237 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 20.1 per cent of occupied homes, unusual for Belconnen.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 401 dwellings had four bedrooms and 154 had five or more.
Official sale price and rent figures for Cook and Hawker
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.
Cook
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Cook, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Hawker
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Hawker, 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 Cook and Hawker
Cook
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Belconnen Way (road)
- Bindubi Street (road)
Amenities
- Jamison Centre
- Cook shops
- Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve
Hawker
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Belconnen Way (road)
- Springvale Drive (road)
Amenities
- Hawker group centre
- Belconnen Town Centre
- Hawker playing fields
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the ACT education department.
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Request a free assessment: Cook or Hawker
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