Dawesville vs Madora BayTwo Mandurah suburbs compared for a home loan
Dawesville (WA 6211) is approximately 80 km south of the Perth CBD, between the estuary and the ocean. Madora Bay (WA 6210) is approximately 66 km south of the Perth CBD, on the coast north of Mandurah. At the 2021 Census, Dawesville had 7,143 residents with a median age of 43, and Madora Bay had 3,830 residents with a median age of 36.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 2% of occupied dwellings in Dawesville and 0% in Madora Bay, while 15% of Dawesville households rented compared with 16% in Madora Bay. 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 6211 · Peel region
Dawesville
Dawesville is a Mandurah suburb beside the Peel-Harvey Estuary and the 1994 Dawesville Cut, with large homes and a fifth of dwellings unoccupied.
City of Mandurah. Approximately 80 km south of the Perth CBD, between the estuary and the ocean.
Read the full Dawesville guideWA 6210 · Peel region
Madora Bay
Madora Bay is a coastal Mandurah suburb of large modern homes where 59 per cent of households carry a mortgage and no apartments exist.
City of Mandurah. Approximately 66 km south of the Perth CBD, on the coast north of Mandurah.
Read the full Madora Bay guide
What buying in Dawesville and Madora Bay 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 Dawesville and Madora Bay.
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 Dawesville to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Madora Bay 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.
Dawesville and Madora Bay: 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 | Dawesville | Madora Bay |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 7,143 | 3,830 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 43 | 36 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.9 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,469 | $2,290 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $350 | $370 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,842 | $2,004 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 15% | 16% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 46% | 59% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 38% | 24% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 94% | 99% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 2% | 1% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 2% | 0% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 8% | 3% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 65% | 72% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 22% | 13% |
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 Dawesville and Madora Bay
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.
Dawesville
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- About 22 per cent of dwellings were unoccupied on Census night, reflecting substantial holiday ownership.
- Canal and waterfront homes have fewer comparable sales, so valuations can be less predictable.
- Building insurance on waterfront and low-lying land can differ in price and terms.
- Revetment walls, jetties and retaining structures are often owner responsibilities worth confirming.
- Some lenders apply different maximum loan-to-value ratios to regional locations than to metropolitan Perth.
Madora Bay
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Outright ownership of 24.5 per cent with 59.1 per cent mortgaged makes budgets repayment sensitive.
- No flats and only eight townhouses were recorded, so low-maintenance housing is unavailable.
- Building insurance for a coastal property can differ in price and terms, and lenders require cover at settlement.
- Some lenders apply different maximum loan-to-value ratios to regional locations than to metropolitan Perth.
- Census figures date from 2021, before Lakelands station opened in June 2023.
Housing stock in Dawesville and Madora Bay compared
Dawesville
- Large detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,396 at the 2021 Census, 94.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four-bedroom homes
- The dominant size at 1,483 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, with 169 more having five or more bedrooms.
- Canal and waterfront property
- Homes on canal or estuary frontage carry revetment, jetty and retaining responsibilities in many cases.
Madora Bay
- Modern detached family homes
- Separate houses numbered 1,281 at the 2021 Census, 98.8 per cent of occupied homes, with no flats at all.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 821 dwellings had four bedrooms and 111 had five or more, against only 37 with two.
- Coastal outlook properties
- Homes nearer the shore carry outlook but also coastal hazard policy and marine maintenance considerations.
Official sale price and rent figures for Dawesville and Madora Bay
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.
Dawesville
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Dawesville, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Madora Bay
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Madora Bay, 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 Dawesville and Madora Bay
Dawesville
Transport
- Mandurah Station (train)
- Old Coast Road (road)
- Transperth buses (bus)
Amenities
- Pyramids Beach
- Peel-Harvey Estuary
- Dawesville Cut
Madora Bay
Transport
- Lakelands Station (train)
- Mandurah Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Mandurah Road (road)
Amenities
- Madora Bay beach
- Madora Bay local shops
- Mandurah city centre
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.
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Request a free assessment: Dawesville or Madora Bay
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