Girrawheen, WA 6064Home loan and property guide

Girrawheen location and character

Girrawheen sits at the southern edge of the City of Wanneroo, about 12 km north of the Perth CBD. It is bounded by Marangaroo Drive to the north, Mirrabooka Avenue to the east, Beach Road to the south and Wanneroo Road to the west. Marangaroo and Koondoola are its City of Wanneroo neighbours, Balga and Mirrabooka lie across the boundary in the City of Stirling, and Hamersley and Warwick, the latter in the City of Joondalup, are to the west beyond Wanneroo Road.

The City of Wanneroo's heritage inventory records that Girrawheen was established in 1970 as a predominantly public housing suburb, and that its name is an eastern states Aboriginal word meaning place of flowers. From 1998 the state government's New North project refurbished older public housing across Girrawheen, Koondoola, Balga and Westminster, selling some homes to buyers and retaining others as social housing. When the project was completed in 2016, the government described its aims as reducing public housing density and widening home ownership.

Transport and amenity in Girrawheen

Girrawheen has no railway station. The nearest is Warwick Station, in Warwick on the Yanchep Line, and Public Transport Authority route data shows routes 448, 450 and 451 linking the suburb with it, with routes 450 and 451 continuing east to Ballajura Station on the Ellenbrook Line. Transperth lists route 970, which runs along Mirrabooka Avenue to Perth Busport, among its high frequency services, and routes 386 and 389 also run to the Busport, via Girrawheen Avenue and Wanneroo Road respectively.

Routes 374, 375 and 377 connect the suburb with Mirrabooka Bus Station, beside the Mirrabooka secondary centre in the City of Stirling. By road, Wanneroo Road and Mirrabooka Avenue run south towards central Perth, and Beach Road leads west to the Mitchell Freeway at Warwick. Most of the suburb is a bus ride from any station, so commuters may wish to check the routes serving a particular street.

State planning policy identifies a district centre within Girrawheen, and the City's Girrawheen Hub, library and community centre on Patrick Court are the main civic facilities. The City plans to redevelop that precinct: Council resolved in March 2026 to call tenders, and as at September 2026 the City reports that submissions are being evaluated, with a decision expected to go to Council in October 2026 and any award subject to budget funding. Six schools operate in the suburb, including Girrawheen Senior High School.

Housing stock in Girrawheen

Most of Girrawheen's housing dates from the 1970s and early 1980s. The City's heritage inventory describes one Homeswest cluster on Roxwell Way, single-storey face brick units with tile roofs approved in 1980, as a typical example of late twentieth century public housing in the district. Three-bedroom homes are by far the most common size. Some former public housing was refurbished before sale under the New North project, while other houses have had little work, so condition varies widely.

Newer dwellings are mainly the result of infill. Dual density coding across most of the suburb allows, subject to the scheme's requirements, an original lot to be redeveloped with two or more villas or townhouses, usually on survey-strata or built strata titles. Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings therefore form a larger share of the stock than the national average, whereas apartments are almost absent. Inspections of original houses commonly examine roofs, wiring, plumbing, asbestos-containing materials and any unapproved additions.

Who lives and buys in Girrawheen

The 2021 Census counted 8,897 residents in Girrawheen, with a median age of 36 against 38 for Australia and an average household size of 2.6 people compared with 2.5 nationally. Residents aged 25 to 34 formed the largest age group, at 1,361 people. Of 3,269 occupied private dwellings, 2,510 were separate houses, 733 were semi-detached or townhouse dwellings and only 16 were flats or apartments. Houses made up 76.8 per cent of occupied homes and townhouses 22.4 per cent, against 72.3 per cent and 12.6 per cent nationally.

Renting is more common than the national pattern. The Census recorded 1,240 dwellings owned with a mortgage, 1,115 rented and 802 owned outright, so 38.7 per cent of households with a stated tenure had a mortgage, 34.8 per cent rented and 25.0 per cent owned outright, against 35.0 per cent, 30.6 per cent and 31.0 per cent across Australia. Three-bedroom homes numbered 2,210, about two-thirds of all occupied dwellings. Median weekly rent was $293 against $375 nationally, and median monthly mortgage repayments were $1,400 against $1,863.

For a buyer, these figures describe a younger, lower-income suburb with a substantial rental market. Median weekly household income was $1,239, compared with $1,746 nationally, and both rents and mortgage repayments sat well below the national medians at the time. First home buyers and investors are the most likely purchasers, the former drawn to three-bedroom houses and newer villas and the latter to tenanted houses and to lots with subdivision potential.

Planning, infill and hazard mapping in Girrawheen

Planning is governed by the City of Wanneroo District Planning Scheme No. 2. The City's Local Planning Policy 3.1 implements its Local Housing Strategy and names Girrawheen-Koondoola as one of the housing precincts where higher density is directed to locations close to services and infrastructure. State scheme mapping now shows most residential land in Girrawheen with dual codes of R20/40 or R20/60, and pockets of R40 and R60. Which code applies to a lot depends on the scheme's requirements, so buyers may wish to confirm with the City.

The City states that it generally does not support recoding individual lots outside its housing precincts, and that development potential also depends on site layout, access and subdivision approval from the Western Australian Planning Commission. Heritage controls are light. No place in Girrawheen is on the State Register of Heritage Places, and the City's Local Heritage Survey records only a few places, among them Girrawheen Senior High School, Our Lady of Mercy Church and a group of public housing units on Roxwell Way.

The state Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas, the latest version of which took effect on 13 December 2025, designates strips along the western edge near Wanneroo Road and part of the eastern side near Mirrabooka Avenue, close to bushland reserves. A Bushfire Attack Level assessment may be required for new building work there. State floodplain mapping does not extend into Girrawheen, and the suburb is outside the area mapped for Perth Airport aircraft noise. Wanneroo Road, Beach Road and Mirrabooka Avenue are mapped as significant traffic routes under State Planning Policy 5.4.

Buying a house, villa or subdivided lot in Girrawheen

Private sales in Girrawheen proceed on an offer and acceptance form. Consumer Protection WA explains that the signed form becomes a binding contract once all terms are agreed, and that Western Australia has no mandatory seller disclosure statement and no mandatory cooling-off period. For houses that may be half a century old, conditions making the offer subject to finance approval and to satisfactory building and timber pest inspections carry particular weight.

Titles deserve attention where a lot has been subdivided. A villa or rear dwelling may be on a green title, a survey-strata lot with a shared driveway as common property, or an older built strata, and Consumer Protection WA notes that the seller of a strata lot must provide the strata plan and by-laws before the buyer signs. Any deposit is negotiated and held in trust until settlement. Transfer duty is assessed by RevenueWA, with a first home owner rate whose value thresholds were raised for transactions entered into from 7 May 2026.

Home loan considerations for Girrawheen property

Standard houses, villas and townhouses on their own titles are generally acceptable security. Some lenders and mortgage insurers keep internal lists of postcodes or property types to which they apply lower maximum loan-to-value ratios, and these lists change, so a buyer relying on a small deposit may wish to ask a broker or lender early whether any such policy affects the property. Valuers will comment on the condition of an unrenovated dwelling and on any shared driveway.

Buyers planning to subdivide or build a second dwelling will usually need a construction loan drawn down in stages against a fixed-price building contract, and lenders may ask to see planning and subdivision approvals first. A valuation is normally based on the property as it stands, not on its development potential. Where the deposit is small, lenders mortgage insurance is likely to apply, and eligible first home buyers may be able to use the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme.

Lending considerations for Girrawheen

• Some lenders and mortgage insurers apply lower maximum loan-to-value ratios to particular postcodes or property types, so policy is worth checking before an offer is made.
• Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, which makes finance and inspection conditions important for houses of this age.
• Unrenovated former public housing may attract valuer comment on condition, and repairs flagged in a building report can affect the amount a lender will advance.
• Subdividing or adding a second dwelling usually requires a construction loan with staged drawdowns, and lenders value the property as it stands.
• Survey-strata and built strata lots are generally accepted as security, although shared driveways and common property may be noted in the valuation.
• With a small deposit, lenders mortgage insurance is likely to apply unless the buyer is eligible for the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme.

Lender policy differs between institutions and changes over time. The guide to Australian lenders explains how credit policy varies, and the home loan guide sets out the main loan structures.