Maddington, WA 6109Home loan and property guide

Maddington location and character

Maddington lies in the City of Gosnells, south-east of the Perth CBD, and adjoins Kenwick, Thornlie, Gosnells, Martin and Orange Grove. The Canning River runs along its south-western side, Tonkin Highway forms the eastern boundary, and Albany Highway and the Armadale Line pass through the south-western part of the suburb. The City records that the name comes from Maddington Park, one of the river-front properties granted from 1829 and later subdivided. Maddington Homestead on Burslem Drive is entered on the State Register of Heritage Places.

The suburb has two distinct parts. The northern and north-western land is largely zoned for industry under the Metropolitan Region Scheme, and the northernmost land forms part of the Maddington Kenwick Strategic Employment Area. The southern and eastern parts are residential, with Maddington Central, the station and commercial strips along the highway toward the river, and quieter housing streets extending east to Tonkin Highway.

Transport and amenity in Maddington

Maddington Station is on the Transperth Armadale Line, which reopened on 13 October 2025 after the shutdown for METRONET works and now runs from Perth to a new terminus at Byford. Public Transport Authority route data show buses from the station to Murdoch, Nicholson Road, Gosnells and Thornlie stations. Since 6 September 2026, new Route 227 has connected Maddington Central and the station with Kenwick, Beckenham Station, Cannington Station and Westfield Carousel. Route 220 follows Albany Highway between the Perth Busport and Armadale Station.

Maddington Central, on the corner of Burslem Drive and Attfield Street, is the main shopping centre and lists Coles, Woolworths and Kmart among its major stores. Harmony Fields, near Tonkin Highway, has two ovals, an all abilities playground, exercise equipment and fenced dog enclosures, and smaller reserves such as Ashford Park serve individual neighbourhoods. The City of Gosnells also works with state agencies to improve the environmental health of Bickley Brook in Maddington and Kenwick.

Government schools in the suburb are Maddington Primary School, East Maddington Primary School, Bramfield Park Primary School, Maddington Education Support Centre and Yule Brook College, which takes secondary students. There is no hospital in Maddington. The Public Transport Authority records Route 220 as deviating by way of Armadale Health Service, the public hospital in Mount Nasura. Transperth advises that not all bus services operate on weekends and public holidays.

Housing stock in Maddington

Detached houses dominate, but Maddington has more grouped housing than most nearby suburbs. Older stock is mainly single-storey, three-bedroom housing on full-sized lots, in conditions that range from original to fully renovated. Over time many of those lots have been redeveloped as strata titled villas, duplexes and townhouses in small groups, and a modest number of flats complete the mix.

Local Planning Scheme No. 24 continues this pattern. Most residential land is coded R20, R25 or R30, with R40 and R60 in places and codes of R100 and R160 on land near the station and Maddington Central, where a regional centre zone applies. Central Maddington and the Maddington Road precincts have development contribution plans, so an owner who subdivides or develops there contributes to shared infrastructure and public open space. For older houses, inspections commonly focus on roofs, wiring, plumbing, footings and materials containing asbestos.

Who lives and buys in Maddington

The 2021 Census counted 12,419 residents in Maddington, with a median age of 35 against 38 for Australia and an average household size of 2.7 people compared with 2.5 nationally. Of 4,282 occupied private dwellings, 3,604 were separate houses, 474 were semi-detached, terrace or townhouse dwellings and 165 were flats or apartments. Houses therefore made up 84.2 per cent of occupied homes and semi-detached dwellings 11.1 per cent, against national shares of 72.3 per cent and 12.6 per cent. Three-bedroom homes were the most common size, at 2,242 dwellings.

The Census recorded 1,905 dwellings owned with a mortgage, 1,200 rented and 990 owned outright, so 45.2 per cent of households with a stated tenure had a mortgage, 28.5 per cent rented and 23.5 per cent owned outright. The renting share was a little below the national figure of 30.6 per cent, while the mortgaged share was well above the national 35 per cent. Median weekly household income was $1,364 against $1,746 nationally, median weekly rent was $300 against $375, and median monthly mortgage repayments were $1,509 against $1,863.

For a buyer, these figures describe a suburb of younger households with mortgages and modest incomes, where housing costs were well below national medians when the Census was taken. First home buyers and investors are the natural purchasers of three-bedroom houses and villas, downsizers use the villa market close to the shops and the station, and the 1,311 four-bedroom homes give upgraders some choice. The figures predate the reopening of the Armadale Line.

Planning, flood and bushfire mapping in Maddington

Local Planning Scheme No. 24 was endorsed by the Minister for Planning on 8 September 2025 and gazetted on 30 September 2025. It applies to all of the City except the Maddington Kenwick Strategic Employment Area, which stays under Town Planning Scheme No. 6. The Heritage List kept under the new scheme includes several early Maddington houses. Buyers considering a lot with redevelopment potential may wish to confirm the density code, any contribution area and any heritage listing with the City.

Flooding is a mapped consideration along the river. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's floodplain mapping shows a 1 in 100 annual exceedance probability floodplain, with a floodway and flood fringe, along the Canning River on Maddington's south-western side, drawn from Canning River flood studies. The greater part of the suburb is outside the mapped area. Purchasers of property near the river may wish to view the floodplain mapping tool and ask the City what floor levels or other building controls apply.

The current Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas, in effect from 13 December 2025, designates parts of Maddington, chiefly land along the river, a band beside Tonkin Highway and rural or undeveloped land in the north. Much of the established housing area is undesignated. Within a designated area, new building work may need a Bushfire Attack Level assessment and construction to a higher standard. State mapping of Perth Airport noise contours under State Planning Policy 5.1 does not extend into Maddington.

Buying in Maddington: houses, villas and strata documents

Sales in Maddington generally proceed by offer and acceptance. Consumer Protection WA explains that the signed form is a binding contract, that Western Australia has no mandatory cooling-off period and no mandatory seller disclosure statement, and that an offer made on an as is basis means the seller will not agree to special conditions. Most buyers therefore make the offer subject to finance approval and to building and timber pest inspections, using an inspection service that holds professional indemnity insurance.

Villas and townhouses add a second layer of checking. Consumer Protection WA notes that the seller of a strata titled lot must give the buyer prescribed information before the purchase, including the strata plan and the by-laws, and that owners pay levies and must follow the strata company's rules. Small groups may hold little in reserve. Transfer duty is assessed by RevenueWA, with a first home owner rate for eligible purchasers, and the stamp duty calculator on this site gives a general estimate.

Home loan considerations for Maddington property

Houses and villas in Maddington are acceptable security for most lenders. Lending policy is not uniform across locations: certain lenders and mortgage insurers apply lower maximum loan-to-value ratios in postcodes they classify as higher risk, so a buyer with a small deposit may wish to ask how postcode 6109 is treated before an offer becomes unconditional. Many purchases involve modest deposits, which makes lenders mortgage insurance or the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme part of the discussion. The deposit calculator on this site shows how duty and other costs sit alongside the deposit.

Property type matters as well. Small villas and flats can fall below the minimum internal floor area that some lenders set, strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments and so reduce borrowing power, and valuers may comment on condition, unapproved additions, or proximity to the railway, the highways or industrial premises. A buyer who pays a premium for subdivision potential may find that the valuation reflects the existing house alone. Flood or bushfire designation can also affect the cost of insurance.

Lending considerations for Maddington

• Certain lenders and mortgage insurers apply lower maximum loan-to-value ratios in some postcodes, so the treatment of postcode 6109 is worth confirming early.
• Buyers with modest deposits will usually need lenders mortgage insurance or, if eligible, a place in the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme.
• Small villas and flats can fall below a lender's minimum internal floor area, and strata levies are counted as an expense when borrowing capacity is assessed.
• A valuation normally reflects the existing dwelling, so a price that includes a premium for subdivision potential may not be fully supported.
• Valuers may note the condition of an older house, possible asbestos-containing materials or additions without approval, which can prompt a lender to request reports.
• Insurance can cost more within the mapped Canning River floodplain or a bush fire prone area, and lenders need cover in place by settlement.

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.