Medina, WA 6167Home loan and property guide

Medina location and character

Medina lies 32 kilometres south of central Perth within the City of Kwinana, adjoining Orelia, Kwinana Beach, Calista and Parmelia. It was the first developed of the Kwinana suburbs named after ships carrying settlers to the Swan River Colony in 1829 and 1830.

The Medina arrived at Fremantle on 6 July 1830 with 51 passengers on board. The ship's name is believed to be derived from the River Medina on the Isle of Wight, and was approved as a suburb name in 1953. Streets were named after passengers and crew, such as Pace Road after Captain Walter Pace, and Ridley Green, Ridley Way and Ridley Court after passenger Mary Eliza Ridley.

Medina is a well-established suburb, designed in the early 1950s by Margaret Feilman, Perth's first female town planner. It was the first of Kwinana's four neighbourhood units developed to meet the housing needs of the newly established industrial area, which makes it a planned suburb of genuine historical interest rather than ordinary estate development.

Transport and amenity in Medina

There is no railway station in Medina. Kwinana station on the Mandurah line lies about 32.9 kilometres from Perth by rail and is reached by bus or car. The Mandurah line is 70.8 kilometres long with thirteen stations and operates as a through service with the Yanchep line to the north.

Transperth buses connect Medina to Kwinana station and the Kwinana town centre, and the surrounding suburbs of Orelia, Calista and Parmelia are all within short reach. By road, the Kwinana Freeway provides the route north to Perth.

The Kwinana town centre supplies the main shopping and civic facilities for the district, with local shops serving daily needs. Schools operate in the suburb and its neighbours, and this guide does not describe school catchments, which the Department of Education or the school concerned can confirm.

Housing stock in Medina

Medina's housing dates largely from the 1950s neighbourhood unit design, with later infill. The original housing was built to meet the needs of industrial workers, so dwellings are generally modest in size, and the suburb has a higher share of smaller homes than its Kwinana neighbours.

At the 2021 Census, 933 of the 1,007 occupied private dwellings were separate houses, 69 were flats or apartments and just 6 were semi-detached or townhouse dwellings, so houses made up 92.7 per cent of occupied homes against 72.3 per cent nationally. Three-bedroom homes numbered 512 and two-bedroom homes 263, with only 136 having four bedrooms.

Inspections in stock of this age commonly consider roof condition, cracking associated with ground movement, original wiring and plumbing, and asbestos-containing materials, which are likely in dwellings of the 1950s. The approval status of any later additions is worth confirming.

Who lives and buys in Medina

The 2021 Census counted 2,260 residents in Medina, with a median age of 42 against 38 for Australia and an average household size of 2.1 people compared with 2.5 nationally. Adults aged 45 to 54 were the largest group at 332, followed by 326 aged 55 to 64 and 317 aged 35 to 44.

Mortgaged ownership leads, with renting close behind. The Census recorded 412 dwellings owned with a mortgage, 336 rented and 227 owned outright, so 41.6 per cent of households with a stated tenure had a mortgage, 33.9 per cent rented and 22.9 per cent owned outright, against 35.0, 30.6 and 31.0 per cent nationally.

Median weekly household income was $1,062 against $1,746, median monthly mortgage repayments were $1,200 against $1,863 and median weekly rent was $270 against $375. For a buyer, this is among the most affordable markets in these guides, with a smaller housing stock than its neighbours and, at 1,007 occupied dwellings, few listings in any period.

Planning, heritage and local factors in Medina

Development is controlled by the City of Kwinana's local planning scheme together with the Residential Design Codes. Because Medina was designed as a complete neighbourhood unit in the early 1950s, its street layout, open space and lot pattern follow a deliberate plan rather than incremental subdivision, which is worth understanding before assuming redevelopment potential.

The suburb's planning significance is real. It was designed by Margaret Feilman, Perth's first female town planner, and was the first of Kwinana's four neighbourhood units. Buyers considering substantial alterations may wish to confirm whether any heritage or character provisions apply to a specific property or to the layout more generally.

The Kwinana industrial strip lies to the west along the coast, and it is the reason the suburb was built. Industrial proximity can affect amenity through traffic, activity and air quality depending on conditions, and some lenders take a more conservative view of residential security near heavy industry.

Buying in Medina under Western Australian contract law

Established houses in Western Australia are normally sold by offer and acceptance. Consumer Protection WA explains that the signed form becomes a binding contract once the seller accepts, and that there is no mandatory cooling-off period, so conditions for finance approval and for building and timber pest inspections need to be written into the offer before signing.

There is no mandatory seller disclosure statement in Western Australia, which matters both for industrial proximity and for the condition of 1950s housing. Independent enquiries and a thorough building inspection are therefore important, particularly given the likelihood of asbestos-containing materials in dwellings of that era. Transfer duty is assessed by RevenueWA.

Home loan considerations for Medina property

Detached houses on standard lots are accepted security, but three local factors deserve attention. Some lenders apply additional scrutiny in suburbs with a high concentration of former public housing, which can appear as a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio or a more conservative valuation, and Medina's origins as worker housing make that worth confirming early.

Because the suburb is small, with 1,007 occupied dwellings, comparable sales evidence is thin, so a valuer may look to Orelia, Calista or Parmelia and valuations can be less predictable. Smaller dwellings, including the 263 two-bedroom homes, may also fall below the minimum floor areas some lenders require, and with median household income well below the national figure serviceability is usually the binding constraint.

Lending considerations for Medina

• Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio where former public housing is concentrated.
• The suburb is small, with 1,007 occupied dwellings, so comparable sales evidence is thin.
• Smaller two-bedroom dwellings may fall below the minimum floor area some lenders require.
• Asbestos-containing materials are likely in 1950s housing, which inspections and insurers consider.
• The Kwinana industrial strip to the west can affect amenity and lender appetite for nearby security.

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.