Gosnells, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Gosnells lies about 20 kilometres south-east of central Perth and gives its name to the wider City of Gosnells, holding the council offices, library and railway station at its centre. The Noongar people lived across this country for thousands of years before Europeans arrived, and after 1829 farms began to spread along the Swan and Canning Rivers. In 1862 Charles Gosnell, a Londoner, bought the surrounding land from the Davis family. The gold rushes at Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie around 1890 drew newcomers to Western Australia and sharpened demand for land on Perth's fringe, and a group of developers acquired the holding — then known as Canning Location 16 — from Gosnell's estate. The name Gosnells was adopted for the district in 1907. The suburb sits on the Armadale railway line, with Albany Highway the main road link back towards the city, and shares the warm, dry-summer Mediterranean climate of the rest of Perth. Since 2000, public investment in new council offices, a library and a relocated station has helped revive the town centre. Those who have called Gosnells home include the cricketer Gerald Arthur and the gridiron player Mitch Wishnowsky.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Gosnells is more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 880, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Gosnells at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 21,149
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,254
- SEIFA score
- 880
- Coordinates
- -32.0876, 115.9950
Gosnells demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Gosnells using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 28%, 31% of homes are rented, and 39% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 4,312 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,481 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 5,832 | 28% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 4,781 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,753 | 18% |
Share of the 21,159 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,034 | 26% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 3,037 | 39% |
| Rented | 2,470 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 6,378 | 81% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,240 | 16% |
| Flats & apartments | 239 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 7,885 occupied private dwellings in Gosnells.
- Median weekly rent
- $290
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,500
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,550
- Median weekly personal income
- $635
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 7,717 (39%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 5,496 (28%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 819 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 7,270 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56%
- Unemployment rate
- 8.9%
- Employed full-time
- 5,210
- Employed part-time
- 2,876
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Gosnells
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Gosnells is January (average daytime high around 31.2°C) and the coolest is July (around 15.5°C). The area receives roughly 739 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31.2°C | 17.4°C | 23 mm |
| Feb | 30.6°C | 17.5°C | 24 mm |
| Mar | 27.8°C | 16.5°C | 43 mm |
| Apr | 23.3°C | 13.6°C | 45 mm |
| May | 19.2°C | 10.8°C | 81 mm |
| Jun | 16.5°C | 9.2°C | 103 mm |
| Jul | 15.5°C | 8.7°C | 140 mm |
| Aug | 16.2°C | 8.3°C | 122 mm |
| Sep | 18.2°C | 9.2°C | 69 mm |
| Oct | 21.3°C | 10.9°C | 49 mm |
| Nov | 25.5°C | 13.3°C | 30 mm |
| Dec | 29.4°C | 15.8°C | 10 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Gosnells
Where is Gosnells?
Gosnells is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Gosnells?
At the 2021 Census, Gosnells had a population of about 21,149.
Is Gosnells an advantaged area?
Gosnells has an ABS SEIFA score of 880, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 8 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Gosnells?
Gosnells has average daytime highs of about 22.9°C and overnight lows of about 12.6°C, with roughly 739 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Gosnells?
Gosnells is one of the most populous suburbs in Western Australia — the 7th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 21,149 usual residents).
Where Gosnells ranks
Gosnells appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
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Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.