Kardinya, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Kardinya is a low-density residential suburb about 13 kilometres south-south-west of central Perth, in the City of Melville. Before European settlement the area was part of the country of the Beeliar group of the Whadjuk Noongar people. It drew little interest when the Swan River Colony was founded in 1829, as it lay far from the rivers that served as the colony's early highways. From 1870 a cluster of lots here was granted to Pensioner Guards — British army veterans — and worked as piggeries, poultry farms and vineyards. Much of the surrounding land was set aside for the University of Western Australia and later planted as the Somerville Pine Plantation. First called Ellis, the suburb was renamed Kardinya in 1961; the name is of Aboriginal origin, said to mean either 'sunrise' or 'place of the racehorse goanna'. Housing spread from the late 1960s, and the suburb now centres on Kardinya Park shopping centre, with Murdoch University just beyond its south-eastern edge.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Kardinya is more socio-economically advantaged than about 85% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1055, 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.
Kardinya at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 9,137
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $1,927
- SEIFA score
- 1055
- Coordinates
- -32.0668, 115.8155
Kardinya demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Kardinya 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 mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 20% of homes are rented, and 38% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,273 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,191 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,355 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,458 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,863 | 20% |
Share of the 9,140 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,493 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,181 | 34% |
| Rented | 708 | 20% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,978 | 86% |
| Townhouses & semis | 352 | 10% |
| Flats & apartments | 121 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,454 occupied private dwellings in Kardinya.
- Median weekly rent
- $390
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,003
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,255
- Median weekly personal income
- $808
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,369 (38%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 2,321 (26%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 65 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 5,064 (67%)
- Labour-force participation
- 64.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.5%
- Employed full-time
- 2,762
- Employed part-time
- 1,852
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 Kardinya
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Kardinya is February (average daytime high around 29.9°C) and the coolest is August (around 17.6°C). The area receives roughly 624 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.8°C | 18.9°C | 23 mm |
| Feb | 29.9°C | 19°C | 20 mm |
| Mar | 28.2°C | 18.1°C | 40 mm |
| Apr | 24.2°C | 14.9°C | 42 mm |
| May | 20.7°C | 12°C | 78 mm |
| Jun | 18.2°C | 10.5°C | 99 mm |
| Jul | 17.2°C | 10.4°C | 112 mm |
| Aug | 17.6°C | 9.7°C | 97 mm |
| Sep | 19.1°C | 10.7°C | 47 mm |
| Oct | 21.6°C | 12.5°C | 37 mm |
| Nov | 25°C | 14.9°C | 21 mm |
| Dec | 28.1°C | 17.4°C | 8 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Kardinya
Where is Kardinya?
Kardinya is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Kardinya?
At the 2021 Census, Kardinya had a population of about 9,137.
Is Kardinya an advantaged area?
Kardinya has an ABS SEIFA score of 1055, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 85 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 85% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Kardinya?
Kardinya has average daytime highs of about 23.3°C and overnight lows of about 14.1°C, with roughly 624 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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