Nedlands, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Nedlands is a leafy western suburb of Perth, about 7 km from the city centre on the City of Nedlands. It is believed to take its name from Edward 'Ned' Bruce, whose father, Colonel John Bruce, bought land in the area in 1854; the property known as 'Ned's Land' was in time softened to Nedlands, and several streets still carry the Bruce family names. The suburb has a mixed character — student housing near the neighbouring University of Western Australia, gracious homes and a golf course to the south, and a strip of restaurants, shops and the Windsor Cinema along Stirling Highway. It is also a major medical precinct, taking in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth Children's Hospital and the wider Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Nedlands is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1152, 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.
Nedlands at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,561
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $2,832
- SEIFA score
- 1152
- Coordinates
- -31.9787, 115.8028
Nedlands demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Nedlands 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 25%, 26% of homes are rented, and 36% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,921 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,546 | 15% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,233 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,635 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,220 | 21% |
Share of the 10,555 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,609 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,016 | 27% |
| Rented | 967 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,792 | 75% |
| Townhouses & semis | 583 | 16% |
| Flats & apartments | 337 | 9% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,712 occupied private dwellings in Nedlands.
- Median weekly rent
- $500
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,347
- Average household size
- 2.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,803
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,121
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,653 (36%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,885 (18%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 32 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 7,054 (86%)
- Labour-force participation
- 63%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.3%
- Employed full-time
- 2,933
- Employed part-time
- 2,067
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 Nedlands
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Nedlands 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 Nedlands
Where is Nedlands?
Nedlands is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Nedlands?
At the 2021 Census, Nedlands had a population of about 10,561.
Is Nedlands an advantaged area?
Nedlands has an ABS SEIFA score of 1152, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 99 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Nedlands?
Nedlands 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).
Does Nedlands have high household incomes?
Nedlands has one of the highest median weekly household incomes in Western Australia — the 24th-highest among suburbs with at least 1,000 residents at the 2021 Census ($2,832 per week).
Where Nedlands ranks
Nedlands appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
More suburb guides in Western Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.