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Town of Victoria ParkPopulation forecast

Town of Victoria Park

Drivers of population change

The Town of Victoria Park is located in inner Perth, on the southern side of the Swan River across from the CBD. It is primarily a residential area, but with concentrations of commercial activity along the major arterials (particularly Albany Highway), as well as industrial areas in Burswood and Welshpool. However there are areas with distinctive characteristics, such as Burswood. Primarily located on a peninsula on the Swan River, the suburb consists of Crown Perth, associated entertainment facilities and the new Perth Stadium. Another suburb with a distinctive profile is Bentley, located in the south west of the Town. Bentley, located in the south west of the Town, is home to Curtin University and its associated student accommodation facilities, as well as a concentration of aged care accommodation and the Bentley Technology Park.

Development history

Settlement in the area dates back to the mid nineteenth century, but the construction of a road crossing across the Causeway later in the nineteenth century opened up the area for suburban development. This was further facilitated by the opening of the Armadale train line from the 1890s, which traverses the eastern suburbs of the Town. The older suburbs are generally in the north (most notably Lathlain), but after WW2 development spread outwards in a southerly direction and away from the train line. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, population growth was modest, but with the construction of more high density apartments since 2005 the growth rate has increased.

Migration patterns

In common with many inner city areas in urban Australia, Victoria Park attracts large numbers of young adults and professionals both from neighbouring Perth councils as well as interstate and overseas. Just over one-third of private dwellings in the Town are rented (either privately or publicly), compared to just over one-quarter for the Greater Perth region. In Burswood and Victoria Park the proportion of rented dwellings is almost 50% - these suburbs are highly accessible to both the Perth CBD as well as the airport. Historically, the Town has recorded a net loss of young families to outer southern suburbs of Perth. This has largely been counterbalanced by the influx of young adults into the Town, resulting in modest population growth. This is still true to a certain extent but rapid growth since 2006, as well as greater diversity in new housing stock, has seen the Town retain more families than in the past. This may also reflect a degree of suburban regeneration, as older residents vacant their homes and make way for younger households.

Historical migration flows, Town of Victoria Park, 2016-2021






Note: The migration flows depicted above are historical and do not represent future or forecast migration flows or subsequent council boundary changes. The arrows represent migration flows to the area as a whole and do not indicate an origin or destination for any specific localities within the area. Overseas flow shows overseas arrivals based on answers to the census question "where did the person usually live 5-years ago" and .id estimates of international out-migration.

*Please note, the 2021 Census was undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time where border restrictions had largely halted overseas in-migration for the 15 months prior. 2016-2021 net overseas migration levels reflect this and therefore should not necessarily be considered indicative of longer-term trends.

Housing role and function

The Town of Victoria Park has a housing market role which is characteristic of inner city areas across Australia ie is it dominated by the in-migration of young adults, who then tend to move elsewhere when they reach the family forming stage of the life cycle. This profile is evident across the Town. In Lathlain, there is some evidence of a more mature housing market, with some older families taking residence in the suburb. Bentley has a very distinctive housing profile, due to the abundance of non-private accommodation, particularly aged care.

Housing supply

The Town’s location in inner Perth means that it is an established part of the urban fabric. Consequently, future development opportunities are dependent on the availability of strategic sites, opportunities for infill, as well as Transport Oriented Developments (TOD). Constraints on infill development include heritage areas as well as the fact that large parts of the Town, particularly east of Albany Highway, have already undergone significant amounts of infill development. Significant development opportunities have been identified in Burswood, consisting largely of medium and high density apartments, both on the Burswood Peninsula and in the Causeway Precinct. Opportunities for infill and further intensification along the Albany Highway are also assumed in Victoria Park and East Victoria Park - Kensington, though these developments are and will be on a smaller scale than those proposed in Burswood.

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