South Hedland
Western Australia · East Pilbara, Western Australia - Outback (North)
Live · ABS ERP June 2025
Children under 15 are 25.2% of residents, against 18.0% in the middle Western Australia area (Census 2021). The median age is 32, lower than the middle Western Australia area (39, Census 2021).
South Hedland has 5 schools (5 government, 0 non-government; ACARA School Profile 2025) and 3 NQS-rated childcare services (ACECQA register). Population is 12,982 (ABS ERP June 2025).
South Hedland at a glance
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Boundaries: ABS Suburbs & Localities 2021. School pins are ACARA's published locations. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors, © CARTO. Open the full WA map →
How the Family-Fit score is built65/100
Family-Fit score
Method published in fullStrong for families - strongest on families already here, weakest on childcare & early years.
- Schools in the area · 20% of the score
- 60/100
- Childcare & early years · 15% of the score
- 30/100
- Everyday amenities · 15% of the score
- 78/100
- Housing affordability · 15% of the score
- 93/100
- Families already here · 10% of the score
- 97/100
- Socio-economic profile · 10% of the score
- 33/100
WA median 71/100
5 schools in this SA2 · average government-school ICSEA 860
WA median 60/100
3 NQS-rated services nearby
WA median 78/100
20 parks · no GP mapped (not counted) · 1 supermarket · 6 playgrounds
WA median 53/100
Paying over 30% of income on housing: 9.4% of mortgage-holding households, 10.2% of renting households
WA median 68/100
25.2% of residents are children aged 0–14 · 48.2% of families are couples with children
WA median 44/100
SEIFA IRSAD decile 4 of 10 nationally
The grey marker on each bar is the median across the 234 Western Australia areas we publish a score for (state median overall: 67/100). It is context, not a pass mark.
Not scored here (no published data for this area, so it is left out rather than counted as zero): Getting around. The remaining inputs were rescaled to 100.
How this score is calculated
Each published figure for the South Hedland SA2 is mapped onto 0–100 by fixed thresholds, then weighted. Inputs with no data here are dropped and the rest rescaled - never scored as zero. Every threshold and weight →
School results, crime and flood or bushfire overlays are not graded into this score. Limits of the score →
What families notice
What families notice
- 20 parks mapped inside this SA2 (OpenStreetMap).
- 5 schools sit inside this SA2 - more choice than most areas this size.
- We don't have official school-zoning data for WA yet (only VIC, NSW and QLD) - confirm zoning directly with the school or department.
- We don't yet have official crime data for WA (only NSW and VIC) - that's a data gap on our side, not a claim this area is safe.
- We don't yet have property or rent figures for this area - check a real-estate portal directly for current prices.
Living in South Hedland: family snapshot
Living in South Hedland
A mid-sized suburb particularly popular with young families. Strong New Zealand communities here (2021 Census). 3 NQS-rated childcare services nearby. Mostly detached family homes.
South Hedland compared with Western Australia10 measures
| Measure | South Hedland | WA average | Against WA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children aged 0 to 4 | 9.1% | 6.1% | Higher |
| Children aged 5 to 14 | 16.0% | 12.9% | Higher |
| Couple families with children | 48.2% | 44.4% | Higher |
| One-parent families | 17.0% | 15.2% | Higher |
| Homes owned outright | 7.0% | 29.3% | Lower |
| Homes owned with a mortgage | 19.3% | 41.0% | Lower |
| Homes rented | 68.8% | 27.4% | Higher |
| Separate houses | 71.8% | 81.3% | Lower |
| Flats and apartments | 6.1% | 5.7% | About the same |
| Born overseas | 20.9% | 32.2% | Lower |
Source: ABS Census 2021. The WA figure is the population-weighted average of the 259 WA areas with a published value. "Higher" and "Lower" describe the number only.
About this area and its boundary
South Hedland is a locality in the East Pilbara area of Western Australia. This profile draws on ABS population and Census figures, the ACARA school register and ACECQA childcare ratings for the South Hedland SA2.
12,982 residents - 25.2% are children under 15, median age 32, the largest overseas-born community is New Zealand (5.4%).
This profile uses the ABS South Hedland statistical area (SA2) - the level Australian government data is published at. SA2 boundaries don’t always match suburb boundaries. It covers the gazetted suburb of South Hedland, drawn separately on the map above.
Property market
No free house sale price or 3-bedroom house rent is published for this area. 68.8% of homes are rented, against 27.4% across Western Australia.
Homes and households
Source: ABS Census 2021. Where the shares do not add to 100%, the rest is "other" or "not stated".
Housing cost pressuremortgage and rent against income
Housing cost pressure
In South Hedland, 10.2% of renting households spend more than 30% of their income on rent, and 9.4% of households with a mortgage spend more than 30% on repayments - the ABS's stretched-household threshold (Census 2021).
ABS published figures, not our calculation.
- Mortgage over 30% of income
- 9.4%
- Rent over 30% of income
- 10.2%
WA avg 13%
Share of households WITH a mortgage whose repayments take more than 30% of income. That's 60 of 535 households with a stated repayment.
WA avg 28.4%
Share of RENTING households whose rent takes more than 30% of income. That's 232 of 1,870 households with a stated rent.
The two figures cover different households (mortgage-holding vs renting), so never add them. How the ABS counts these → Grey marker: WA average (234 for mortgage and 238 for rent). Census 2021 - housing costs have moved since. Not financial advice.
What's being built herenew homes approved, year by year
What's being built here
39 new homes were approved in South Hedland in the year to June 2025. Councils approved 131 new dwellings here across the 5 years to June 2025 - an approval is permission to build, not a home that exists yet.
Approved in the year to June 2025
Middle WA area: 50
Separate houses
Private sector, over the 1 of these 6 years where the breakdown is published
Townhouses & apartments
Private sector, over the 1 of these 6 years where the breakdown is published
The ABS did not publish a figure for every year between 2020 and 2025 here, so we draw no line - a chart with a hole closed up would misstate the shape of the change.
Counts are for the whole South Hedland statistical area. What these counts include → Dashed line: the median of 230Western Australia areas.
Schools and childcare
5 schools are located in the area. 3 childcare services are on the national register, 2 rated Meeting the National Quality Standard or above.
Government schools in South Hedland
Free government schools your child may attend. Exact school zones aren’t mapped for WA yet, so we can’t confirm which one is yours.
A picture of students’ family backgrounds (ICSEA) - not a ranking or a quality score.
We show school intake context and catchments, not exam results. We don’t publish a school ranking.
To look beyond South Hedland, every Western Australia school is on the Australian schools and catchment zones map.
Schools in South Hedland
- Students
- 1,138
- ICSEA
- 886
- Students
- 592
- ICSEA
- 902
- Students
- 444
- ICSEA
- 867
- Students
- 265
- ICSEA
- 815
- Students
- 42
- ICSEA
- 828
ICSEA reflects student intake context, not teaching quality (1000 = national average). Source: ACARA School Profile 2025. All WA schools →
Childcare: 3 services
National Quality Standard ratings from the ACECQA register, refreshed Oct 2026. Services are matched by suburb name.
Childcare services, ratings and fees3 services
- Meeting NQSTreloar Child Care Centre IncorporatedCentre-Based Care · 71 places · South HedlandRated Jun 2023 · over 3 years old, check for a more recent assessment
- Meeting NQSOne Tree South Hedland Children's ServiceCentre-Based Care · 52 places · South HedlandRated Apr 2023 · over 3 years old, check for a more recent assessment
- Working Towards NQSChild Campus HedlandCentre-Based Care · 21 places · South HedlandRated Jul 2025
- Centre-based day care
- $15.51/hr
Mean hourly fee across CCS-approved services, December quarter 2025 - Dept of Education, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0. Published at SA3 level (a wider area than this suburb's SA2), so it's an average across East Pilbara and surrounds, not this specific service list.
Verify locations before visiting. A rating over 3 years old is flagged. What the NQS ratings mean → Childcare places per child, by suburb →
Who lives here
More rented homes than Western Australia overall: 68.8% of homes, against 27.4% statewide.
Ages of people here
Share of residents in each age band, in years. Source: ABS Census 2021.
How the area is changingCensus 2011 to 2021
Each line is drawn on its own scale, so compare the numbers, not the heights. Source: ABS Census 2011, 2016 and 2021.
Census trends against the middle WA areafull charts
Which way this area is moving
The 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses for South Hedland, counted on today's boundaries.
Since 2011, South Hedland has grown older, with more residents born overseas and more residents speaking another language at home.
- People counted
- +1,669 people since 2011
- Median age
- +3 years since 2011
- Children aged 0–14
- +1.1 pts since 2011
- Born overseas
- +4.6 pts since 2011
- Speak another language at home
- +5.5 pts since 2011
Usual residents counted on Census night.
Half the residents are older than this, half younger.
Share of all residents. The clearest signal of families arriving or moving on.
Share of all residents born outside Australia.
Share of residents who stated a language, speaking one other than English at home.
The dashed line is the median across the Western Australia areas we profile. How the three Censuses line up →
Where this year's population change came from+1.90% in a year
Where did the gain come from?
+246Reading the streams: organic growth - more babies than goodbyes - was the biggest driver.
Ages against the state average, band by band
Ages of people here
16% of people here are school-age children (5–14) - more than the Western Australia average of 12.9%, and 9.1% are under 5. The median age is 32.
- 0–4 years · before school
- 9.1%
- 5–14 years · school age
- 16%
- 15–19 years · teens
- 5.7%
- 20–34 years
- 25.7%
- 35–54 years
- 29.5%
- 55–64 years
- 10.2%
- 65 years and over
- 3.7%
WA avg 6.1%
WA avg 12.9%
WA avg 5.8%
WA avg 20%
WA avg 27.4%
WA avg 11.8%
WA avg 16.1%
Share of all residents of South Hedland (ABS Statistical Area 2) at the 2021 Census; the grey marker is the Western Australia average. How the bands and averages work →
Households and families
Households and families
65% of families here have children living at home - more than the Western Australia average of 60%. The largest overseas-born communities are New Zealand (5.4%), Philippines (3.5%) and United Kingdom (2.2%). 69% of homes are rented.
Family make-up
Share of all families in the area. A small "other family" group the ABS also counts is not shown.
- Couple with children
- 48.2%
- One-parent family
- 17%
- Couple, no children
- 32.4%
WA avg 44.4%
WA avg 15.2%
WA avg 38.9%
What people live in
Share of occupied private dwellings. Other and unstated structures are not shown.
- Separate house
- 71.8%
- Semi-detached / townhouse
- 21.4%
- Flat or apartment
- 6.1%
WA avg 81.3%
WA avg 12.2%
WA avg 5.7%
Owned or rented
Share of occupied private dwellings. Other and unstated tenures are not shown.
- Owned outright
- 7%
- Owned with a mortgage
- 19.3%
- Rented
- 68.8%
WA avg 29.3%
WA avg 41%
WA avg 27.4%
Figures describe South Hedland (ABS Statistical Area 2) at the 2021 Census; the grey marker is the Western Australia average. How these are counted →
Birthplaces, languages and communities
Who lives in South Hedland
Top 5 overseas birthplaces shown · 86.2% born in Australia or a country not in the top five.
- New Zealand · established by 2016
- 5.4%
- Philippines · established by 2016
- 3.5%
- United Kingdom · established by 2016
- 2.2%
- India · growing since 2016
- 1.5%
- South Africa · established by 2016
- 1.2%
WA avg 2.6%
WA avg 1.1%
WA avg 8.9%
WA avg 2.1%
WA avg 1.3%
- Co-located communities
- South Hedland is home to established New Zealand, Philippines and United Kingdom communities - each is 2% or more of residents born overseas here, not a ranking of one against another.
- Nearby
- Port Hedland, Roebourne and Karratha also have an established New Zealand community.
- Settlement pattern
- Of overseas-born residents who stated when they arrived, 21.8% arrived in the last 5 years (2016–2021) (WA avg 12.8%) and 22.6% arrived before 2001 (WA avg 45.8%).
- English at home
- Of residents who speak a language other than English at home and stated their English proficiency, 6.8% report speaking English “not well” or “not at all” (WA avg 10.6%) - a self-reported ABS figure across all languages combined, not a judgement of any one community.
Figures describe South Hedland (ABS Statistical Area 2) at the 2021 Census. The ABS publishes only the five largest communities per area, so a missing name did not rank in the top five. How these are counted →
Socio-economic index (SEIFA)decile 4 of 10
- Decile (1 lowest, 10 highest)
- Decile 4 of 10
- Where this sits in WA
- bottom 40% of Western Australia areas
A relative comparison of the whole area against all of Australia - not a safety, liveability, or school-quality measure. What IRSAD measures → Source: ABS SEIFA 2021, IRSAD index (SA2).
Getting around and lifestyle
1 supermarket and 20 parks are mapped in the area, and the nearest emergency department is Kalbarri Health Centre, 931.5 km away in a straight line.
Mapped inside the South Hedland boundary. A zero can mean "not mapped" rather than "not there". Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Train to the city and nearest emergency department
Train to the city
Not publishedNo station within reach of the middle of this area appears in the Western Australia timetable feed, so we show no train travel time. Buses are not covered anywhere on this site.
Nearest emergency department
MappedKalbarri Health Centre · 931.5 km
Straight-line distance from the middle of this area - not a drive time. In an emergency call 000; do not plan around this figure.
Community and recreation
About this data
Counts of features tagged in OpenStreetMap inside the South Hedland boundary. “Middle WA area”: the median of 255 Western Australia areas. How these counts and times are made →
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Crime & safety in South Hedland
Official recorded-incident data is only published on this site for NSW and VIC so far - that's a coverage gap on our side, not a claim that South Hedland is safe. SuburbRadar does not rate suburbs as safe or unsafe. More on crime & safety →
Risks
1 of the 1 planning and hazard records we hold show something in this area: traffic noise. 6 more are not published for WA - treat them as not checked.
Traffic noise
Main roads onlyNorth Circular Road · Hamilton Road · Wallwork Road · +2 more
Each line is the extent of an official record across the whole South Hedland area - not a risk rating, and a specific address may or may not be affected. Not financial or insurance advice.
All 9 checks and what each one means
Flooding
Not publishedNo free statewide flood overlay is published for WA yet, so we show none. Check the local council's planning maps.
Bushfire
Not publishedWe hold official bushfire mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for WA yet. Check the state fire service's mapping.
Heritage controls
Not publishedWe hold official heritage overlay mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for WA yet. Check the local council's planning scheme and the state heritage register.
Traffic noise
Main roads onlyNorth Circular Road · Hamilton Road · Wallwork Road · +2 more
No freeway or highway is mapped inside this area. 5 named main roads (arterial or connector) run through it. Roads are counted by name, not by mapped segment.
Aircraft noise
Not publishedWe hold official aircraft-noise mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for WA yet. Check the airport's noise contours and the local planning scheme.
Land contamination checks
Not mappedWe hold official contaminated-land overlay mapping for Victoria only - nothing is published here for WA yet. Check the state environment authority's contaminated land register and the local planning scheme.
Acid sulfate soils
Not publishedWe hold acid sulfate soil mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for WA yet. Coastal and estuarine land is where these soils occur; check the state's soil mapping and the local planning scheme.
Recorded crime
Not publishedWA does not release the suburb-level incident counts we republish for New South Wales and Victoria, so we show none here.
Social housing
Census figure14.8% rented from a state or territory housing authority · 2.1% from a community housing provider
Share of occupied private dwellings here with a stated tenure (Census 2021). The middle WA area is 2.1% public and 0.5% community, across 241 areas. Listed because families ask; it is a fact about who owns the homes, not a judgement about the people in them.
About this data
Every line is an official published record for the South Hedland area - we don't rate, score or rank any of them. Where a line is missing, treat it as not checked rather than clear. What each line covers and does not →
Source: ABS Census 2021 (G37 tenure and landlord type) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) - road classification
Nearby suburbs
- Port Hedland 11 km
- Roebourne 171 km
- Karratha 189 km
- East Pilbara 266 km
- Ashburton 274 km
- Newman 349 km
The six closest profiled areas in Western Australia, by distance between area centres.
Other areas in East Pilbarasorted by growth in one year
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