Secret Harbour
Secret Harbour stands out for family-scale housing: 98.9% of dwellings are separate houses, 88.4% have 4 or more bedrooms, and 61.7% of homes carry a mortgage. Compared with nearby Golden Bay and Port Kennedy, its own numbers read most clearly as a coastal mortgage-belt market rather than an apartment or investor-led pocket. Household income sits at the 92.2 percentile, while the median age of 34 is 6 years below the national figure, helping explain the strong school and family orientation.
Population
12,474
Median Age
34.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,492/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$492K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Homebuyers are looking at a suburb built around large houses and ongoing repayments. Separate houses make up 98.9% of stock and 4-plus bedroom homes make up 88.4%, so choice is much higher for families than for downsizers seeking units. A current median house price is not available, but the monthly mortgage figure is 2000 and mortgage costs equal 18.5% of income, supported by household income in the 92.2 percentile. That makes borrowing capacity a key filter, because 61.7% of households are already mortgaged.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are looking at a suburb built around large houses and ongoing repayments. Separate houses make up 98.9% of stock and 4-plus bedroom homes make up 88.4%, so choice is much higher for families than for downsizers seeking units. A current median house price is not available, but the monthly mortgage figure is 2000 and mortgage costs equal 18.5% of income, supported by household income in the 92.2 percentile. That makes borrowing capacity a key filter, because 61.7% of households are already mortgaged.
For Investors
Secret Harbour is a family rental market, not a high-density turnover play. Renters account for 19.7% of households, median rent is 380 per week, and vacancy is 6.2%, so leasing risk is higher than in a very tight rental pocket. Development pressure is muted, with 0 approvals in the past 12 months, which limits new competition but also limits apartment-style expansion. Compared with a pure investor suburb, demand is more household-led because the forecast adds 310 net internal migrants and 329 overseas migrants a year.
Schools in Secret Harbour iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Secret Harbour Primary School
K-6 · 644 students
Comet Bay Primary School
K-6 · 638 students
Comet Bay College
7-12 · 1879 students
Demographics
Secret Harbour is younger and more internationally shaped than the national profile. The median age is 34, which is 6 years below the national figure, while 35.5% of residents were born overseas, 13.9 percentage points above national. University attainment is 22.0%, sitting 8.1 points below national, which fits a workforce spread across trades, services and public sector roles. English ancestry is prominent at 6507 people, with Scottish at 1413 and Irish at 1180, while household size is 3.1, or 0.6 above national.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.9%
Houses
1.0%
Townhouse
0.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing supply is extremely concentrated in detached family homes. Separate houses represent 98.9% of dwellings, apartments just 0.1%, and semi-detached homes 1.0%, so the stock profile is far higher in land-based homes than multi-unit options. Ownership is mortgage-heavy: 61.7% are buying with a loan, compared with 18.6% owned outright and 19.7% renting. The median price series is absent, but cost pressure looks contained, with mortgage-to-income at 18.5% and rent-to-income at 15.2%, both below stress settings.
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wk
$380
HH Size
3.1
Personal Income / wk
$967
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.2%
Unoccupied
256
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
15.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
16.6%
Couples, no children
10,866
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce has a broad suburban services base with a strong public-facing tilt. Healthcare leads at 15.2% of workers, followed by education at 13.0%, construction at 11.1%, mining at 11.0% and public administration at 10.0%. That mix matters because mining lifts incomes while health and education stabilise employment through cycles. Participation is 70.4%, unemployment is 4.9%, and household income ranks in the 92.2 percentile, well above typical national income settings. Professionals number 1101, followed by 972 community and personal service workers.
Unemployment
3.6%
Labour Force
15,700
Unemployed
565
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.9%
Part-time
30.2%
Participation
70.4%
Employed
6,248
Occupations
Top Industries
University
22.0%
Postgraduate
3.7%
Born Overseas
35.5%
Dwellings
3,863
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-oriented but family infrastructure is close at hand. Car drivers account for 86.1% of commuting, compared with 5.5% using public transport and 1.7% walking or cycling, so access to jobs and services depends heavily on road movement. The suburb has 3 local schools, all Government, with ICSEA scores from 1004 to 1017, sitting around or above the national benchmark of 1000. Secret Harbour Primary is the highest ICSEA option at 1017 with 644 students, while Comet Bay College adds a large secondary pathway with 1879 enrolments.
Drive
86.1%
Public Transport
5.5%
Walk / Cycle
1.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+2.88%/yr
(+761 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth settings are strong for an established coastal suburb. The forecast trend is 2.88% a year, equal to about 761 additional people annually, with the medium path rising from 27168 in 2026 to 30975 in 2031. Migration is balanced rather than one-sided, with average net internal migration of 310 a year and net overseas migration of 329 a year. Gentrification is scored 50 and labelled Active, which is higher than a static replacement cycle. The age shift is not all youthful: young share is down 3.5 points while seniors are up 2.4 points.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+329
Net Internal / yr
+310
Gentrification Signal
Active
Net internal migration +310/yr, Strong overseas inflow +329/yr, Accelerating: 24% → 31%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Secret Harbour compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Secret Harbour a good suburb to live in?
Secret Harbour suits households wanting space, schools and a coastal setting. It has 98.9% separate houses, 88.4% 4-plus bedroom homes and 3 local Government schools, while household income sits in the 92.2 percentile.
What is the median house price in Secret Harbour?
A current median house price is not available for Secret Harbour. Useful cost markers are a 2000 monthly mortgage figure, 380 weekly median rent, 18.5% mortgage-to-income and 98.9% separate-house stock.
What schools are in Secret Harbour?
Secret Harbour has 3 local schools: Secret Harbour Primary School, Comet Bay Primary School and Comet Bay College. ICSEA scores range from 1004 to 1017, with enrolments from 638 to 1879 students.
Is Secret Harbour safe?
A current crime rate per 1,000 residents is not available, so safety should be checked against recent local police updates. The suburb's family profile is clear, with 3 schools and an average household size of 3.1.
Is Secret Harbour good for property investment?
It can suit investors seeking family rentals rather than high-density stock. Renters are 19.7% of households, median rent is 380 per week, vacancy is 6.2%, and there were 0 development approvals in the past 12 months.
How is Secret Harbour's population changing?
Secret Harbour is forecast to keep growing at 2.88% a year, or about 761 people annually. The medium path reaches 30975 by 2031, supported by 310 net internal migrants and 329 net overseas migrants a year.
What languages are spoken in Secret Harbour?
English is dominant, but 35.5% of residents were born overseas. Recorded non-English languages include Afrikaans with 66 speakers, Italian with 17, Portuguese with 16, German with 15 and Mandarin with 13.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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