Silver Sands
A 27.9% vacancy rate in a suburb of just 1,451 residents is the sharpest signal in Silver Sands: more than one in four dwellings sits unoccupied, suggesting significant holiday or investment-owned stock in this coastal WA community. The median age of 47 is 7 years above the national figure, household incomes sit at the 40th percentile nationally, and 96.4% of dwellings are separate houses on a 1.24 sq km footprint. These three facts together describe a mature, car-dependent coastal locality where affordability attracts retirees and downsizers more than young families.
Population
1,451
Median Age
47.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,399/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$434K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At $434,000, the median house price in Silver Sands is well below the WA state median, reflecting its position as an affordable coastal option. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 28.6%, below the 30% stress threshold, making purchase costs manageable relative to local incomes. The housing stock is almost entirely separate houses at 96.4%, with 54.7% having four or more bedrooms and 38.6% having three bedrooms, meaning most buyers are choosing larger family-format homes rather than units. Outright ownership at 40.1% is notable, suggesting a resident base that purchased earlier and has since paid down debt.
For Buyers
At $434,000, the median house price in Silver Sands is well below the WA state median, reflecting its position as an affordable coastal option. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 28.6%, below the 30% stress threshold, making purchase costs manageable relative to local incomes. The housing stock is almost entirely separate houses at 96.4%, with 54.7% having four or more bedrooms and 38.6% having three bedrooms, meaning most buyers are choosing larger family-format homes rather than units. Outright ownership at 40.1% is notable, suggesting a resident base that purchased earlier and has since paid down debt.
For Investors
A vacancy rate of 27.9% is the dominant risk factor for investors in Silver Sands. Against weekly rent of $340 and a $434,000 median, the implied gross yield is around 4.1%, reasonable on paper but undermined by the difficulty of keeping a property tenanted when more than one in four dwellings is empty. The suburb's 1,451-person population limits the rental pool. Renters make up 28.1% of occupiers, compared to 40.1% who own outright, so the market leans toward owner-occupiers rather than tenants. No development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, consistent with a stable, low-churn market rather than one in active supply growth.
Demographics
At 47, the median age in Silver Sands is 7 years above the national average, and 36.2% of families are couples without children, pointing to a retiree and empty-nester-dominated community. Overseas-born residents account for 26.6% of the population, 5 percentage points above the national figure. Ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic: English (743 residents), Scottish (193) and Irish (187) are the top three groups. University qualifications reach 21.0%, which is 9.1 percentage points below the national rate, consistent with a workforce concentrated in trade and manual sectors such as mining and construction. Average household size is 2.4, marginally below the national average.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
96.4%
Houses
3.6%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Silver Sands is overwhelmingly a detached-house suburb, with 96.4% of dwellings being separate houses. The bedroom profile skews large: 54.7% of homes have four or more bedrooms and 38.6% have three, while two-bedroom properties account for just 6.8%. Tenure splits toward ownership, with 40.1% owned outright and 31.8% under mortgage, while 28.1% rent. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.6% is below the national stress threshold, and rent-to-income at 24.3% is equally comfortable. The high vacancy rate of 27.9% suggests a material share of the stock is holiday or part-time occupied rather than held by permanent residents.
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wk
$340
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$705
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
27.9%
Unoccupied
215
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
28.6%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
36.2%
Couples, no children
1,082
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads local employment at 15.8% of workers (64 people), followed by Education at 13.1% (53) and Mining at 10.9% (44). The presence of mining at nearly 11% reflects the broader Peel and South West WA economy, where fly-in-fly-out and drive-in-drive-out arrangements are common. Construction accounts for 9.9% and Retail for 8.4%. By occupation, Professionals lead at 115 workers, followed by Community and Personal Service at 79 and Managers at 73. The unemployment rate is 6.2%, above the national average, and the labour force participation rate of 50.6% is low, consistent with a large retiree share. Household income sits at the 40th percentile nationally, below average.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
58.5%
Part-time
35.3%
Participation
50.6%
Employed
579
Occupations
Top Industries
University
21.0%
Postgraduate
3.9%
Born Overseas
26.6%
Dwellings
553
Transport to Work
Silver Sands is highly car-dependent: 83.5% of residents drive to work, while only 6.9% use public transport, well below the national share. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary, typical for a small coastal community of 1,451 people. Crime data is not available in this dataset. As a soft indicator, 15.5% of residents volunteer, above typical rates, and 5.3% need daily assistance, consistent with the older median age of 47. Housing stress is low for both renters and owners, with rent-to-income at 24.3% and mortgage-to-income at 28.6%, both below national stress thresholds.
Drive
83.5%
Public Transport
6.9%
Walk / Cycle
3.2%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Silver Sands compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Silver Sands a good suburb to live in?
Silver Sands suits retirees and those seeking affordable coastal living. The median house price is $434,000, mortgage costs stay below the 30% income stress threshold, and 73.1% of residents have not moved in the past 5 years. The main trade-offs are limited public transport at 6.9% usage, no schools within the suburb, and a 27.9% vacancy rate that reflects a part-time or holiday resident base.
What is the median house price in Silver Sands?
The median house price in Silver Sands is $434,000, well below the WA state median. Weekly rent averages $340, and monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.6% is below the 30% stress threshold, making ownership affordable relative to local incomes.
What schools are in Silver Sands?
No schools are recorded within the Silver Sands suburb boundary in this dataset. The suburb has a population of 1,451 and a median age of 47, so the community is predominantly adult households rather than families with school-age children. Families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs.
Is Silver Sands safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Silver Sands in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, housing stress is low: rent-to-income is 24.3% and mortgage-to-income is 28.6%, both below stress thresholds. The suburb has a high stability rate, with 73.1% of residents not moving address in the past 5 years.
Is Silver Sands good for property investment?
The gross yield is around 4.1% based on $340 weekly rent against a $434,000 median, but the 27.9% vacancy rate is a significant risk for investors. This high vacancy likely reflects holiday or part-time occupancy patterns. With 0 development applications in the past 12 months and a stable, aging population of 1,451, capital growth drivers are limited.
How is Silver Sands's population changing?
Silver Sands shows low growth dynamics. The median age of 47 is 7 years above the national average, and 73.1% of residents have not moved address in the past 5 years, indicating high stability rather than new arrivals. No development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, consistent with a mature suburb not adding housing supply.
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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