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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Darkan is a regional centre in Western Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 371, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 176 km from the Perth CBD, Darkan is a regional area in Western Australia. The median household income is $68,692 per year.
Lower income levels in Darkan typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. As a regional location, growth prospects depend on local economic conditions and infrastructure investment.
Official Australia Post postcode for Darkan. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Darkan on My School →Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
Darkan is a smaller community of 371 — about 7% of the Western Australia suburb median (5,605) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Darkan's median household income of $68,692/year is 31% below the Western Australia suburb median ($99,736) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. Median rent of $151/week (~$654/month) covers only 67% of the median mortgage of $980/month — the remaining $326/month must be funded from other income, so this suburb tilts toward capital growth rather than yield. Darkan is 176 km from Perth, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
How Darkan stacks up against the median of all Western Australia suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Darkan sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Darkan | WA median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 371 | 5,605 | -93% |
| Median household income | $68,692/yr | $99,736/yr | -31% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $151 | $350 | -57% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $980 | $1,902 | -48% |
| Distance to CBD | 176 km | 20 km | +780% |
| Separate houses | 75% | 79% | -4pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Darkan — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 371 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Western Australia market over full cycles.
Moderate rental coverage: rent of $151/week covers 67% of a $980/month mortgage, leaving a $326/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.
With 75% houses in a 371-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a Darkan property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Darkan are modest for 2026 — incomes 31% below the WA median of $99,736 and a population of 371 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~67% of the typical mortgage ($654/month rent vs $980/month repayment), leaving a manageable top-up for most investors. The EquitySight investment score of 30/100 places Darkan in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Darkan scores 30/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 371, median household income of $68,692/year and median weekly rent of $151. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in Darkan are a median household income of $68,692/year, a dwelling mix that is 75% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
Darkan has a usual resident population of approximately 371, compared with a Western Australia suburb median of 5,605 — placing it in the lower half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
Darkan sits 176 km straight-line from the Perth CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $151 in Darkan, equating to approximately $7,852/year in gross rental income (state median $350/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Darkan is $980, or approximately $11,760/year (vs $1,902/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $151 works out to $654/month, covering 67% of the median mortgage repayment of $980/month. That leaves a $326/month shortfall (around $3,912/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are a thin buyer pool (371 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $980 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($68,692 vs $99,736 state median), the broader Western Australia market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.