Ellenbrook, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Ellenbrook is a planned outer suburb of Perth in the City of Swan, about 28 km north-east of the city centre. It takes its name from the nearby Ellen Brook waterway, itself named after Ellen Stirling, wife of Western Australia's first governor, James Stirling. Before development the area was banksia and sheoak woodland and wetland, used by Whadjuk Noongar people. Following the Swan River Colony's land grants from 1829, the poor sandy soils left much of the future suburb largely unfarmed, and through the twentieth century it carried scattered uses such as the Gnangara pine plantation. Ellenbrook was declared a growth corridor for Perth in 1990 and gazetted as a suburb in 1992, developed as a large public–private joint venture between the state government and private landowners. Its first village, Woodlake, opened in 1995, and the community expanded rapidly across the following decades into a major activity centre for Perth's north-east. The Ellenbrook railway line opened in December 2024, finally linking the suburb to the wider rail network.
Less advantaged than the national average
Ellenbrook is more socio-economically advantaged than about 30% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 952, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Ellenbrook at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 24,668
- Median age
- 32
- Median weekly household income
- $1,846
- SEIFA score
- 952
- Coordinates
- -31.7688, 115.9670
Ellenbrook demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Ellenbrook using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 30%, 25% of homes are rented, and 34% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 6,478 | 26% |
| Youth (15–24) | 3,269 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 7,431 | 30% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 5,122 | 21% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,373 | 10% |
Share of the 24,673 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,219 | 15% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 4,685 | 58% |
| Rented | 1,985 | 25% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 7,198 | 89% |
| Townhouses & semis | 725 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 130 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 8,058 occupied private dwellings in Ellenbrook.
- Median weekly rent
- $350
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,833
- Average household size
- 2.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,065
- Median weekly personal income
- $840
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 7,847 (34%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 4,778 (20%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 934 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 9,402 (55%)
- Labour-force participation
- 68.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 6%
- Employed full-time
- 7,364
- Employed part-time
- 3,698
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Ellenbrook
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Ellenbrook is January (average daytime high around 32.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 17°C). The area receives roughly 618 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32.7°C | 18.9°C | 25 mm |
| Feb | 32.2°C | 19°C | 21 mm |
| Mar | 29.6°C | 18°C | 36 mm |
| Apr | 25.2°C | 14.8°C | 43 mm |
| May | 21°C | 11.9°C | 66 mm |
| Jun | 18°C | 10.1°C | 87 mm |
| Jul | 17°C | 9.6°C | 118 mm |
| Aug | 17.6°C | 9.1°C | 101 mm |
| Sep | 19.7°C | 10°C | 50 mm |
| Oct | 23°C | 11.9°C | 37 mm |
| Nov | 27.2°C | 14.5°C | 26 mm |
| Dec | 31°C | 17.2°C | 8 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Ellenbrook
Where is Ellenbrook?
Ellenbrook is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Ellenbrook?
At the 2021 Census, Ellenbrook had a population of about 24,668.
Is Ellenbrook an advantaged area?
Ellenbrook has an ABS SEIFA score of 952, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 30 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 30% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Ellenbrook?
Ellenbrook has average daytime highs of about 24.5°C and overnight lows of about 13.7°C, with roughly 618 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Ellenbrook?
Ellenbrook is one of the most populous suburbs in Western Australia — the 3rd-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 24,668 usual residents).
Where Ellenbrook ranks
Ellenbrook appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
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Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.