Positive gearing suburbs in Australia’s hottest property market

Western Australia remains Australia’s strongest property market, with home values up 23.2% to a median price of $751,000 in Perth and 14.9% to a median of $528,000 in regional Western Australia over the year to August. This is the highest rate of annual capital growth among Australia’s capital cities and regional areas, according to Proptrack data.

Rents have also risen more in Western Australia than anywhere else. The latest available Proptrack data covering the March quarter shows a 15.5% annual increase in rents in Perth and a 14.3% uplift in regional Western Australia. The state has also seen the strongest growth in property investment lending as investors from all over the country seek to buy in the booming market. Proptrack economic analyst Megan Lieu said investor lending in Western Australia was 48% higher in the June quarter compared to the same period last year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

Rapid increases in weekly rents have led to more suburbs across the country offering positive gearing opportunities for investors. Proptrack has identified 140 positive gearing suburbs nationwide where rental returns entirely cover the investment loan repayments for investors.

“Rent growth has … outpaced home price growth over the last 12 months, making conditions increasingly favourable for investors,” Ms Lieu said. “While many of them are benefiting from the current market, those with properties in select suburbs are not only seeing their rental income cover their mortgage but also deliver positive cash flow.”

The data shows Western Australia has 57 positive gearing suburbs, which is the most of any state and territory. Examples of these suburbs are listed below. The data assumes a 30-year loan at an 80% loan-to-value ratio (LVR) with an interest rate of 6.52%.

Positive gearing suburbs in Western Australia

Baynton

Baynton is in the Pilbara mining region and is the best positive gearing suburb in the state. Investors can cover their mortgage repayments with $2,100 per month to spare, according to Proptrack data. A typical house in Baynton costs a median of $682,500 and fetches $5,600 per month in rent. This is more than enough to cover the monthly loan repayment of $3,458.

Kambalda West

Kambalda West is in the Goldfields-Esperance mining region of Western Australia. A typical house costs $180,000 and rents for $1,520 per month. The mortgage costs $912 per month, which gives investors surplus cash of $607 per month to help cover other expenses like council and water rates.

Port Headland

Port Hedland is the second largest town in the Pilbara mining region and another strong positive gearing suburb. The median house price is $730,000 and the rental return is $4,900 per month. The investment loan repayment costs $3,698 per month, leaving the investor with $1,201 per month in their pocket. Investors on a lower budget can buy an apartment for a median of $474,396, which will rent for $3,200 per month and easily cover the mortgage of $2,403 per month.

Cable Beach

In the Broome region of Western Australia, Cable Beach sits on a 22km stretch of white sandy coastline along the Indian Ocean. The suburb was named after a telegraph cable that was laid between Broome and Java in 1889. Cable Beach houses have a median price tag of $670,000 and rent for $3,930 per month which is more than enough to cover the loan repayment of $3,394 per month.

Perth CBD

Investors can purchase a unit for a median of $465,000 and rent it out for $2,480 per month in Perth CBD. While the loan repayment gobbles up most of this, costing $2,356 per month, it is a notable rarity for a CBD suburb in the centre of an Australian capital city to deliver positive gearing.

Mosman Park

Mosman Park is an affluent suburb along the Swan River in Perth. An Australian house price record was set here in 2009 when mining magnate Chris Ellison bought a waterfront mansion for $52.5 million. Property investors can achieve positive gearing in this suburb with apartments. The median unit costs $380,000 and commands $2,000 per month in rent. This covers the monthly mortgage repayment of $1,925.

Somerville

Somerville is a positive gearing suburb in the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the state’s Eastern Goldfields region. An investment unit here will cost a median of $282,000 and command a monthly rent of $2,440. This easily covers the loan repayment of $1,428 per month, with more than $1,000 to spare.

The Centennial Collection, the new apartment development on the edge of Centennial Park in Bondi Junction, continues to break local residential property records.

A local Eastern suburbs buyer has splashed $11 million on a three-bedroom, sub-penthouse on level 10 of the development, topping the previous record within the same development.

At 266 sqm, including internal and external space, the north-facing residence achieved more than $55,000 per sqm, making it one of the most expensive apartment transactions ever recorded in Sydney’s eastern suburbs outside the harbourfront enclaves of Double Bay and Darling Point.

The buyer had originally purchased a three-bedroom apartment in The Centennial Collection in 2025 for $6.5 million before deciding to secure the larger half-floor sub-penthouse.

Ray White Projects Director of Sales Marcello Bo, who is managing sales for the project, said the transaction highlighted the continued strength of demand for premium apartments in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

“This sale is a clear indication of buoyancy in the upper end of the market and reinforces the strong demand and appetite for primely located, larger-sized apartments with all the luxurious inclusions you would expect with a development of this calibre,” Bo said.

“It also demonstrates that superbly-designed, lifestyle-driven residences in tightly held locations continue to outperform, particularly when they deliver scale, privacy, rarity and long-term liveability that aligns with how buyers want to live today.”

The Centennial Collection occupies a prominent gateway site overlooking Centennial Park at the junction of Bondi Junction, Woollahra and Paddington. Following recent State Significant Development approval, the project now comprises 79 apartments across two adjoining towers rising 13 and 16 storeys.

The development has been designed to target owner-occupiers seeking larger-format apartments, with residences featuring inclusions more commonly associated with standalone homes, including private rooftop pools, bedroom fireplaces, wet bars, butler’s pantries and full-sized wine fridges.

The record-setting residence was originally designed as one of the project’s penthouses before the approval process allowed additional levels to be added to the scheme.

Positioned on Level 10, the apartment occupies half a floor and has no common walls. It offers 270-degree views spanning Sydney Harbour, the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Centennial Park and both the northern and southern headlands.

The purchaser said that proximity to Centennial Park, transport connectivity, and the surrounding lifestyle amenities ultimately drove his decision.

“I’m constantly looking at developments everywhere in the east, from Darling Point to Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay, all the beaches, Bondi, Bronte, Tamarama, Woollahra. I wanted something new,” he said.

“Everywhere you go, there’s a trade-off. It might have a great floor plan, but it doesn’t have a view. Working in the city, your daily commute impacts everything, so Bondi Junction train station was a huge factor in my decision.”

The buyer, an avid cyclist who rides regularly in Centennial Park, said his view of the location changed significantly as he spent more time assessing the eastern suburbs market.

“At first, I thought, who would want to live there? It’s one of the busiest intersections in the eastern suburbs. But when you peel it all back, it’s one of the best locations in Sydney. You’re close to everything, you can walk to everything, the amenity is incredible, and the views are amazing.”

Bondi Junction is slated to look materially different in the coming decades, with a draft 100-page masterplan proposing a regeneration of the suburb which would include thousands more apartments as well as a revitalised commercial, retail, and dining precinct.