Western Australia has the largest homes in the country

Australia's urban areas are characterised by low density, sprawling suburbs with some of the largest homes in the world. In 2019-20, the average area of new houses was around 236 square metres. Although the Census does not capture data on floor area, a useful indicator of dwelling size is the number of bedrooms. Where are the largest dwellings in Australia? 

Which state has the largest dwellings?

The 2021 Census counted almost 11 million dwellings across the country. About 10% of these were unoccupied, and as a result little is known about their characteristics. There is a wealth of data collected from dwellings that were occupied on Census night. In terms of the number of bedrooms, the most common category was three bedrooms, comprising 37% of the total. This was followed by four bedroom dwellings (27%), and two bedroom dwellings (18%).

Dwelling sizes have grown progressively larger over the decades. In 1971, about one in two dwellings in Australia had three dwellings, and just 11% had four bedrooms. The irony is that in the last 50 years, household types have become smaller, yet our homes have more bedrooms than ever before. It's the great planning conundrum, and does little to alleviate issues around housing affordability, environmental sustainability and urban sprawl.

There is significant variation by state and territory. Western Australia (WA) is the only state where four bedroom dwellings are the most common type. They comprise 36.2% of occupied private dwellings, compared to three bedroom dwellings (35.5%). When dwellings of four or more bedrooms are considered, 42.2% of occupied private dwellings fall into this category. This far exceeds Queensland (36.6%) and the ACT (34.6%) and suggests that WA has the biggest homes in Australia.

Larger dwellings in Western Australia

Between 2011 and 2021, the number of dwellings with four or more bedrooms (hereafter called "larger dwellings") in WA grew by almost 30%. This exceeded the rate of growth for all dwellings (20%), and this has manifested itself in rapidly growing outer suburban areas where larger dwellings are effectively the new standard. 

The map below shows the proportion of larger dwellings in each LGA in WA. The areas with the highest proportion of larger dwellings were located on the urban fringe of the Perth metropolitan area. There was also a smaller cluster around Bunbury in the South West. The LGA with the highest proportion of larger dwellings was Serpentine-Jarrahdale, where 68.8% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms. This is a rapidly growing LGA on the southern outskirts of Perth with a number of new housing estates. Capel (located between Bunbury and Busselton), and Joondalup (in Perth's northern outskirts) were the other LGAs were more than 60% of the dwelling stock had four or more bedrooms.

When data on average floor size of new homes is considered, it's not surprising that LGAs on the urban fringe recorded the largest proportions of larger dwellings. In Serpentine-Jarrahdale, about 80% of new dwellings added to the stock between 2016 and 2021 had four or more bedrooms. Big houses on separate blocks are the norm here, with virtually all (98%) of dwellings classified as separate houses. This pattern of building reinforces urban sprawl and does little to promote dwelling diversity to cater for all types of households.

At the other end of the spectrum, inner areas of Perth, as well as much of remote inland and northern parts of WA, had a much lower proportion of larger dwellings. Just 2.3% of dwellings in the City of Perth had four or more dwellings. The LGAs of Vincent, Subiaco, Victoria Park and Fremantle also recorded less than 20% of dwellings with four or more bedrooms. This is more a function of the dwelling types in these areas, particularly high rise apartments, dual occupancies and villas/townhouses. Like many Australian cities, high rise apartments have become a feature of the CBD and surrounding suburbs. These dwellings are smaller in size, mainly with one or two bedrooms.

Summary

The Census of Population and Housing collects data on the number of bedrooms in private dwellings. In the absence of other data, this provides an indication of dwelling size. Western Australia has the largest dwellings in the country on this measure, with around 42% having four or more bedrooms. It's the only state/territory where there four bedroom dwellings are the most common. LGAs on Perth's outskirts, as well as a cluster in the South West, have the highest proportions of larger dwellings. These areas are growing rapidly, and this is consistent with data showing that Australia has the largest new dwellings in the world. However, it raises questions on how this influences housing affordability, housing diversity and urban sprawl.