Real Estate Institute of WA reveals the surprising list of Perth suburbs set for gentrification

Long considered Fremantle’s “ugly cousin”, Hamilton Hill is among a handful of suburbs the Real Estate Institute of WA has tipped are set for gentrification. Much like what occurred in trendy hotspots such as Leederville and North Perth, Hamilton Hill is already in the early stages of transforming from a working-class suburb to an affluent area populated by young professionals. Making headlines for all the wrong reasons and branded “Hamilton Hell” when a retiree was brutally attacked at his retirement village in 2022, the maligned suburb young professionals once only passed through to access its more upscale coastal neighbours is finally starting to shine. Hamilton Hill homeowners Alex Lord, 30, and Dion Ayris, 31, represent the changing face of the suburb after recently purchasing a four-bedroom home in the area because of its potential to become the new Coogee. “It was important for us to live close to Fremantle and be close to the water and Hamilton Hill provided a cheaper way to do that,” Ms Ford said. “We were thrilled to be able to afford a property with a backyard with potential to develop, whereas in other areas we were looking at close to Fremantle, it would have meant we’d have to look at apartments or townhouses.” Just a four-minute drive to South Fremantle and a 15-minute walk to the beach, Ms Ford and her partner have already noticed a rise in young buyers flocking to the area. “My parents are in Coogee about five minutes away and I watched that boom. Hamilton Hill I never really spent too much time in other than driving through to get to Fremantle but it’s really leafy, there are heaps of family cafes and businesses popping up now,” she said. “I have a few friends that have been trying to buy and they can’t get anything for what we got our property for in September so we feel really, really lucky because now the townhouses around us are going for almost what we paid for a house.” Empire Residential Property’s Linton Allen said Hamilton Hill, with a median age of 39 and median sale price of $670,000, offered well-priced older homes on larger blocks one suburb back from the ocean. “A lot of development happened when the Phoenix Revitalisation Plan came into play with classic European-style homes on large blocks being split, keeping the original house at the front and large backyards developed with one to three homes depending on block size,” he said. “Having Fremantle and Coogee definitely helps price growth in the area as they are attractive suburbs to live next to,” he added. Bassendean, Guildford, South Guildford, Padbury, Ashfield, Doubleview and Girrawheen have also been identified by WA’s leading real estate body as older suburbs currently undergoing a shift in demographics and redevelopment. These changes place them either in the early stages, or with the potential, of gentrification. REIWA chief executive Cath Hart said gentrification was usually indicated by an increase in a younger, more affluent population, renovations and redevelopment of housing, and the revitalisation of lifestyle hubs and shopping facilities. “The process can take decades and over time the character of the suburb changes,” she said. According to Ms Hart, the impact on property values often occurred in stages — initially when there was an increase in interest in the area and then later after gentrification was underway and more people were attracted to the suburb. “Rezoning and the ability to put two homes on one block for example, will also see a surge of interest and boost prices. But it is a long process and not a strong overnight surge in prices,” she added. “Gentrification often flows from one suburb to another. For example, Mount Lawley has been gentrified for some time, with Inglewood and Maylands following suit. It’s also taking place in Bayswater and Bassendean is starting to see changes.” Perth suburbs set for gentrification Doubleview Bassendean Guildford South Guildford Hamilton Hill Padbury Girrawheen Ashfield Source: REIWA