Free market report · Data to July 2026

Carnarvon property market

Carnarvon is one of the 453 council areas we track on the Momentum Dial, our property clock. This page is the plain-numbers read: where it sits in the cycle, who lives there, what's being built, and the suburbs inside it.

Carnarvon is home to 5,655 people. On the Buyers First Momentum Dial its house market currently reads at Peak. Here's the rest of the picture, in plain numbers.

Houses · cycle position

Peak

The Carnarvon house market is growing at its fastest pace in the current cycle. That is a momentum reading, not a crash call: markets can sit at peak growth for a long time before easing.

+3% to +10%

Modelled 12-month price range

0.0%

Modelled 12-month rent change

Units · cycle position

Not enough unit sales in Carnarvon for a reliable cycle reading. That's common outside the cities, and honest beats guessed.

At a glance · houses

$425,538

Typical house, August 2026

+0.5% a year since 2010

+2.9%

Growth a year, last 10 years

+9.3% a year over the last 5

$420

Rent a week

5.1% gross yield

10 of 15

Years prices fell since 2010

Worst: 2018, -11%

The clock measures growth momentum, not price. Peak means growing fastest, not about to fall. Cycle data and projections sourced from HtAG Analytics. See Carnarvon on the clock.

Free · One per person

Want all of this written up for Carnarvon?

The full report is this data as a written document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside Carnarvon, and the numbers that cut against the area. I write them by hand, so it comes from me rather than out of a system.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

The numbers, explained

Carnarvon in charts.

The typical house in Carnarvon went from $390,384 in 2010 to $425,538 in August 2026. That is +9% in total, +0.5% a year. It went backwards 7 years in a row at one point. Any market can have a bad year. The ones that stack them are the ones that hurt, and this is the number we weigh most.

Houses · price change each year · 2011 to 2026

Prices in Carnarvon fell in 10 of the last 15 years

Watch this
-6.5% '11 -2.9% '12 '13 -2.0% '14 -4.6% 2015 -10.2% '16 -5.6% '17 -10.5% '18 -4.8% '19 -3.6% 2020 16.1% '21 '22 -2.3% '23 '24 2025 15.4% '26 ytd

+9%

Since 2010

+2.9%

Per year, last 10 years

10 of 15

Years going backwards

-10.5%

Worst year (2018)

What this shows. How much the typical house price in Carnarvon went up or down each year. Teal bars are up years, red bars are down years, and the faded bar is this year so far.

Why it matters. The size of a good year matters less than how many bad years there were and whether they came in a row. Boring? Absolutely. But the length of the down stretch is what decides whether you get out the other side. Typical price at December each year, data from HtAG Analytics.

You don't need to know property to read this. Every chart below opens with the point in one line, then says what it shows and why we care. Teal is a good sign, amber is okay, red means watch it.

The scorecard · 7 things we check

Carnarvon scores 22 out of 35. Mixed.

Okay
Cycle 2Down years 1Supply 5People 3Jobs 1Affordability 5Rentals 5 5 = best
Where it is in the cycle

prices are rising as fast as they will this cycle, so the easy money has been made

Years prices fell since 2010

10 of 15 years

New homes being built

0.1 new homes approved per 100 that exist

People moving in

population growing 0.6% a year

Jobs

6.0% unemployed, Australia 4.2%

Can locals afford it

a house costs 4.9 years of a local household's income

Empty rentals

0.1% of rentals are empty, so about 1 in every 100

What this shows. Seven quick checks on Carnarvon, each scored out of five. Five is the reading we most want to see.

Why it matters. No single number tells you whether an area is a good buy. Together they show whether the pieces line up. These are bands, not rules: a council outside a band can still be the right buy for the right person, and one inside every band can still be wrong for you.

House prices since 2010 · Carnarvon vs the 5 most similar councils in WA

Carnarvon has grown more slowly than similar councils over ten years

Watch this
$214k $428k $642k $856k Carnarvon $369k 20102012201420162018202020222024
CarnarvonSimilar councils (middle of 5)

+9.3% vs +16.6%

A year, last 5 years

+2.9% vs +8.2%

A year, last 10 years

+0.7% vs +4.0%

A year, last 15 years

What this shows. The typical house price in Carnarvon every year, in teal, next to the middle of the five councils in WA closest to it in size and starting price: Plantagenet, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Toodyay, Narrogin, Gingin. The small "vs" number in each tile is those councils.

Why it matters. Sometimes a slower market is catching up, sometimes it is being passed. The jobs and supply readings on this page tell you which.

Momentum · the last 36 months

Prices in Carnarvon are picking up speed right now

Good sign
$276k $355k $435k 0 17 sold September '23March '24September '24March '25September '25March '26
Last 3 months' priceLast 12 months' priceHouses sold each month

$422,074

3-month price, August 2026

+8.0%

3-month price vs 12-month price

96 vs 102

Houses sold, last 12 months vs the 12 before

What this shows. Two versions of the same price. The dotted teal line averages the last three months, so it reacts fast. The grey line averages the last twelve, so it moves slowly. The bars are how many houses sold each month.

Why it matters. The last three months are running ahead of the last twelve. That is what speeding up looks like before it shows in the yearly number.

New homes · approvals as a share of all the homes here

Not many new homes are being built in Carnarvon

Good sign
balanced · 1.5% to 3% a year above this, a lot of building 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 0.3% FY24 · 8 approved 1.7% FY25 · 43 approved 0.1% FY26 · 2 approved · now

What this shows. For every 100 homes already in Carnarvon, how many new ones the council approved each year. The teal band is the range we call balanced.

Why it matters. Fewer new homes means the ones that exist stay in demand. It can also mean building here is hard or slow, which cuts the same way. The home count is the population divided by the average household size, so treat the rate as a guide rather than a census.

Affordability · house price in years of local household income

A house in Carnarvon costs 4.9 years of a local family's income

Good sign
expensive · over 8 years stretched · 6 to 8 years affordable · under 6 years 5.1 2016 4.7 2017 4.0 2018 3.7 2019 3.5 2020 3.9 2021 3.9 2022 3.7 2023 4.0 2024 4.4 2025 4.9 2026 so far

What this shows. Take the typical house price and divide it by what a typical household here earns in a year. A bar of 7 means seven years of the whole household's income buys one house.

Why it matters. Affordable by Australian standards. There is room for prices to move before the locals get priced out, and locals are the steadiest buyers a market has. Income is the 2021 Census figure carried forward at 3.5% a year, so it is an estimate, not a measurement.

Rents · typical weekly house rent, last 36 months · and how many rentals sit empty

Rent in Carnarvon is $420 a week, up 0.2% in a year

Okay
$254 $350 $445 $420 a week now September '23March '24September '24March '25September '25March '26

$420

A week, August 2026

+0.2%

Change in the last year

0.1%

Rentals sitting empty (tight)

What this shows. What a typical house in Carnarvon rents for each week, month by month. The empty-rentals number is the share of rental homes with nobody in them: under 1.5% is tight, over 3% means tenants have plenty of choice.

Why it matters. Rents are moving with inflation. Steady rather than tight.

Rental yield · a year of rent as a share of the price, Carnarvon vs similar councils

Rent covers 5.1% of the price each year in Carnarvon

2.8% 4.8% 6.8% 202120232025
CarnarvonSimilar councils

What this shows. Yield is simple: a whole year of rent divided by the house price. A $500,000 house renting for $500 a week earns $26,000 a year, which is a 5.2% yield.

Why it matters. Higher than similar councils, which are around 3.5%. The rent does more of the heavy lifting here, so holding costs less out of pocket. We don't buy on yield alone and we never set a yield cut-off; it is one piece of the picture, next to growth.

The people

Who lives in Carnarvon.

The population has grown a steady +0.6% a year over the last five years. Interesting mix underneath: locals have been leaving on net (-115 over three years) while overseas migration more than filled the gap (182). Worth understanding who is arriving and what housing they need. The median age is 40 and the median household brings in $1,401 a week (Census 2021). 42% of households rent, a deep tenant pool if you're buying to hold, and more investor competition when stock is tight.

Population · ABS estimates 2015 to 2025

Carnarvon is growing steadily: 5,655 people, up +0.6% a year

Okay
5,844 5,655 201520202025

5,655

People, 2025

+0.6% vs +1.5%

A year, last 5 years · typical WA council

-0.3%

A year, last 10 years

Why it matters. Steady growth is enough to keep demand ahead of supply, as long as building stays sensible.

Where the growth came from · last 3 years

Overseas arrivals are doing the heavy lifting in Carnarvon: 182 in three years

Okay
Births minus deaths
+65
Moved from elsewhere in Australia
-115
Moved from overseas
+182

Net change: +132 people over three years.

What this shows. Three ways a place gains or loses people: babies born minus people who died, people who moved here from another part of Australia, and people who arrived from overseas. Bars to the right add people, bars to the left take them away.

Why it matters. Overseas arrivals usually rent first, so this kind of growth shows up in rents before it shows up in prices.

Age and households · Census 2021

Carnarvon is about the same age as the typical WA council: median age 40

Typical age
Median age 40 vs 42
People per household 2.3 vs 2.4

Carnarvon Typical WA council (middle of 103)

Why it matters. A mixed-age area has demand for most housing types, which makes it easier to sell to whoever the next buyer is.

Income and who owns the homes · Census 2021

Carnarvon is a renters' market: 42% of homes are rented, vs 24% in the typical WA council

Deep rental pool
Household income a week $1,401 -6% vs typical
Who lives in the homes 52% own · 42% rent

Own or paying off Renting Other

Why it matters. Lots of renters means a deep tenant pool if you are buying to hold, and more investor competition when stock is tight.

New supply

What's being approved to build.

2 dwellings were approved in FY26, 2 of them houses. Approvals have been roughly steady year to year. On the non-residential side, $6 million of building was approved in FY26, $4 million of it public money. Governments build where they expect people.

Homes approved · ABS, by financial year

Not much new is being built in Carnarvon: 2 homes approved in FY26

Good sign
FY24
8
FY25
43
FY26
2

Houses Units, townhouses and other

2

Homes approved, FY26

100%

Of them houses

0.1%

New homes per 100 that exist

What this shows. How many new homes the council approved each financial year, split into houses and everything else. Approved is not built, but it is the earliest warning of supply on the way.

Why it matters. When little gets built, the homes already here do not have much competition. Good for prices, as long as people keep arriving.

Non-residential building approved · ABS

Government building spend in Carnarvon has eased: $4m approved in FY26

Okay
FY24
$10m
FY25
$77m
FY26
$6m

Government projects All non-residential

$6m

All sectors, FY26

$4m

Government, FY26

$2m

Schools and health, last 3 years

What this shows. The dollar value of shops, offices, schools, hospitals and other non-home buildings approved each year. The darker bar is the government's share.

Why it matters. Governments build where they expect people. Schools and hospitals are the most honest signal they give about where families are heading. For the named projects behind these numbers, ask for the full report.

Jobs

Who's working in Carnarvon.

Work here runs on agriculture (18% of jobs), ahead of health care and social assistance and retail trade. 109 more residents are in work than five years ago (+4.0%). Unemployment is 6.0% against a national 4.2%, which is a real gap, not noise. On the ABS advantage index it ranks in the bottom 30% nationally. That usually means better yields, and it means doing your homework street by street.

Jobs · SALM, March 2026

109 more people in Carnarvon have a job than five years ago

Good sign

2,831

Residents in work

6.0% vs 4.2%

Unemployed · Australia

+4.0%

Jobs change, 5 years

Unemployment rate 6.0% vs 3.4% typical WA council

Carnarvon Australia

Why it matters. Strong jobs growth shows up in housing demand with a lag. People get the job first and buy the house a year or two later.

Who employs people here · Census 2021

Agriculture is the biggest employer in Carnarvon, 18% of jobs

Advantage 3 of 10
Agriculture
18%
Health care and social assistance
11%
Retail trade
9%
Education and training
8%
Public administration
8%

What this shows. The five industries that employ the most residents, as a share of all jobs. The pill is the ABS advantage score: Carnarvon sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally, where 10 is the most advantaged.

Why it matters. A spread of employers means no single closure can empty the town. That is the kind of job base that holds house prices through a downturn.

The outlook

Is Carnarvon worth buying into?

The strongest thing the data says for Carnarvon is new supply thinning out. None of this guarantees anything. It tells you where to look harder, which is what a report like this is for.

Free · Written by hand · One per person

This page is the public data. The full report is that written up as a document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside Carnarvon. One per person.

Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

Inside the LGA

The suburbs of Carnarvon.

Next step. See what's for sale in Carnarvon on realestate.com.au or Domain. Then send me the address before you make an offer. That is the part the data cannot do.

All 22 suburbs and localities in Carnarvon

Babbage Island · Bernier Island · Brockman · Brown Range · Carnarvon · Coral Bay · Dorre Island · East Carnarvon · Greys Plain · Inggarda · Kennedy Range · Kingsford · Lyndon · Macleod · Massey Bay · Minilya · Morgantown · North Plantations · South Carnarvon · South Plantations · Wooramel · Yandoo Creek

Free · Written by hand · One per person

Want the full workup on Carnarvon?

This page is the public data. The full report is the written workup: current price, rent, gross yield and vacancy, growth over 1, 3, 5 and 10 years, days on market and demand, and the supply coming down the pipe, for Carnarvon or any suburb in it. Same data we run for clients. I pull it and email it through, usually within a business day. One per person, no charge, and no 14-part email sequence afterwards. All I ask is that if it lands, you take the fifteen minute call at the end of it.

Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

Keep comparing

Markets of a similar size in WA.

A council only makes sense in context. These are the WA markets closest to Carnarvon in population, each with its own written report.

General information only, not financial or investment advice. Cycle positions and projections are modelled LGA-level figures to July 2026, sourced from HtAG Analytics. Population and approvals are ABS estimates; employment is SALM smoothed data; income, age and tenure are Census 2021. None of it can see street quality, flood maps, zoning or the contract, which is where deals are actually won and lost. Get advice on your own situation before acting.

Data finds the area. It doesn't buy the house.

We narrow 15,000 suburbs to the top 5 for each client, then find the street and the property. If Carnarvon is on your list, that's a conversation worth having early.

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