Scarborough

Lifestyle & dining

The Scarborough Beach foreshore redevelopment transformed the suburb's social heart, and it remains the drawcard: a beach club, the sunken amphitheatre, an open-air cinema in summer, and a strip of restaurants, bars and cafes that face straight onto the sand. Locals move easily between an early surf, a coffee at the beach kiosks, and evening drinks watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean.

Beyond the beachfront, the streets running back from the coast have their own quieter rhythm, with neighbourhood cafes and takeaway spots servicing the residential blocks. Nearby Trigg adds another slice of café culture and a well-regarded surf break, while City Beach to the south offers more of the same relaxed coastal pace for those happy to wander a little further afield.

Shopping

Day-to-day shopping is well covered within Scarborough itself and in the surrounding suburbs, with Doubleview and Wembley Downs offering convenient local centres for groceries and everyday errands. For bigger shopping trips, Karrinyup Shopping Centre is a short drive away and is one of Perth's larger retail hubs, covering fashion, homewares and a full grocery offering, making it the default destination for most Scarborough households.

Getting around

Scarborough's beachside position means it isn't on the Perth rail network, so most residents rely on car travel or bus services connecting through to Stirling and Glendalough train stations on the Joondalup line, both giving access into the CBD in around 20 to 25 minutes. Scarborough Beach Road is the main arterial linking the coast to the city, and it carries regular bus routes that make commuting without a car workable, if not as fast as driving.

For those who cycle, the Scarborough to Fremantle coastal path is a drawcard in itself, running along the dunes and linking up with City Beach and Trigg, and it's increasingly used for commuting as much as recreation.

Schools & families

Scarborough Primary School serves as the local public option and is well embedded in the community, while St John's School offers an independent choice within the suburb. Families also look to schools in neighbouring Wembley Downs and Doubleview, and the broader western suburbs are well served by both public and private secondary options within a short drive. The mix of apartments and family homes means Scarborough attracts everyone from young couples to established families, and the suburb's parks and beach access add real appeal for those raising children near the coast.

Parks & recreation

Beyond the beach itself, Scarborough benefits from the string of coastal reserves and dune walks that run north towards Trigg and south towards City Beach, giving residents a genuine choice of swimming, surfing and walking spots within a few minutes of home. Abbett Park and other local green spaces provide a more suburban alternative to the coastal strip, useful for anyone after a quieter outdoor space away from summer crowds.

The property market

Scarborough's property market reflects its status as a premium coastal address, with a median house price of $1.30 million and units and apartments sitting at a median of $770,000. Median rent across the suburb is $950 per week, underlining strong demand from both owner-occupiers and tenants keen to be near the water. House prices have climbed 15.0% recently, a sign of just how sought-after the suburb has become since the beachfront redevelopment.

The current mix of listings — 39% houses, 32% townhouses, 26% apartments and units, and a small 3% of land — shows a suburb genuinely in transition, still holding onto its stock of classic beachside houses while increasingly offering medium-density options for buyers who want the lifestyle without the price tag or upkeep of a full block. That variety makes Scarborough one of the more flexible coastal markets in Perth, catering to first-home buyers in apartments right through to families and downsizers chasing a house with an ocean glimpse.