Get a property report and suburb profile for any property in Harrison

Harrison is a modern residential suburb in Gungahlin, north Canberra, with relatively new housing: a mix of freestanding family homes, townhouses and apartments around pocket parks and sports ovals. It suits young families and professionals seeking a practical suburban lifestyle with easy access to Gungahlin Town Centre for shops, cafes and services. The suburb is threaded with walking and cycling paths, local playgrounds and community reserves, and has public transport via the Gungahlin light rail; shared e-scooters are also available.

Home to 8,244 people, Harrison has a median age of 31 and a median household income of $2,636 a week. Couple families with children make up 54.5% of families, and about 53.7% of homes are owner-occupied while 46.3% are rented. Local residents have sought traffic and pedestrian improvements in the education precinct, including a recessed bus bay, a wombat crossing and upgraded pedestrian and cyclist links. Whether Harrison suits you will depend on what you are looking for in a suburb.

Buying a house in Harrison sits well above local incomes as recorded at the most recent Census. A median house price of $993,000 works out to about 7.2 times a typical local household's annual income at the last Census. Renting looks more manageable: a house rent of $750 a week would take about 28.5% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, while a unit rent of $525 a week would take about 19.9%. On these figures, buying a house is notably more stretched against what people locally earned at the last Census, while renting—especially a unit—takes a smaller share of local income.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Over the past 12 months the figures for Harrison show a split between houses and units. House values rose 4.4%, a modest gain, while house rents climbed 7.1%, a solid rise, so the rent a house earns outpaced its price growth this year. Unit values fell 7.4%, a solid decline, while unit rents rose 5.0%.

If rental income is your priority, the rent movements are the most relevant numbers; if capital growth matters more, focus on the value changes. Whether this pattern suits your plans depends on your own goals and circumstances.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.