Barwon South West Vic vs Western Australia: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Western Australia edges ahead of Barwon South West Vic on higher occupancy (42% vs 30%), stronger RevPAR (£25 vs £20).

Head-to-head metrics

	Barwon South West Vic	Western Australia
Median occupancy	30%	42%
Median daily rate	£140	£110
Median RevPAR	£20	£25
Active listings	5,348	10,674
YoY occupancy	+13.6 pts	+19 pts
YoY daily rate	-4.2%	+3.3%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Barwon South West Vic vs Western Australia

Western Australia finishes decisively ahead of Barwon South West Vic on our composite of occupancy, revenue per available night and regulation risk — and it is the calendar rather than the price tag doing the work. Western Australia sells 12 more points of its calendar — 42% median occupancy against 30% in Barwon South West Vic. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 26.9% higher in Western Australia: £25 against £20. That is not a rounding difference, and it compounds over a hold period.

The two markets reach their revenue by different routes, which is what makes this pairing worth reading rather than just tabulating. Barwon South West Vic is the rate market: £140 a night against £110, some 26.9% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 30% occupancy. Western Australia is the volume market, filling 42% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £25 in Western Australia against £20. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Barwon South West Vic is not simply the weaker market of the two. Barwon South West Vic commands 26.9% more per night, £140 against £110. Barwon South West Vic is the less crowded of the two — 5,348 active listings to 10,674 — so a well-run property has fewer near-identical rivals to out-rank. If your model leans on nightly rate rather than volume, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Barwon South West Vic nor Western Australia currently has a verified short-term rental regulation record in our register, so the comparison above is a yield comparison only. Regulation is the single largest source of downside in this asset class — an unverified market is an unpriced risk, not an absent one.

The two calendars also behave differently. Barwon South West Vic peaks in September at 62.4% and bottoms in November at 38%; Western Australia runs from 53.6% in June down to 33.8% in September. Western Australia is the steadier of the two at 19.8 points peak-to-trough against 24.4 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Barwon South West Vic concentrates its return into a shorter window and rewards operators who price the peak aggressively instead of holding a flat rate all year.

Who each suits, then. Barwon South West Vic suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry and who can hold rate through the shoulder season rather than discounting to fill the calendar. Western Australia answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal: it is the market for an owner whose economics survive high turnover — more bookings, more cleans, more guest contact per pound of revenue. It is also the momentum side of this pair. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 3,802 active Barwon South West Vic listings and 5,885 in Western Australia.

Frequently asked questions

Is Barwon South West Vic or Western Australia better for Airbnb investment?

Western Australia, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (42% vs 30%), stronger RevPAR (£25 vs £20), and higher median annual revenue (£9,226 vs £7,283). Barwon South West Vic is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a higher nightly rate (£140 vs £110).

Which has higher occupancy, Barwon South West Vic or Western Australia?

Western Australia, at 42% median occupancy against 30% in Barwon South West Vic — a gap of 12 points. That is a wide spread by short-term rental standards and usually reflects a structural demand difference rather than better hosting. Over the last twelve months Barwon South West Vic gained 13.6 points and Western Australia gained 19 points, so the gap is widening.

Which has higher nightly rates, Barwon South West Vic or Western Australia?

Barwon South West Vic, at £140 a night against £110 in Western Australia — roughly 26.9% more. The nightly rate is not the whole story, though. On revenue per available night — rate multiplied by how often the room actually sells — Western Australia comes out ahead at £25 against £20, so Western Australia's cheaper nights are more than repaid by how often they fill.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Barwon South West Vic or Western Australia?

Western Australia, on occupancy: +19 points over the last twelve months against +13.6 points in Barwon South West Vic. Nightly rates fell 4.2% in Barwon South West Vic and rose 3.3% in Western Australia over the same window. One year of movement is a direction, not a trend — weigh it against the regulation picture before treating it as momentum.

Which is the bigger Airbnb market, Barwon South West Vic or Western Australia?

Western Australia, with 10,674 active listings against 5,348 in Barwon South West Vic. Size cuts both ways: a deep market gives you comparables, contractors and an exit, while a thinner one means fewer near-identical rivals competing for the same search results.

How much can you earn from an Airbnb in Barwon South West Vic vs Western Australia?

Western Australia earns more: roughly £9,226 a year for a median listing against £7,283 in Barwon South West Vic. Those are gross booking revenues before cleaning, management, platform fees, furnishing amortisation and tax — budget for a meaningful share of them, and note that a median listing is a median operator, not a good one.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide

Airbnb in Barwon South West Vic →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Western Australia →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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