Busselton, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Busselton fronts the calm waters of Geographe Bay about 220 kilometres south-west of Perth. In the Noongar language of the local Wadandi people the area is called Undalup, part of the Noongar country known as Wadandi Boodja; the European name honours the Bussell family, who settled here in the 1830s. The town is best known for the Busselton Jetty, said to be the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere at nearly 1.8 kilometres, with an underwater observatory at its end. Its sheltered, gently shelving beaches make it a long-standing family holiday spot, and it serves as a northern gateway to the celebrated Margaret River wine region.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Busselton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 915, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is Busselton a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Lower on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Busselton from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
16/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (16/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
39/100Less affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $320 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 39% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Busselton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,838
- Median age
- 56
- Median weekly household income
- $949
- SEIFA score
- 915
- Local government area
- Busselton
- Coordinates
- -33.6556, 115.3496
Map of Busselton
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Busselton
What it costs to live in Busselton and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $320
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,635
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 57%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 39%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Busselton demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Busselton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Busselton using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 36% and 25% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 176 | 10% |
| Youth (15–24) | 151 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 332 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 508 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 665 | 36% |
Share of the 1,832 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 360 | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 130 | 15% |
| Rented | 333 | 39% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 608 | 71% |
| Townhouses & semis | 146 | 17% |
| Flats & apartments | 11 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 861 occupied private dwellings in Busselton.
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,362
- Median weekly personal income
- $624
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 421 (25%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 113 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 30 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 671 (41%)
- Labour-force participation
- 46.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.8%
- Employed full-time
- 385
- Employed part-time
- 301
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Busselton
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Busselton is January (average daytime high around 28.5°C) and the coolest is August (around 16°C). The area receives roughly 548 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.5°C | 16.3°C | 13 mm |
| Feb | 28.1°C | 16.6°C | 15 mm |
| Mar | 25.9°C | 16.1°C | 33 mm |
| Apr | 22.1°C | 13.8°C | 34 mm |
| May | 18.8°C | 12°C | 72 mm |
| Jun | 16.7°C | 10.9°C | 83 mm |
| Jul | 16°C | 10.4°C | 108 mm |
| Aug | 16°C | 9.6°C | 83 mm |
| Sep | 17.2°C | 10.1°C | 52 mm |
| Oct | 19.3°C | 11.3°C | 32 mm |
| Nov | 23.1°C | 13°C | 16 mm |
| Dec | 26.5°C | 14.8°C | 7 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Busselton
Is Busselton a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Busselton rates 24/100 overall (Lower on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Busselton?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Busselton was $320, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,635. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Busselton?
Busselton is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia, in the Busselton local government area.
What is the population of Busselton?
At the 2021 Census, Busselton had a population of about 1,838.
Is Busselton an advantaged area?
Busselton has an ABS SEIFA score of 915, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 16 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Busselton?
Busselton has average daytime highs of about 21.5°C and overnight lows of about 12.9°C, with roughly 548 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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