Kununurra, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Kununurra is the largest town in the East Kimberley, in the far north of Western Australia, more than 3,000 kilometres from Perth and about 830 kilometres from Darwin. It stands on the country of the Miriwoong people, and its name comes from the Miriwoong word Goonoonoorrang, meaning river. The town was built from 1961 to support the Ord River Irrigation Scheme, one of Australia's most ambitious farming projects. Dams completed in 1963 and 1972 created Lake Kununurra and the vast Lake Argyle, the largest artificial lake in the country. Irrigated farms around the town grow melons, mangoes and Indian sandalwood, while tourism draws visitors to the gorges, waterfalls and the rugged sandstone of nearby Mirima National Park.
Around the national middle
Kununurra is more socio-economically advantaged than about 45% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 979, 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.
Kununurra at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,494
- Median age
- 33
- Median weekly household income
- $2,091
- SEIFA score
- 979
- Coordinates
- -15.5615, 128.8278
Kununurra demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Kununurra 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 young adults (25–44) at 33%, 59% of homes are rented, and 18% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,262 | 23% |
| Youth (15–24) | 585 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,805 | 33% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,439 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 404 | 7% |
Share of the 5,495 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 225 | 14% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 282 | 18% |
| Rented | 953 | 59% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,031 | 64% |
| Townhouses & semis | 225 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 117 | 7% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,606 occupied private dwellings in Kununurra.
- Median weekly rent
- $266
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,019
- Average household size
- 2.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,364
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,153
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 810 (18%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 664 (15%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 1,366 (25%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,818 (44%)
- Labour-force participation
- 63.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.1%
- Employed full-time
- 1,856
- Employed part-time
- 553
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.
Common questions about Kununurra
Where is Kununurra?
Kununurra is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Kununurra?
At the 2021 Census, Kununurra had a population of about 5,494.
Is Kununurra an advantaged area?
Kununurra has an ABS SEIFA score of 979, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 45 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 45% of Australian suburbs.
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