Sorrento (WA), WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Sorrento is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, within the City of Joondalup, fronting the Indian Ocean with the Hillarys Boat Harbour tucked into its north-western corner. Long before European settlement the Whadjuk people gathered abalone and shellfish off the reefs here, in a place they knew as Mooro. The suburb's name dates from a private subdivision surveyed in 1929 and is thought to echo the Italian seaside town of Sorrento near Naples. The coast first drew a whaler, Patrick Marmion, who set up a station in 1849, and later the fishermen whose shacks dotted the dunes in the 1930s; permanent housing only really took hold from the 1950s. The suburb's modern landmark, the Hillarys Boat Harbour and its Sorrento Quay, was built in the late 1980s and remains a busy seaside drawcard.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Sorrento (WA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1112, 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.
Sorrento (WA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 7,795
- Median age
- 47
- Median weekly household income
- $2,472
- SEIFA score
- 1112
- Coordinates
- -31.8280, 115.7533
Sorrento (WA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Sorrento (WA) 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 mid-life (45–64) at 29%, 11% of homes are rented, and 30% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,360 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 954 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,317 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,258 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,910 | 24% |
Share of the 7,799 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,329 | 48% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,037 | 38% |
| Rented | 300 | 11% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,215 | 81% |
| Townhouses & semis | 372 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 154 | 6% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,741 occupied private dwellings in Sorrento (WA).
- Median weekly rent
- $480
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,600
- Average household size
- 2.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,064
- Median weekly personal income
- $971
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,272 (30%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 714 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 53 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,202 (69%)
- Labour-force participation
- 62.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.7%
- Employed full-time
- 2,124
- Employed part-time
- 1,565
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 Sorrento (WA)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Sorrento (WA) is February (average daytime high around 29.5°C) and the coolest is August (around 17.7°C). The area receives roughly 614 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.4°C | 19.4°C | 24 mm |
| Feb | 29.5°C | 19.6°C | 19 mm |
| Mar | 27.8°C | 18.7°C | 39 mm |
| Apr | 24.1°C | 15.7°C | 39 mm |
| May | 20.7°C | 12.8°C | 73 mm |
| Jun | 18.3°C | 11.4°C | 98 mm |
| Jul | 17.4°C | 11.2°C | 113 mm |
| Aug | 17.7°C | 10.5°C | 97 mm |
| Sep | 19.1°C | 11.5°C | 47 mm |
| Oct | 21.6°C | 13.3°C | 38 mm |
| Nov | 24.8°C | 15.6°C | 19 mm |
| Dec | 27.7°C | 18°C | 8 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Sorrento (WA)
Where is Sorrento (WA)?
Sorrento (WA) is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Sorrento (WA)?
At the 2021 Census, Sorrento (WA) had a population of about 7,795.
Is Sorrento (WA) an advantaged area?
Sorrento (WA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1112, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 96 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Sorrento (WA)?
Sorrento (WA) has average daytime highs of about 23.2°C and overnight lows of about 14.8°C, with roughly 614 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
More suburb guides in Western Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.