Dunsborough, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Dunsborough is a relaxed holiday town on the curve of Geographe Bay, in Western Australia's South West about 250 kilometres south of Perth. The Wardandi people knew this stretch of coast as Quedjinup; the town's later name comes from nearby Dunn Bay, named in turn after an early ship's captain. Once a quiet fishing and farming settlement, Dunsborough has grown into a popular seaside escape, busiest over summer and the holidays. It sits at the northern end of the Cape Naturaliste peninsula, with calm swimming beaches, the sheltered coves of Meelup Regional Park, and the lighthouse at the cape close by, and the vineyards and surf breaks of the Margaret River region just to the south.
More advantaged than the national average
Dunsborough is more socio-economically advantaged than about 78% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1038, 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.
Dunsborough at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,413
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $1,738
- SEIFA score
- 1038
- Coordinates
- -33.6013, 115.0929
Dunsborough demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Dunsborough 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 26%, 21% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,410 | 22% |
| Youth (15–24) | 489 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,691 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,562 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,265 | 20% |
Share of the 6,417 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 741 | 33% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 942 | 42% |
| Rented | 463 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,996 | 90% |
| Townhouses & semis | 193 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 25 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,223 occupied private dwellings in Dunsborough.
- Median weekly rent
- $450
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,885
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,040
- Median weekly personal income
- $883
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,372 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 392 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 63 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,898 (60%)
- Labour-force participation
- 63.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,529
- Employed part-time
- 1,304
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 Dunsborough
Where is Dunsborough?
Dunsborough is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Dunsborough?
At the 2021 Census, Dunsborough had a population of about 6,413.
Is Dunsborough an advantaged area?
Dunsborough has an ABS SEIFA score of 1038, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 78 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 78% of Australian suburbs.
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