Abbey vs Broadwater

Abbey is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 53 in Broadwater. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Abbey, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Abbey: a median of $1.74 million, against $1.02 million in Broadwater, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Abbey tends to suit families with children and couples, while Broadwater suits people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Abbey

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 52%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (96% vs 78%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Broadwater

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($205,000 vs $1,100,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,021,000 vs $1,737,500)
  • But Abbey leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 32%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Abbey leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 30%)
  • Broadwater has cheaper rent ($370/wk vs $410/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Broadwater

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (34/100 vs 23/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (230.4 km vs 232.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Broadwater

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (22% vs 4%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 21%)
  • is more walkable (34/100 vs 23/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Broadwater

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.1% vs 2.8%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Abbey and Broadwater drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Abbey Broadwater
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Abbey Broadwater
Walkability 23 / 34
Abbey — Walkability: 23/100 Broadwater — Walkability: 34/100
Safety 66 / 63
Abbey — Safety: 66/100 Broadwater — Safety: 63/100
Low fire risk 64 / 55
Abbey — Low fire risk: 64/100 Broadwater — Low fire risk: 55/100
Low flood risk 15 / 15
Abbey — Low flood risk: 15/100 Broadwater — Low flood risk: 15/100

Demographics

Broadwater has more residents (4,269 vs 1,321); Abbey has higher household incomes ($90,324 vs $64,064).

Abbey Broadwater
Population 1,321 4,269
+223% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.6% +0.3%
Median age 42 53
Median household income $90,324/yr
+29% vs other
 $64,064/yr
Median weekly rent $410/wk
+10% vs other
 $370/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Abbey Broadwater
0-4 6.0% / 4.0%
Abbey — 0-4: 6.0% Broadwater — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 16.4% / 10.9%
Abbey — 5-14: 16.4% Broadwater — 5-14: 10.9%
15-19 5.9% / 4.3%
Abbey — 15-19: 5.9% Broadwater — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 3.8% / 3.0%
Abbey — 20-24: 3.8% Broadwater — 20-24: 3.0%
25-34 7.6% / 7.7%
Abbey — 25-34: 7.6% Broadwater — 25-34: 7.7%
35-44 13.4% / 10.7%
Abbey — 35-44: 13.4% Broadwater — 35-44: 10.7%
45-54 14.0% / 11.2%
Abbey — 45-54: 14.0% Broadwater — 45-54: 11.2%
55-64 12.8% / 10.8%
Abbey — 55-64: 12.8% Broadwater — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 13.9% / 16.1%
Abbey — 65-74: 13.9% Broadwater — 65-74: 16.1%
75-84 4.8% / 12.2%
Abbey — 75-84: 4.8% Broadwater — 75-84: 12.2%
85+ 2.0% / 9.2%
Abbey — 85+: 2.0% Broadwater — 85+: 9.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Abbey 53.4% couple families
Abbey — Couple Families: 53.4% Abbey — Lone Person: 26.7% Abbey — One Parent Families: 15.5% Abbey — Group Household: 3.0% Abbey — Other Families: 1.4%
Broadwater 36.9% couple families
Broadwater — Couple Families: 36.9% Broadwater — Lone Person: 43.7% Broadwater — One Parent Families: 15.0% Broadwater — Group Household: 3.7% Broadwater — Other Families: 0.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Abbey 24.5% renting
Abbey — Owned Outright: 39.6% Abbey — Mortgage: 35.9% Abbey — Renting: 24.5%
Broadwater 24.5% renting
Broadwater — Owned Outright: 39.5% Broadwater — Mortgage: 36.0% Broadwater — Renting: 24.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Abbey Broadwater
Certificate III & IV 20.0% / 18.0%
Abbey — Certificate III & IV: 20.0% Broadwater — Certificate III & IV: 18.0%
Bachelor Degree 11.7% / 9.0%
Abbey — Bachelor Degree: 11.7% Broadwater — Bachelor Degree: 9.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.7% / 7.5%
Abbey — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7% Broadwater — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 1.3%
Abbey — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Broadwater — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%
Postgraduate Degree 1.9% / 1.8%
Abbey — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9% Broadwater — Postgraduate Degree: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Abbey Broadwater
England 6.8% / 10.2%
Abbey — England: 6.8% Broadwater — England: 10.2%
New Zealand 2.0% / 2.5%
Abbey — New Zealand: 2.0% Broadwater — New Zealand: 2.5%
South Africa 1.1% / 1.2%
Abbey — South Africa: 1.1% Broadwater — South Africa: 1.2%
Scotland 0.8% / 1.1%
Abbey — Scotland: 0.8% Broadwater — Scotland: 1.1%
Netherlands 0.5% / 0.7%
Abbey — Netherlands: 0.5% Broadwater — Netherlands: 0.7%
Sri Lanka 0.5% / —
Abbey — Sri Lanka: 0.5% Broadwater — Sri Lanka: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Abbey 95.6% houses
Abbey — Houses: 95.6% Abbey — Townhouses: 3.5% Abbey — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Broadwater 77.6% houses
Broadwater — Houses: 77.6% Broadwater — Townhouses: 19.7% Broadwater — Flats / Apartments: 2.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Abbey Broadwater
Median house price $1,737,500 $1,021,000
Median unit price $1,100,000 $205,000
Median land price $1,150,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 31 days
from 9 sales
 24 days
from 49 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Abbey Broadwater
3 bed $1.64M / $880K
Abbey — 3 bed: $1.64M (6 sales) Broadwater — 3 bed: $880K (29 sales)

6 vs 29 sales

4 bed $1.47M / $1.08M
Abbey — 4 bed: $1.47M (14 sales) Broadwater — 4 bed: $1.08M (61 sales)

14 vs 61 sales

Development activity

Abbey Broadwater
New dwellings approved 440
across Busselton
same for both
Approvals change year on year +9%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Abbey Broadwater
Houses 2.8%
$870/wk on $1.6M
 4.1%
$880/wk on $1.12M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within WA

Abbey Broadwater
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 54% of WA Higher than 22% of WA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 76% of WA Higher than 78% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 44% of WA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 78% of WA Higher than 75% of WA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 4% of WA Higher than 29% of WA

Liveability

Broadwater is more walkable (34 vs 23); Abbey scores higher overall (34 vs 26).

Abbey Broadwater
Grade C D
Score 34/100 26/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Abbey Broadwater
Bushfire Low
36/100
 Moderate
45/100
Crime Low
34/100
 Low
37/100
Flood High
85/100
same for both
Coastal erosion High
75/100
 High
95/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Abbey Broadwater
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Abbey Broadwater
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 1 2
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 5 2

Mobility

Abbey sits further from the CBD (232.9 km vs 230.4 km).

Abbey Broadwater
Walkability score 23/100 34/100
Distance to Perth 232.9 km
+1% vs other
 230.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 156 min 155 min
Public transport score 35/100
Bus
 72/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 7.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 29.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 6280
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 58
postcode 6280
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Abbey Broadwater
Car (driver) 78.4% / 79.6%
Abbey — Car (driver): 78.4% Broadwater — Car (driver): 79.6%
Worked from Home 10.9% / 8.1%
Abbey — Worked from Home: 10.9% Broadwater — Worked from Home: 8.1%
Car (passenger) 5.0% / 6.9%
Abbey — Car (passenger): 5.0% Broadwater — Car (passenger): 6.9%
Walked Only 1.6% / 2.9%
Abbey — Walked Only: 1.6% Broadwater — Walked Only: 2.9%
Bus 2.3% / 1.7%
Abbey — Bus: 2.3% Broadwater — Bus: 1.7%
Bicycle 1.7% / 0.7%
Abbey — Bicycle: 1.7% Broadwater — Bicycle: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.6%).

Setting

Abbey Broadwater
Elevation 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 809 m
922 m to a named beach
 802 m
3.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Abbey Broadwater
Connectivity score 65/100 61/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 36%
669 premises
 28%
2,078 premises

Climate

Abbey Broadwater
Annual rainfall 624 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Abbey Broadwater
Average residential rate $3,028/yr
same for both
Council Busselton
same for both

Federal electorate

Abbey Broadwater
Division Forrest
same for both
Member Ben Small
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Abbey Broadwater
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Abbey

Acreage Beach Coastal Family Premium Quiet River

Broadwater

Coastal Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Abbey

Abbey vs Vasse Abbey vs Kealy Abbey vs Siesta Park

Other comparisons with Broadwater

Broadwater vs West Busselton Broadwater vs Vasse
Full data on Abbey Full data on Broadwater
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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