Broadwater vs West Busselton
West Busselton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 53 in Broadwater. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In West Busselton, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Broadwater: a median of $1.02 million, against $900,000 in West Busselton, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Broadwater tends to suit older residents.
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
West Busselton
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)
- has more childcare (4 vs 0)
- has more parks and reserves (6 vs 2)
- But Broadwater carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 58/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Broadwater has cheaper units ($205,000 vs $677,000)
- West Busselton has cheaper houses ($900,000 vs $1,021,000)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
West Busselton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($340/wk vs $370/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
West Busselton
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (69/100 vs 34/100)
- has a shorter drive in (150 min vs 155 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (225.8 km vs 230.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Broadwater
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 58/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 25%)
- But West Busselton is more walkable (69/100 vs 34/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Broadwater and West Busselton drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
West Busselton has more residents (8,869 vs 4,269); Broadwater skews older (53 vs 46).
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,269 | 8,869 +108% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.3% | +4.1% |
| Median age | 53 | 46 |
| Median household income | $64,064/yr +4% vs other | $61,620/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $370/wk +8% vs other | $340/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,021,000 | $900,000 |
| Median unit price | $205,000 | $677,000 |
| Median land price | — | $590,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 24 days from 49 sales | 29 days from 85 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.
29 vs 75 sales
61 vs 71 sales
5 vs 7 sales
Development activity
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 440 across Busselton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +9% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.1% $880/wk on $1.12M | 3.9% $750/wk on $995K |
| Units | — | 5.6% $750/wk on $700K |
Ranking within WA
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 22% of WA | Higher than 18% of WA |
| Schools | — | Higher than 13% of WA |
| Walkability | Higher than 78% of WA | Higher than 89% of WA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 44% of WA | Higher than 43% of WA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 75% of WA | Higher than 74% of WA |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 29% of WA | Higher than 24% of WA |
| Rental yield (units) | — | Higher than 57% of WA |
Liveability
West Busselton is more walkable (69 vs 34).
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D same for both | |
| Score | 26/100 same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
West Busselton carries more crime risk (58 vs 37); Broadwater carries more flood risk (85 vs 70).
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 45/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 37/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| Flood | High 85/100 | High 70/100 |
| Coastal erosion | High 95/100 | Moderate 68/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 6 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 3 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 2 |
Schools in Broadwater
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in West Busselton
- Busselton Senior High School Government · Secondary at peers
- Geographe Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- St Mary MacKillop College Catholic · Combined at peers
- Cornerstone Christian College Independent · Combined below peers
- West Busselton Primary School Government · Primary below peers
- Geographe Education Support Centre Government · Combined · Special school
Amenities in the suburb
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 3 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 6 |
| Childcare | 0 | 4 |
| GPs | 1 | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 2 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 1 |
Mobility
Broadwater sits further from the CBD (230.4 km vs 225.8 km).
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 34/100 | 69/100 |
| Distance to Perth | 230.4 km +2% vs other | 225.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 155 min | 150 min |
| Public transport score | 72/100 Bus | 73/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 29.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 31.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.0%).
Setting
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 4 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 802 m 3.1 km to a named beach | 1.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 61/100 | 59/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 28% 2,078 premises | 26% 4,839 premises |
Climate
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 624 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,028/yr same for both | |
| Council | Busselton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Forrest same for both | |
| Member | Ben Small same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Broadwater | West Busselton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $800,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
West Busselton
More comparisons
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Other comparisons with West Busselton
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.