Busselton vs Geographe

Geographe is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 56 in Busselton. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Busselton, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Busselton tends to suit people living alone and older residents.

Geographe has roughly double Busselton's population at 3622 people and significantly higher median household income of $69,316 compared to $49,348, suggesting a more affluent demographic. Busselton stands out for its exceptional walkability score of 82 versus Geographe's 32, making it notably more pedestrian-friendly. However, Busselton carries higher crime and bushfire risk ratings, while Geographe scores better on liveability and socio-economic measures. Property prices are comparable, though Geographe's median house price of $950,000 edges ahead of Busselton's $880,000.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Geographe

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 31%)
  • carries lower crime risk (70/100 vs 95/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (92% vs 71%)
  • But Busselton has more parks and reserves (9 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Geographe

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (30% vs 40%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Busselton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 30%)
  • has cheaper rent ($320/wk vs $360/wk)
  • But Geographe leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 34%)

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

Commuting to the city

Busselton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 32/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (146 min vs 151 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Busselton

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (29% vs 8%)
  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 32/100)
  • But Geographe carries lower crime risk (70/100 vs 95/100)

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

Investors

Geographe

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (6.1% vs -2.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Busselton Geographe
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.

Busselton Geographe
Walkability 82 / 32
Busselton — Walkability: 82/100 Geographe — Walkability: 32/100
Safety 5 / 30
Busselton — Safety: 5/100 Geographe — Safety: 30/100
Low fire risk 62 / 81
Busselton — Low fire risk: 62/100 Geographe — Low fire risk: 81/100
Low flood risk 19 / 10
Busselton — Low flood risk: 19/100 Geographe — Low flood risk: 10/100

Demographics

Geographe has more residents (3,622 vs 1,838); Geographe has higher household incomes ($69,316 vs $49,348).

Busselton Geographe
Population 1,838 3,622
+97% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.1% +6.1%
Median age 56 50
Median household income $49,348/yr $69,316/yr
+40% vs other
Median weekly rent $320/wk $360/wk
+12% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Busselton Geographe
0-4 3.0% / 3.6%
Busselton — 0-4: 3.0% Geographe — 0-4: 3.6%
5-14 6.5% / 11.4%
Busselton — 5-14: 6.5% Geographe — 5-14: 11.4%
15-19 3.6% / 5.5%
Busselton — 15-19: 3.6% Geographe — 15-19: 5.5%
20-24 4.6% / 3.9%
Busselton — 20-24: 4.6% Geographe — 20-24: 3.9%
25-34 9.5% / 8.9%
Busselton — 25-34: 9.5% Geographe — 25-34: 8.9%
35-44 8.5% / 9.9%
Busselton — 35-44: 8.5% Geographe — 35-44: 9.9%
45-54 12.4% / 14.1%
Busselton — 45-54: 12.4% Geographe — 45-54: 14.1%
55-64 15.2% / 16.1%
Busselton — 55-64: 15.2% Geographe — 55-64: 16.1%
65-74 19.1% / 16.2%
Busselton — 65-74: 19.1% Geographe — 65-74: 16.2%
75-84 12.4% / 8.6%
Busselton — 75-84: 12.4% Geographe — 75-84: 8.6%
85+ 4.7% / 2.0%
Busselton — 85+: 4.7% Geographe — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Busselton 63.7% lone person
Busselton — Lone Person: 63.7% Busselton — Couple Families: 18.3% Busselton — One Parent Families: 12.3% Busselton — Group Household: 4.2% Busselton — Other Families: 1.6%
Geographe 40.5% lone person
Geographe — Lone Person: 40.5% Geographe — Couple Families: 34.2% Geographe — One Parent Families: 18.9% Geographe — Group Household: 4.8% Geographe — Other Families: 1.7%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Busselton 40.5% renting
Busselton — Owned Outright: 43.7% Busselton — Mortgage: 15.8% Busselton — Renting: 40.5%
Geographe 29.7% renting
Geographe — Owned Outright: 40.3% Geographe — Mortgage: 30.0% Geographe — Renting: 29.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Busselton Geographe
Certificate III & IV 16.8% / 17.9%
Busselton — Certificate III & IV: 16.8% Geographe — Certificate III & IV: 17.9%
Bachelor Degree 8.6% / 9.0%
Busselton — Bachelor Degree: 8.6% Geographe — Bachelor Degree: 9.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.3% / 8.5%
Busselton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3% Geographe — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 1.6%
Busselton — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Geographe — Postgraduate Degree: 1.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 1.8%
Busselton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Geographe — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

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.

Busselton Geographe
England 8.9% / 8.6%
Busselton — England: 8.9% Geographe — England: 8.6%
New Zealand 2.8% / 2.3%
Busselton — New Zealand: 2.8% Geographe — New Zealand: 2.3%
South Africa 1.2% / 1.4%
Busselton — South Africa: 1.2% Geographe — South Africa: 1.4%
Scotland 1.2% / 1.0%
Busselton — Scotland: 1.2% Geographe — Scotland: 1.0%
Ireland 0.8% / —
Busselton — Ireland: 0.8% Geographe — Ireland: not among its largest
Vietnam — / 0.5%
Busselton — Vietnam: not among its largest Geographe — Vietnam: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Busselton 70.7% houses
Busselton — Houses: 70.7% Busselton — Townhouses: 17.0% Busselton — Flats / Apartments: 12.3%
Geographe 92.2% houses
Geographe — Houses: 92.2% Geographe — Townhouses: 7.5% Geographe — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Busselton Geographe
Median house price $900,000 $950,000
Median unit price $764,750 $762,500
Median land price $942,000 $910,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 31 days
from 19 sales
 22 days
from 33 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.

Busselton Geographe
3 bed $842K / $900K
Busselton — 3 bed: $842K (12 sales) Geographe — 3 bed: $900K (42 sales)

12 vs 42 sales

4 bed $950K / $999K
Busselton — 4 bed: $950K (7 sales) Geographe — 4 bed: $999K (41 sales)

7 vs 41 sales

Development activity

Busselton Geographe
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.

Busselton Geographe
Houses — 3.3%
$785/wk on $1.22M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within WA

Busselton Geographe
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 9% of WA Higher than 28% of WA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 96% of WA Higher than 78% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 44% of WA Higher than 46% of WA
NBN connectivity Higher than 74% of WA Higher than 83% of WA
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 12% of WA

Liveability

Busselton is more walkable (82 vs 32).

Busselton Geographe
Grade D
same for both
Score 27/100 25/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Busselton carries more bushfire risk (38 vs 19); Busselton carries more crime risk (95 vs 70).

Busselton Geographe
Bushfire Low
38/100
 Low
19/100
Crime High
95/100
 High
70/100
Flood High
81/100
 High
90/100
Coastal erosion High
82/100
 High
98/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Busselton Geographe
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Busselton

  • South West Community College - Busselton campus Independent · Secondary · Special school

Schools in Geographe

  • Busselton Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Busselton Geographe
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 19 1
Parks & reserves 9 1
Childcare 6 0
GPs 4 0
Pharmacies 3 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 0
Fuel stations 2 0
EV chargers 3 0
Waterways 3 0

Mobility

Busselton Geographe
Walkability score 82/100 32/100
Distance to Perth 222.5 km 221.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 146 min 151 min
Public transport score 67/100
Bus
 25/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 24.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 2.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0.5 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.

Busselton Geographe
Car (driver) 77.2% / 79.2%
Busselton — Car (driver): 77.2% Geographe — Car (driver): 79.2%
Worked from Home 6.9% / 8.2%
Busselton — Worked from Home: 6.9% Geographe — Worked from Home: 8.2%
Car (passenger) 6.7% / 7.3%
Busselton — Car (passenger): 6.7% Geographe — Car (passenger): 7.3%
Walked Only 5.1% / 1.7%
Busselton — Walked Only: 5.1% Geographe — Walked Only: 1.7%
Bicycle 3.5% / 1.2%
Busselton — Bicycle: 3.5% Geographe — Bicycle: 1.2%
Bus 0.5% / 2.4%
Busselton — Bus: 0.5% Geographe — Bus: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.2%).

Setting

Busselton Geographe
Elevation -2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.3 km 703 m

NBN connectivity

Busselton Geographe
Connectivity score 60/100 70/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 27%
2,072 premises
 46%
2,134 premises

Climate

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

Busselton Geographe
Division Forrest
same for both
Member Ben Small
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Busselton Geographe
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Busselton

Coastal Parks Retirees River

Geographe

Coastal Large Blocks Quiet Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Busselton

Busselton vs West Busselton Busselton vs Bovell Busselton vs Reinscourt

Other comparisons with Geographe

Geographe vs Reinscourt Geographe vs Wonnerup
Full data on Busselton Full data on Geographe
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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