Dunsborough is a suburb in Western Australia, 251 km from Perth CBD, around 2 hours 50 minutes by car. Population is 6,413; the median age is 41 and the median household income is $90,376 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The suburb grew 20.5% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $450 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,885. Dunsborough is characterised by high coastal erosion risk. 2 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Dunsborough a good suburb?
Dunsborough scores a B (55/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community.
Mixed results
2 schools
Some car dependence
Walkability 32/100 · 250.6 km · 172 min drive to Perth
Median available
Median $1.23M
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 44/100 · Crime 38/100 · Flood 14/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 8/10 · median age 41 · 6,413 residents
Liveability Rating
55 / 100 · Ranked #205 in WAEach bar is Dunsborough's rank among WA suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Dunsborough?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
55 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataDunsborough's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.23 million, roughly 10% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$1,230,000
Based on 168 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 48 days — median across 106 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 11 sales $720K
- 3 bed 59 sales $1.07M
- 4 bed 82 sales $1.3M
- 5 bed 15 sales $1.67M
Units
$992,500
Based on 10 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 37 days — median across 5 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 6 sales $992K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Dunsborough are currently listed at around $1.5 million on average. Based on 92 houses listed in the past six months.
$1.5M
92 houses listed in the last 6 months.
92 of the suburb's 2,222 dwellings (4.1%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Dunsborough rent for around $900 a week on average, based on 38 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$900/wk
38 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$585/wk
4 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
42 rentals advertised against an estimated 480 rented homes (8.8%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- All rentals
- $850/wk
- 37 bonds
- +24% since 2023
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. WA's bond data does not record bedrooms or dwelling type, so it covers all rentals together.Change since 2023 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202587 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 34% of its income on the median rent in postcode 6281.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$900/week ($47,000 a year) on a $1.5 million median
Not enough unit sales and rentals in the window to calculate a yield.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Short-Stay Rentals
461 active Airbnb listings: 444 whole homes and 17 rooms. Whole homes are about 12.4% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 1.1 km
- Rate
- -0.19 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -9.5 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Two schools serve Dunsborough, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 1,082 students across 2 schools (avg 541)
- • Sectors: 1 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 1051-1070, median 1060 (above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Dunsborough Primary School (751 students)
Primary
Walkability
Dunsborough is car-dependent on foot — at 32/100, most errands require a car. Within the suburb there are 1 supermarket, 1 park and 8 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Dunsborough.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 29.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 15.4 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 6.4 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 10.0 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Dunsborough.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 23%
- Premises covered
- 4,791
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Busselton: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 13 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Dunsborough is home to about 6,400 residents, with a median age of 41, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $90,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
6,413
Median Age
41
Median Household Income
$90,376/yr
Census Median Rent
$450/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,885/mo
Avg Household Size
2.6
Median Personal Income
$45,916/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
61.3%
Total Dwellings
2,222
Owner-Occupier Rate
78.4%
Houses
89.8%
Rental Stress
25.9%
Mortgage Stress
25.0%
Work From Home
15.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
23 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 4 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 463 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 70.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 86.8%
- Employment Rate
- 62.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 45.4%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
177 residents (2.8%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
13.1% of residents (787) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Perth (705).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 6,022 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
2% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (53 of 3,109).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 2,436 people work here; 3,109 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (0.8 per resident). At least 16% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $3,028 a year through Busselton based on 2023 figures.
Building Approvals: Busselton
In the year to August 2026, 440 new dwellings were approved across Busselton. That mix is 421 houses and 19 units. Approvals are up 9.1% on the same period a year earlier.
Climate & Setting
from Cape Naturaliste, 10.5 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 27 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 1.0 km
- 3.9 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 669 mm
- 94 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 27.0°C
- 3 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 11.1°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
1 facility within 5 km- 3.7 kmWaste Treatment and Disposal ServicesTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10) · Carbon monoxide
EV adoption
In postcode 6281, 62 of 8,644 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.9% (252 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 6281, 2,471 rooftop-solar systems totalling 15.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 5,112 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 115 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $800,000.
Cap is $800,000 SOUTH of the 26th parallel (which includes all of metropolitan Perth) and $1,000,000 NORTH of it. We store the southern figure because that is where almost every buyer is; the northern cap is higher, so the stored value never overstates eligibility. The southern cap rose from $750,000 on 7 May 2026 in the 2026-27 Housing Taxation Package. The same package moved the first home owner RATE OF DUTY thresholds, which is a different scheme and lives in the web repo's app/stamp_duty.py.
Mortgage repayments
12 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 13 across postcode 6281.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with RevenueWA
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $800,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Department of Finance WA.
At $1,230,000 this is $430,000 above the $800,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Department of Finance WA.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Ben Small Liberal
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ben Small | 47.8% | 52.2% | +1.9 |
| 2022 | Nola Marino | 45.7% | 54.3% | -10.3 |
| 2019 | Nola Marino | 35.4% | 64.6% | +2.0 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Libby Mettam Liberal Party
Next state election: 10 March 2029.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Libby Mettam LP | 63.4% |
| 2021 | Libby Mettam LP | 54.3% |
| 2017 | Libby Mettam LP | 64.7% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2023, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Western Australian Electoral Commission.
Looking at a specific address in Dunsborough?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 6,413 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
- #1 in Busselton suburbs that added the most residents, 2016-2021
- #1 in Busselton's most educated suburbs
- #1 in Sportiest Busselton suburbs
- #2 in Busselton suburbs with the fastest EV adoption growth
- #2 in Busselton suburbs with the highest EV adoption today
- #2 in The most liveable suburbs in Busselton
- #2 in Busselton suburbs where the most residents moved from a capital city
- #2 in Busselton suburbs with the largest non-religious population
- #2 in Busselton suburbs that suit young professionals
- #3 in Best Busselton suburbs to rent in
- #3 in Busselton suburbs that grew fastest, 2016-2021
- #3 in Busselton's highest-income suburbs
- #3 in Busselton suburbs with the most rooftop solar
- #3 in Busselton suburbs where young families live
- #4 in The best beachside suburbs in Busselton
- #4 in Best Busselton suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
- #4 in Most walkable suburbs in Busselton
- #4 in Busselton suburbs where the most homes are owned outright
- #4 in Busselton suburbs where seniors live
- #4 in Busselton suburbs with the best public transport
- #5 in Busselton suburbs with the deepest rental markets
- #6 in Highest-yielding Busselton suburbs (houses)
- #6 in Busselton's most owner-occupied suburbs
- #7 in The safest suburbs in Busselton
- #9 in Busselton suburbs with the best NBN connectivity
Nearby suburbs
Compare Dunsborough to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other WA suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Dunsborough
Is Dunsborough a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Dunsborough is low (38/100, ranked against other WA suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Dunsborough?
Dunsborough has a moderate recorded bushfire history (44/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a low share of it (14/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Dunsborough a good place to live?
Dunsborough has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (55/100), ranked against other WA suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Dunsborough?
Dunsborough, WA had a population of 6,413 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Dunsborough, WA?
The postcode for Dunsborough, WA is 6281.
How far is Dunsborough from Perth?
Dunsborough is 251 km from Perth CBD by road, about 172 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Dunsborough?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Dunsborough was $90,376 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Dunsborough?
The median advertised rent in Dunsborough is $900 a week for houses (38 listings) and $585 a week for units (4 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Dunsborough?
The median age of residents in Dunsborough was 41 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Dunsborough at risk of bushfire?
Dunsborough has a moderate recorded bushfire history (44/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Dunsborough?
There are 2 schools inside the Dunsborough boundary: 2 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Dunsborough walkable?
Dunsborough scores 32/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Dunsborough?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Dunsborough, Cape Naturaliste (10.5 km away), summer days average 27°C, winter nights 11.1°C, 669 mm of rain a year over 94 rainy days, and 3 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Dunsborough?
First-home buyers in WA may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $800,000. The grant is administered by Department of Finance WA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Dunsborough belong to?
Dunsborough sits within the Busselton local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Dunsborough?
The average residential rates bill through Busselton is $3,028 a year (2023). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Dunsborough?
Across Busselton, 440 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 9.1% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Dunsborough in?
Dunsborough sits within the federal Division of Forrest, currently held by Ben Small (Liberal).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2023–24
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2025
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.