suburb.guide

WA · Carnarvon Council

Babbage Island, 6701

Est. population · Jun 2025

18

Growth (1 yr)

0.0%

Growth (5 yr)

0.0%

Median age

54

Median income

$1,625/wk

Employment rate

72.2%

University qualified

0%

Work from home

0%

Languages at home

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Beach
  • Arts precinct
  • Remote
What Babbage Island is known for: Beach, Arts precinct, Remote

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Babbage Island, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Babbage Island, WA Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/wa/babbage-island

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Suburb profile

Babbage Island is a remote locality in Western Australia, in Carnarvon Council. Notable landmarks include Babbage Island Lighthouse, One Mile Jetty and Tramway and Carnarvon Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage (fmr) [Babbage Island Lighthouse].

Employment is stronger than in comparable places, with employment 14% above the peer median. Local amenities are a relative strength, placing it among the highest-ranked remote localities. Everyday destinations are relatively walkable. Heritage listings are more concentrated than in comparable places, with heritage listings 100% above the peer median. The clearer weaknesses are fewer university qualifications and weaker population growth, with university qualifications 100% below the peer median.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising local amenities and walkability over university qualifications.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Remote locality · compared with remote localities in Western Australia (453)

Strengths

  • Local amenities are a relative strength
  • Everyday destinations are relatively walkable
  • Heritage listings are more concentrated than in comparable places
  • Employment is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • University qualifications are less common than in comparable places
  • Population has been growing more slowly than in comparable places, or declining

What stands out

  • Babbage Island Beach
  • Babbage Island Lighthouse
  • One Mile Jetty and Tramway
  • Carnarvon Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage (fmr) [Babbage Island Lighthouse]

Who it suits

  • StudentsInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Babbage Island compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$460/wk

Population (ERP)

18

0.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

27.3%

Census unoccupied dwellings

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Pop. growth

6th

percentile in WA

Rented dwellings

73%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

4/10

national SEIFA decile

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Housing

All types (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
$460
Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
483

Median weekly rent from WA rental bond lodgements. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

  • WA rental bond lodgements — Department of Communities (WA) · wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv · Updated · Monthly bond summaries

Population

Estimated resident population

18(June 2025)

0.0% annual · 0.0% over 5 years · 6th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
0.0%
5-year growth
0.0%
Change in 1 year
0
Change in 5 years
0
Growth rank in WA
6th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~0), extrapolated at -0.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
17
Median age
54
Median household income / week
$1,625
Dwelling vacancy
27.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
3 of 11
Median monthly mortgage
$500
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$327
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
27.3% / 0% / 72.7%
Employment rate
72.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
0% / 0% / 53.8%
Walked or cycled to work
0%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
8 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

0% of adults have a university degree, compared with 23.8% across Western Australia. 31.6% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • Trade / vocational31.6% · 17.8% WA
  • Year 12 or below68.4% · 49.1% WA

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Engineering and related technologies100%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$54,712

27th percentile in WA · -7% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$55,614

30th percentile in WA · -14% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
14.0%

72nd percentile in WA · +1% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$36,910

13th percentile in WA · -42% vs Australia

Residents with business income
7.0%

37th percentile in WA · -33% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 6701 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
2,958
Taxpayers reporting net rent
415
Median net rent
$683
Taxpayers reporting business income
202
Taxable income vs state median
-10%
Salary / wages vs state median
-11%
Rental investment vs state median
+17%
Super vs state median
-42%
Business income vs state median
-12%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in WA, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

23.1% born overseas

Language at home
12 English only · 0 other
Non-English at home
0%
Born overseas
3 (23.1%)
Australian citizens
16

Religion

64.7%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 64.7%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion64.7%42.5%
Other / not stated35.3%57.5%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Figures are for the Mid West-Gascoyne Police District, not this suburb alone.

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
7,497
Against the person
2,625
Against property
3,363
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
136.8
State crime-rate percentile
78.4th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-36.5%

Most common offence types

  • Assault (Family)
  • Breach Of Violence Restraint Order
  • Drug Offences
  • Property Damage
  • Stealing

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • WA Police district crime statistics — Western Australia Police Force · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Quarterly timeseries XLSX; district-level aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Amenities

11 mapped amenities

1 cafes · 1 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
2/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
58.82
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
58.82
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink(1)
  • One MileCafe
Sport & outdoors(2)
  • Beach
  • Public toilets
Entertainment(3)
  • Historic Lighthouse Keepers Cottage MuseumMuseum
  • Railway Station MuseumMuseum
  • Dwyers LeapViewpoint
Other(3)
  • Shark Bay Information HuttInformation
  • Parking (2)
  • Shelter (2)

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
0%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
1
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
36°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Carnarvon Hospital (2.2 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
36° / 23°
Rainfall
38 mm · ~5 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
32° / 19°
Rainfall
66 mm · ~8 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
24° / 11°
Rainfall
104 mm · ~13 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
30° / 16°
Rainfall
16 mm · ~2 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

4 heritage places

  • Babbage Island LighthouseAnnear Pl, Babbage Island25484
  • One Mile Jetty and TramwayCarnarvon4566
  • Tramway Bridge and Tramwayoff Olivia Terrace, Carnarvon26316
  • Carnarvon Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage (fmr) [Babbage Island Lighthouse]Annear Pl, off Binning Rd, Babbage Island462

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via WA bush fire prone area mapping. Flood cover uses floodplain mapping against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Durack
Member of Parliament
Melissa PRICE (Liberal)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
119,942
Turnout (2025)
78.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-5.5 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 60.1%Labor 39.9%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 417.6 km away).

Coalition 36.2%Labor 63.8%

23.9 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +24.3 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Special Hospital Team 5Labor 66.7% · Coalition 33.3% TPP (2025)1.2 km away
  • CarnarvonLabor 35.3% · Coalition 64.7% TPP (2025)3.8 km away
  • DenhamLabor 41.2% · Coalition 58.8% TPP (2025)115.9 km away
  • KalbarriLabor 37.0% · Coalition 63.0% TPP (2025)318.5 km away
  • ExmouthLabor 48.5% · Coalition 51.5% TPP (2025)332.4 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
4/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Carnarvon Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.