Median house price
—
No data available
WA · Broome Council
Waterbank, 6725
Est. population · Jun 2025
116
Growth (1 yr)
+1.8%
Growth (5 yr)
+5.5%
Median age
52
Median income
$1,374/wk
Employment rate
56.4%
Languages at home
6.6%non-English
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
Suburb profile
Waterbank is a quieter smaller community in Broome Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice.
Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets. Housing is expensive relative to much of the state.
Reported crime has been falling recently. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
At a glance
Waterbank snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$975/wk
Population (ERP)
116
+1.8% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
32.8%
Census unoccupied dwellings
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Safety
66th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
65th
percentile in WA
Advantage (IRSAD)
7/10
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)
- $975
- Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
- 1,091
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 (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
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
116(June 2025)
+1.8% annual · +5.5% over 5 years · 65th percentile in WA
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +1.8%
- 5-year growth
- +5.5%
- Change in 1 year
- +2
- Change in 5 years
- +6
- Growth rank in WA
- 65th 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 (~100), extrapolated at +0.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 110
- Median age
- 52
- Median household income / week
- $1,374
- Dwelling vacancy
- 32.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 20 of 61
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,192
- Employment rate
- 56.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 22 / 0 / 0 (+ 4 other)
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs 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
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
- 8,602
- Against the person
- 3,927
- Against property
- 3,052
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 74,155.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 1 residents
- State safety percentile
- 66.4th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -21%
Most common offence types
- Assault (Family)2151
- Breach Of Violence Restraint Order822
- Drug Offences801
- Property Damage921
- Threatening Behaviour (Family)693
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- WA Police district crime statistics — Western Australia Police Force · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Quarterly timeseries XLSX; district-level aggregates
Family & Lifestyle
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Broome Hospital (70.8 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 2
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 17.2
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Data sources & freshness
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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° / 25°
- Rainfall
- 454 mm · ~57 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 35° / 21°
- Rainfall
- 133 mm · ~17 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 31° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 14 mm · ~2 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 37° / 21°
- Rainfall
- 24 mm · ~3 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via WA bush fire prone area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard 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 535.4 km away).
Coalition 41.1%Labor 58.9%
19.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -3.6 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- BilingurrLabor 50.0% · Coalition 50.0% TPP (2025)65.9 km away
- BroomeLabor 61.0% · Coalition 39.0% TPP (2025)68.2 km away
- Cable BeachLabor 67.6% · Coalition 32.4% TPP (2025)69.5 km away
- DerbyLabor 57.6% · Coalition 42.4% TPP (2025)105.9 km away
- Fitzroy CrossingLabor 62.9% · Coalition 37.1% TPP (2025)317.6 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
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 (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Broome Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile elsewhere in Western Australia or interstate.