Bilingurr

Demographics

At a median age of 32, Bilingurr residents are 8 years younger than the national median, reflecting the working-age workforce drawn to Kimberley-region industries. Overseas-born residents account for 18.4%, which is 3.2 points below the national average. English (490 residents), Ancestry NS (191), Scottish (152), Irish (125) and Other (131) lead the ancestry mix, pointing to an Anglo-Celtic majority. Average household size is 2.7, marginally above the national figure of 2.5. Couples with children make up the largest family type at 607 households, while couples without children account for 230, consistent with a younger, family-forming demographic. The volunteering rate is 18.4%, a reasonable level of community participation for a regional WA suburb of this size.

Owner-occupiers are in the minority here, with 51.4% of households renting, 38.2% holding a mortgage, and only 10.3% owning outright, compared to national outright ownership of around 31%. The stock skews large: 44.1% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms, well above the national share, while 3-bedroom homes account for 29.3% and 2-bedroom 19.3%. Separate houses dominate at 83.6% of dwellings, with apartments at just 2.2%. The 12.2% vacancy rate is notably high and may reflect second homes, seasonal workers, or reduced demand, making it worth investigating before committing. Rent-to-income at 12.3% is well below the 30% stress threshold, meaning renters here carry a light housing cost burden relative to their incomes.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare is the dominant industry at 22.6% of employed residents (136 workers), followed by Public Administration at 14.1% (85 workers) and Education at 13.1% (79 workers), together accounting for roughly half of local employment. These three sectors are publicly funded and relatively recession-resistant, which underpins income stability. Transport employs 7.6% and Construction 7.1%, reflecting the logistics and infrastructure needs of a regional centre. Professionals are the top occupation group (194 workers), followed by Community and Personal Service workers (145) and Clerical and Administrative staff (108). The unemployment rate is low at 2.3%, and full-time employment accounts for 71.9% of those employed, both figures indicating a tight and well-utilised local labour market. Personal weekly income of $1,319 is above the national median.

Source: ABS Census 2021

Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021

Transport to Work

Car dependency is pronounced: 88.3% of residents drive to work, while only 1.1% use public transport, lower than virtually all Australian urban suburbs. Walking and cycling account for 4.3% of commutes, modest but workable in a lower-density setting of 130.6 people per km2. No schools are recorded within the Bilingurr boundary in this dataset, so families depend on schools in adjacent Broome. Rent-to-income at 12.3% and mortgage-to-income at 22.8% both sit well below stress thresholds, meaning housing costs are manageable relative to the 91.5th-percentile household incomes. Only 1.9% of residents (26 people) need daily assistance, low for a suburb of this size, consistent with a young and working-age population. Crime data is not available for this suburb, so relative safety cannot be quantified.

Growth Outlook

Bilingurr's population of 1,540 reflects a small, stable regional community where growth is governed by employment in healthcare, government, and resource-adjacent services rather than residential development pressure. No development applications were lodged in the 12 months to the brief date, compared to active growth suburbs where dozens or hundreds of applications are typical. The high vacancy rate of 12.2% suggests the existing housing stock has capacity to absorb population increases without new construction. Household turnover is 32.1%, meaning roughly one in three households changed in the past five years, which is elevated and reflects the transient nature of regional WA employment postings. The young median age of 32, which is 8 years below the national figure, is consistent with contract and roster workers cycling through the region.

Population trend: Broome council area

Bilingurr sits in the Broome council area. These are the council area's residents, not Bilingurr's.

ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Bilingurr compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions