Kimberley, WA
pearling · cable-beach · tropical · multicultural
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Move Regional compares towns across QLD, NSW and WA on price, work, schools and lifestyle, so you can find the one that fits.
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Drive to the coast
3 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
2 min
By road
Airport access
5 min
By road
Schools access
Good
Average daytime temp
32.5°C
Rainfall
Dry
Broome has a much younger profile than many regional coastal towns, with a median age of 34 and about 14,700 people in its urban area. Compared with 2016, the population is up around 14% since 2016, indicating steady demand rather than decline.
Perth is almost 23 hours away by road, so flying is the only practical regular connection to the capital; the airport is just five minutes from town and a major hospital about two minutes away. Those two access points are major strengths in such a remote location. Average daytime temperatures are above 32°C, with extremely hot summers and warm winters.
Rainfall is low overall compared with tropical Queensland, though the climate remains distinctly northern. The fixed-line connection supports reliable connectivity. Broome’s remoteness means local employment, services and social life have to stand on their own, but the young median age and recent growth suggest an active working community rather than a shrinking outpost.
Households that can embrace heat and long-distance separation from Perth while valuing very close airport and hospital access. are the most natural fit. It is much less suitable if regular road access to a capital or a broad metropolitan labour market is important.
21 photos
Broome suits people who want a remote town with a strong identity rather than a conventional regional centre: tourism and hospitality workers, teachers, tradespeople, health workers, creatives and anyone who thrives in a multicultural northern community. It also works for beach-focused movers who can handle intense heat and are comfortable flying rather than driving for most long-distance travel.
The climate is extremely hot for much of the year, and Perth is effectively a flight away rather than a drive you make casually. Tourism creates seasonal pressure, while the remote location can increase the cost and complexity of travel and goods. Anyone moving for work should understand how dependent their role is on tourism or public services.
Ride camels along Cable Beach
Visit a working pearl farm
See dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point
Explore Chinatown's pearling history
Median house price
$735,000
No WA-wide median published
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$925
≈ $4,008/month
Sourced from REIWA (Real Estate Institute of Western Australia) · REIWA, 12 months ending August 2026
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Moderate
Supermarket within 10km, limited other retail
Internet connection
Fixed line
Job market by industry
Trades — 14.8%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Kununurra, Karratha and Dampier.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Broome (UCL 513001) · 2021 Census
Younger than the national profile, with 7.6% aged 65 or over against 17.2%. Among households, renting is well above the national rate, at 50.7% of dwellings against 30.6%.
Population
14,660
Population growth
+13.6%
Broome (SA2 510011262)
Median age
34 years
Labour force participation
66.5%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$1,164
Per week · ≈ $60,528/year
Median family income
$2,623
Per week
Median household income
$2,222
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
43.5%
Rented
50.7%
Born in Australia
70.6%
Born overseas
15.4%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.