Pilbara, WA
archipelago · rock-art · port · pilbara
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Drive to the coast
3 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
19 min
By road
Airport access
11 min
By road
Schools access
Good
Average daytime temp
32.5°C
Rainfall
Very dry
Dampier is a small north-west coastal community of about 1,300 people with a young median age of 35. Population has edged down by roughly 1% since 2016, so the town is broadly stable rather than growing. Perth is almost 16 hours away by road, which means long-distance travel is realistically handled by air; the airport is only about ten minutes away.
A major hospital is around 20 minutes from town. Average daytime temperatures are above 32°C, summers are extremely hot and rainfall is very low, while winters remain warm. Fixed-line internet supports reliable home and work connectivity.
The combination of a small population, remote location and young age profile points to a community shaped by working-age households rather than retirement migration. The slight population decline also means Dampier is not experiencing the development pressure seen in faster-growing coastal towns elsewhere in WA.
Daily life needs to be organised locally, with Perth functioning as a distant destination rather than a practical fallback. Dampier suits people whose work and social connections are anchored in the region and who are comfortable with intense heat, limited local scale and the fact that virtually every major trip beyond the area begins with a flight.
6 photos
Photo credits: 5. minuseleven · CC BY 2.0; 6. minuseleven · CC BY 2.0
Dampier is best suited to people already connected to Pilbara work who would rather live in a smaller coastal settlement than in Karratha itself. Tradespeople, resource-sector professionals, boaters and families who enjoy a close local community are the obvious match. It also appeals to residents who value immediate access to the Dampier Archipelago and can live comfortably in extreme heat.
Pilbara heat is a major lifestyle constraint, and Perth is essentially reached by air for normal travel. The local economy remains closely tied to resources and industry, so employment diversification is limited. Dampier itself has fewer services than Karratha, meaning many practical errands still involve driving into the larger centre.
Cruise the Dampier Archipelago
View Murujuga rock art on Burrup Peninsula
See Staircase to the Moon at Hearson's Cove
Visit the Red Dog statue
Median house price
$947,000
No WA-wide median published
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$1,450
≈ $6,283/month
Sourced from REIWA (Real Estate Institute of Western Australia) · REIWA, 12 months ending August 2026
Healthcare access
Good
Shopping & everyday services
Limited
One supermarket, 10–20km away
Internet connection
Fixed line
Plus 1 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
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 Broome, Kununurra and Karratha.
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.
Dampier (SAL 50378) · 2021 Census
Younger than the national profile, with 3.7% aged 65 or over against 17.2%. Among households, families with children make up 59.9% of families, above the national 43.7%. Lone-person households are less common than average (15.7% against 25.6%).
Population
1,282
Population growth
-1.3%
Roebourne (SA2 510031273)
Median age
35 years
Labour force participation
76.3%
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
$1,698
Per week · ≈ $88,296/year
Median family income
$3,941
Per week
Median household income
$3,664
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
59%
Rented
36.9%
Born in Australia
75.6%
Born overseas
13.6%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.