Gascoyne, WA
ningaloo · whale-sharks · reef-town · outdoorsy
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Drive to the coast
15 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
15 min
By road
Airport access
41 min
By road
Schools access
Moderate
Average daytime temp
32.2°C
Rainfall
Very dry
Exmouth has a young population and strong recent growth, two features that distinguish it from many small WA coastal towns. Around 2,800 people live here, the median age is only 36 and population has risen by roughly 23% since 2016. Perth is more than 13 hours away by road, so the town is completely outside any practical capital-city orbit.
The airport is about 40 minutes away and a major hospital around 15 minutes, making air access and local healthcare relatively workable despite the remoteness. Climate is a defining factor: average daytime temperatures exceed 32°C, summers are extremely hot and rainfall is very low.
Fixed-line service gives homes and workplaces a reliable digital connection despite the physical remoteness. The growth rate suggests increasing demand and an active working-age community rather than a static retirement town. At the same time, the small population means the range of jobs, shops and services remains limited compared with a regional city.
Exmouth suits people whose work and lifestyle can be centred locally and who are genuinely comfortable with heat and long-distance separation from Perth. The practical upside is that healthcare and the airport are much closer than the road distance to the capital would suggest; the downside is that almost everything beyond the region involves serious travel.
19 photos
Exmouth is a natural fit for people who want Ningaloo to structure their lifestyle: divers, fishers, surfers, marine and tourism workers, young families and remote professionals who can tolerate isolation. It particularly suits active people who are comfortable with intense heat and a small community, and who would rather spend money on travel than live close to Perth.
At more than 13 hours by road from Perth, flights are a normal part of maintaining outside connections. The heat is extreme, tourism is highly seasonal, and local employment is concentrated in a relatively small number of sectors. Housing and services can also feel tight when visitor demand is high.
Snorkel Turquoise Bay on Ningaloo Reef
Swim with whale sharks
Dive Navy Pier
Hike Cape Range National Park
Median house price
$1,000,000
No WA-wide median published
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$1,800
≈ $7,800/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 — 14.6%
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 Geraldton, Kalbarri, Esperance, Hopetoun, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Denham, Coral Bay and Carnarvon.
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.
Exmouth (SAL 50497) · 2021 Census
Younger than the national profile, with 11.8% aged 65 or over against 17.2%. Among households, renting is well above the national rate, at 42.1% of dwellings against 30.6%.
Population
2,806
Population growth
+22.9%
Exmouth (SA2 511021277)
Median age
36 years
Labour force participation
71.4%
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
$967
Per week · ≈ $50,284/year
Median family income
$2,252
Per week
Median household income
$2,029
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
54%
Rented
42.1%
Born in Australia
72.3%
Born overseas
18.5%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.