South West Development Commission

City of Bunbury

The port city of Bunbury is the regional capital of the South West Region of Western Australia. Surrounded by water on three sides, Bunbury boasts beautiful beaches, rivers and inlets and affords its residents unique waterfront living. Many of the city's residents rely on mining, manufacturing, building and retail industries for their employment, working both within the city and in surrounding shires.

Bunbury is well serviced by road, rail and bus services and is only one and half hours drive from the state capital of Perth. It has its own small-scale airport and an express passenger train service which runs between Perth and Bunbury daily. The city offers a wide variety of retail shopping, and quality education (with its own university campus), health and sporting facilities.

The City itself is home to approximately 35,242 people, but the population of the Greater Bunbury area, which includes the adjacent urban centres of Australind, Leschenault, Eaton, Gelorup, Dalyellup and Stratham, is an estimated 70,037 people. More population statistics.

Bunbury's port is one of Australia's biggest regional facilities. It services the export of bulk commodities such as alumina, woodchips and mineral sands. The port also handles a range of other general cargo imports and exports. Find out more about Bunbury Port trade.

Attractions

Visit the Bunbury Visitor Centre website for detailed information on local attractions, events, tours and accommodation options.

Shire statistics

Shire representatives
Mayor	David Smith
Chief Executive Officer	Andrew Brien
Suburbs
Bunbury, South Bunbury, Withers, Mangles, Glen Padden, Crosslands, Carey Park, Wollaston, Picton, Sandridge Park, East Bunbury, Rathmines, Glen Iris, College Grove, Kinkella, Mindalong Heights, Pelican Point, Usher, Grand Canals, Vittoria Heights, Tuart Brook
Local industries
Business, Retail, Entertainment, Health, Arts, Government sector, Heavy and light industry, Tertiary Education, Tourism, Mining, Port Trade
Population
Estimated resident population, 2011	35,242
Average annual growth rate, 2006-2011	2.1%
Demographic averages (a)
Median age	37
Median monthly home mortgage repayment	$1,083
Median weekly household rent	$170
Median weekly household income	$960
Mean houshold occupancy rate	2.4 people
Building approvals 2010-11
Total value of building approvals	$79,563,000
Residential approvals	$41,556,000
Non-residential approvals	$38,007,000
Number of residential building approvals	153
Labour market (b)
Labour force employed	20,118
Unemployed	1,031
Unemployment rate	5.1%
Average income 2008-09
Average personal taxable income per annum	$58,406
Property values (c)
Average sale value of dwellings, 2008	$378,295
Minimum price of sold properties	$125,000
Maximum price of sold properties	$1,650,000
Subdivisions
Residential lots approved for development, 2010	54
Agriculture
Total agricultural land holdings, 2005-06	1,011 hectares
Number of farms, 2005-06	7
Value of agricultural production, 2005-06	$669,862

Sources
(a) Australian Bureau of Statistics.
(b) Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Small Area Labour Markets - Australia.
(c) Valuer General's Office, Residential Sales Data 2009.