Shark Bay

Western Australia · Western Australia - Outback (South) · 1,033 people · 19 suburbs · 3 postcodes

Shark Bay at a glance

1,033

Population

#97 of 123 in WA

24,202

km² area

45.6

Median age

+6.5 vs WA

942

SEIFA IRSAD

#86 of 123 in WA

Schools

2 gov, 0 Cath, 0 indep

21.3%

Born overseas

43.7%

Renting

Map shows the Shark Bay LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Federal electorate boundaries can be toggled on the map. Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021 CED boundaries.

Shark Bay is a Local Government Area in Western Australia, in the Perth region. It covers 19 suburbs across 3 postcodes and an area of 24,202 km². Shark Bay has a population of 1,033 , ranking #97 most populous in WA. The most populous suburb is Denham (849 residents).About 21.3% of residents were born overseas and 9.3% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

16.0%

6.8%

28.6%

28.0%

20.7%

0–14 (16.0%) 15–24 (6.8%) 25–44 (28.6%) 45–64 (28.0%) 65+ (20.7%)

Show counts

0–14 years	161 (16.0%)
15–24 years	68 (6.8%)
25–44 years	288 (28.6%)
45–64 years	282 (28.0%)
65+ years	208 (20.7%)

21.3%

Born overseas

9.3%

Speak a language other than English at home

9.6%

First Nations

2.1

Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

40.7%

15.6%

43.7%

Owned outright (40.7%) Mortgaged (15.6%) Renting (43.7%)

Dwelling type mix

93.4%

Separate house (93.4%) Semi/townhouse (5.1%) Flat/apartment (1.4%)

$239

Median weekly rent

$1,140

Median monthly mortgage

50.1%

Households with 0-1 cars

49.9%

Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

2.3%

Unemployment rate

302

In full-time work

115

In part-time work

Schools in Shark Bay

2 schools across Shark Bay: 100.0% Government, 0% Catholic, 0% Independent. The WA average is 71.4% / 14.1% / 14.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 894 (range 887 to 901). WA median is 1006; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

100.0%

WA average for comparison

71.4%

14.1%

14.5%

Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

50.0%

Primary (50.0%) Secondary (0%) Combined (50.0%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300

LGA median 894 WA median 1006LGA range 887 to 901

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 2 schools in Shark Bay, sorted by enrolment:

School	Sector	Type	Suburb	Students	ICSEA
Shark Bay School	Government	Combined	Denham	85	901
Useless Loop Primary School	Government	Primary	Useless Loop	21	887

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Shark Bay. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

942

Ranked #86 of 123 WA LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

970

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

935

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

915

Suburbs in Shark Bay

Shark Bay contains 19 suburbs and 3 postcodes. Sorted by population.

Suburb	Postcode	Population	Median income	Median age
Denham	6537	849	$1,021/wk	48
Useless Loop	6537	134	$2,461/wk	35
Hamelin Pool	6532	23	$900/wk	31
Dirk Hartog Island	6537	9	$3,250/wk	18
Nerren Nerren	6532	6		21
Tamala	6532	5	$350/wk	61
Nanga	6537	4	$900/wk	53
Meadow	6532	3		58
Carbla	6701
Carrarang	6532
Coburn	6532
Gilroyd	6701
Hickety	6532
Mauds Landing	6701
Shark Bay	6537
Talisker	6701
Toolonga	6532
Woodleigh	6701
Yalardy	6701

Postcodes covered

6532, 6537, 6701

Compare Shark Bay with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Shark Bay and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA	Population	Median age	SEIFA IRSAD	% renting	% overseas-born
Shark Bay (WA)	1,033	45.6	942	43.7%	21.3%
Carnarvon	5,255	40.7	918	45.0%	18.2%
Northampton	3,231	53.2	923	21.4%	13.2%
Chapman Valley	1,389	42.1	1003	10.1%	12.9%
Exmouth	3,082	36.5	1002	42.5%	18.5%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Shark Bay Climate & weather Climate data for Denham

Frequently asked questions about Shark Bay

What is the population of Shark Bay?

The 2021 Census recorded 1,033 people living in Shark Bay, across 19 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Shark Bay?

Shark Bay contains 19 suburbs. The most populous are Denham, Useless Loop, Hamelin Pool, Dirk Hartog Island, Nerren Nerren.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Shark Bay?

Shark Bay covers 3 postcodes: 6532, 6537, 6701.

How many schools are in Shark Bay?

Shark Bay has 2 schools, including 2 government, 0 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Shark Bay?

Shark Bay has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 942, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed June 2026. Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.