Altona vs Pewsey Vale
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Altona, about half of households are people living alone. In Pewsey Vale, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Altona tends to suit families with children, while Pewsey Vale suits couples.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Pewsey Vale
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 38/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 53%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Pewsey Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Altona
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (61 min vs 73 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (70.7 km vs 77.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Altona has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 6%)
- Pewsey Vale carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 38/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Pewsey Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.3% vs -13.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Altona and Pewsey Vale drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Altona rents higher ($350/wk vs $0/wk); Pewsey Vale has higher household incomes ($117,000 vs $76,336).
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 114 +26% vs other | 84 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -13.0% | +6.3% |
| Median age | 50 | 48 |
| Median household income | $76,336/yr | $117,000/yr +53% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.4%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 92% | 100% |
| Parks and recreation | 8% | 0% |
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 180 across Barossa same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -48% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 51% of SA | Higher than 91% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 18% of SA | Higher than 48% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 53% of SA | Higher than 54% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 93% of SA | Higher than 43% of SA |
Liveability
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Pewsey Vale carries more bushfire risk (32 vs 0); Altona carries more crime risk (38 vs 19).
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Crime | Low 38/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 3 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 8 |
Mobility
Pewsey Vale sits further from the CBD (77.7 km vs 70.7 km).
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 70.7 km | 77.7 km +10% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 61 min | 73 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 5351 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 85 postcode 5351 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.4%).
Setting
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 283 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 486 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 38.3 km | 41.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 83/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 63% 67 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 460 mm | 404 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — | 30.0°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | — | 6.6°C |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 18.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.31 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,247/yr same for both | |
| Council | Barossa same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Altona | Pewsey Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Altona
Other comparisons with Pewsey Vale
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.