Altona vs Rowland Flat
Rowland Flat is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 50 in Altona. 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 Rowland Flat, most households are couple families.
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
Altona
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 50/100)
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
Rowland Flat
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 24%)
- has cheaper rent ($312/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Altona sits closer to the CBD (70.7 km vs 79.1 km)
- Rowland Flat is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Altona carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 50/100)
- Rowland Flat is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Altona and Rowland Flat 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
Rowland Flat has higher household incomes ($101,816 vs $76,336); Altona rents higher ($350/wk vs $312/wk).
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 114 +4% vs other | 110 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -13.0% | — |
| Median age | 50 | 45 |
| Median household income | $76,336/yr | $101,816/yr +33% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +11% vs other | $312/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).
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 (10.5%).
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 | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 92% | 99% |
| Parks and recreation | 8% | 0% |
| Commercial | 0% | 1% |
| 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 | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 180 across Barossa same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -48% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 51% of SA | Higher than 81% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 18% of SA | Higher than 60% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 53% of SA | Higher than 58% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 93% of SA | Higher than 41% of SA |
Liveability
Rowland Flat is more walkable (8 vs 0).
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Rowland Flat carries more bushfire risk (37 vs 0); Rowland Flat carries more crime risk (50 vs 38).
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Crime | Low 38/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| 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 | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Rowland Flat sits further from the CBD (79.1 km vs 70.7 km).
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 70.7 km | 79.1 km +12% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 61 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 5351 | 0.6% postcode 5352 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 85 postcode 5351 | 78 postcode 5352 |
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 | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 283 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 238 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 38.3 km | 41.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 83/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 63% 67 premises | 0% 39 premises |
Climate
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 460 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,247/yr same for both | |
| Council | Barossa same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Altona | Rowland Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Rowland Flat
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.