Appila vs Wirrabara

Appila is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 60 in Wirrabara. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Appila, about half of households are couple families. In Wirrabara, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Appila tends to suit families with children and couples, while Wirrabara suits people living alone and older residents.

Appila and Wirrabara are both small, remote South Australian towns. Appila has a notably higher median household income at $66,300 compared to Wirrabara's $46,800, and significantly lower bushfire and crime risks (36 and 17 respectively, versus 65 and 37). Wirrabara is the larger community with 353 residents against Appila's 91, and has an older population with a median age of 60 years. Both are similarly distant from Adelaide's CBD and carry no flood risk, making the choice largely dependent on whether you prioritise income levels and safety over community size.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Appila

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 47/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 26%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Appila

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (7% vs 22%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Appila

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 17%)
  • has cheaper rent ($123/wk vs $150/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Wirrabara

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (242.2 km vs 245.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Appila carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 47/100)
  • Wirrabara has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 22%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Appila

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (9.6% vs -12.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Appila and Wirrabara drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Appila Wirrabara
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Appila Wirrabara
Walkability 14 / 20
Appila — Walkability: 14/100 Wirrabara — Walkability: 20/100
Safety 82 / 53
Appila — Safety: 82/100 Wirrabara — Safety: 53/100
Low fire risk 66 / 34
Appila — Low fire risk: 66/100 Wirrabara — Low fire risk: 34/100

Demographics

Wirrabara has more residents (353 vs 91); Appila has higher household incomes ($66,300 vs $46,800).

Appila Wirrabara
Population 91 353
+288% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.6% -12.4%
Median age 50 60
Median household income $66,300/yr
+29% vs other
 $46,800/yr
Median weekly rent $123/wk $150/wk
+22% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Appila Wirrabara
0-4 13.2% / —
Appila — 0-4: 13.2% Wirrabara — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 9.9% / 8.8%
Appila — 5-14: 9.9% Wirrabara — 5-14: 8.8%
15-19 4.4% / 4.2%
Appila — 15-19: 4.4% Wirrabara — 15-19: 4.2%
20-24 — / 2.5%
Appila — 20-24: not among its largest Wirrabara — 20-24: 2.5%
25-34 11.0% / 5.1%
Appila — 25-34: 11.0% Wirrabara — 25-34: 5.1%
35-44 5.5% / 5.7%
Appila — 35-44: 5.5% Wirrabara — 35-44: 5.7%
45-54 14.3% / 11.6%
Appila — 45-54: 14.3% Wirrabara — 45-54: 11.6%
55-64 23.1% / 26.3%
Appila — 55-64: 23.1% Wirrabara — 55-64: 26.3%
65-74 14.3% / 25.8%
Appila — 65-74: 14.3% Wirrabara — 65-74: 25.8%
75-84 7.7% / 9.9%
Appila — 75-84: 7.7% Wirrabara — 75-84: 9.9%
85+ — / 2.8%
Appila — 85+: not among its largest Wirrabara — 85+: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).

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.

Appila Wirrabara
England 4.4% / 3.1%
Appila — England: 4.4% Wirrabara — England: 3.1%
Netherlands — / 0.8%
Appila — Netherlands: not among its largest Wirrabara — Netherlands: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Appila 34.6% lone person
Appila — Lone Person: 34.6% Appila — Couple Families: 50.0% Appila — One Parent Families: 15.4% Appila — Group Household: 0.0%
Wirrabara 68.7% lone person
Wirrabara — Lone Person: 68.7% Wirrabara — Couple Families: 15.2% Wirrabara — One Parent Families: 11.1% Wirrabara — Group Household: 5.1%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Appila 100.0% houses
Appila — Houses: 100.0% Appila — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Wirrabara 98.9% houses
Wirrabara — Houses: 98.9% Wirrabara — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Appila Wirrabara
Certificate III & IV 12.1% / 17.0%
Appila — Certificate III & IV: 12.1% Wirrabara — Certificate III & IV: 17.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 12.1% / 7.1%
Appila — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 12.1% Wirrabara — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1%
Bachelor Degree 9.9% / 8.5%
Appila — Bachelor Degree: 9.9% Wirrabara — Bachelor Degree: 8.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 2.5%
Appila — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Wirrabara — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Appila 0.0% renting
Appila — Owned Outright: 83.3% Appila — Mortgage: 16.7% Appila — Renting: 0.0%
Wirrabara 9.5% renting
Wirrabara — Owned Outright: 60.4% Wirrabara — Mortgage: 30.2% Wirrabara — Renting: 9.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Property market

Appila Wirrabara
Median house price — $283,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $150,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 130 days
from 6 sales

Zoning mix

Wirrabara has more land zoned for conservation (13% vs 0%); Appila has more rural and farming land (99% vs 86%).

Appila Wirrabara
Rural and farming 99% 86%
Environmental 0% 13%
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

Appila Wirrabara
New dwellings approved 13
across Mount Remarkable
same for both
Approvals change year on year +200%
same for both

Ranking within SA

Appila Wirrabara
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 34% of SA Higher than 13% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 69% of SA Higher than 71% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption — Higher than 52% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 33% of SA Higher than 40% of SA

Liveability

Appila Wirrabara
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Wirrabara carries more crime risk (47 vs 18); Wirrabara carries more bushfire risk (66 vs 34).

Appila Wirrabara
Bushfire Low
34/100
 Moderate
66/100
Crime Low
18/100
 Moderate
47/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Appila Wirrabara
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

Appila Wirrabara
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 2 4
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 3 1

Mobility

Appila sits further from the CBD (245.3 km vs 242.2 km).

Appila Wirrabara
Walkability score 14/100 20/100
Distance to Adelaide 245.3 km
+1% vs other
 242.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 167 min 164 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 5480
 0.5%
postcode 5481
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 74
postcode 5480
 69
postcode 5481

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.

Appila Wirrabara
Car (driver) 47.5% / 65.8%
Appila — Car (driver): 47.5% Wirrabara — Car (driver): 65.8%
Worked from Home 37.5% / 21.1%
Appila — Worked from Home: 37.5% Wirrabara — Worked from Home: 21.1%
Walked Only 15.0% / 10.5%
Appila — Walked Only: 15.0% Wirrabara — Walked Only: 10.5%
Car (passenger) — / 2.6%
Appila — Car (passenger): not among its largest Wirrabara — Car (passenger): 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.8%).

Setting

Appila Wirrabara
Elevation 374 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 340 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 35.9 km 21.7 km

NBN connectivity

Appila Wirrabara
Connectivity score 22/100 27/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
35 premises
 0%
236 premises

Climate

Appila Wirrabara
Annual rainfall 330 mm 472 mm
Summer max (Jan) 30.9°C —
Winter min (Jul) 2.8°C —

Council rates

Appila Wirrabara
Average residential rate $1,600/yr
same for both
Council Mount Remarkable
same for both

Federal electorate

Appila Wirrabara
Division Grey
same for both
Member Tom Venning
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Appila Wirrabara
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Appila

Family Rural Young Families

Wirrabara

Affordable Quiet Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Appila

Appila vs Laura Appila vs Booleroo Centre

Other comparisons with Wirrabara

Wirrabara vs Booleroo Centre Wirrabara vs Nelshaby Wirrabara vs Telowie Wirrabara vs Beetaloo Valley
Full data on Appila Full data on Wirrabara
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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