Ashbourne vs Mcharg Creek
Ashbourne is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 51 in McHarg Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ashbourne, most households are couple families. On these figures, Ashbourne tends to suit 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
McHarg Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 47/100)
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
McHarg Creek
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($225/wk vs $350/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 21%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Ashbourne is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- Mcharg Creek sits closer to the CBD (58.4 km vs 61.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Ashbourne is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- Mcharg Creek carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 47/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
McHarg Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (35.8% vs 9.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ashbourne and Mcharg Creek 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
Ashbourne has more residents (308 vs 72); Ashbourne rents higher ($350/wk vs $225/wk).
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 308 +77% vs other | 72 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.6% | +35.8% |
| Median age | 46 | 51 |
| Median household income | $86,320/yr +12% vs other | $75,816/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +36% vs other | $225/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (7.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,075,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 49 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
McHarg Creek has more rural and farming land (100% vs 86%); Ashbourne has more land zoned for conservation (12% vs 0%).
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 86% | 100% |
| Environmental | 12% | 0% |
| Residential | 1% | 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
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 429 across Alexandrina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +25% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 64% of SA | Higher than 50% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 67% of SA | Higher than 26% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 70% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 42% of SA | Higher than 59% of SA |
Liveability
Ashbourne is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Ashbourne carries more crime risk (47 vs 13); McHarg Creek carries more bushfire risk (84 vs 69).
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 69/100 | High 84/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 47/100 | Low 13/100 |
| 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
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Ashbourne
- Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School - Ashbourne R-6 Campus Government · Combined
Schools in Mcharg Creek
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 5 |
| Waterways | 8 | 0 |
Mobility
Ashbourne sits further from the CBD (61.2 km vs 58.4 km).
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 61.2 km +5% vs other | 58.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 62 min | 60 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.8% postcode 5157 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 97 postcode 5157 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 (77.8%).
Setting
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 130 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 309 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 24.1 km same for both | |
NBN connectivity
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 135 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 466 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,523/yr same for both | |
| Council | Alexandrina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mayo same for both | |
| Member | Rebekha Sharkie same for both | |
| Party | Centre Alliance same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ashbourne | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Ashbourne
Other comparisons with Mcharg Creek
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.