Back Valley vs Inman Valley

Back Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 54 in Inman Valley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Back Valley, most households are couple families. On these figures, Back Valley tends to suit families with children and 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Back Valley carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 52/100)
  • Inman Valley has more parks and reserves (32 vs 9)

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

First-home buyers

Inman Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 31%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Inman Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($273/wk vs $310/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Inman Valley

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (80 min vs 92 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (85.8 km vs 93.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Back Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 52/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Back Valley Inman Valley
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.

Back Valley Inman Valley
Walkability 0 / 0
Back Valley — Walkability: 0/100 Inman Valley — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 63 / 48
Back Valley — Safety: 63/100 Inman Valley — Safety: 48/100
Low fire risk 100 / 71
Back Valley — Low fire risk: 100/100 Inman Valley — Low fire risk: 71/100

Demographics

Inman Valley has more residents (361 vs 176); Inman Valley skews older (54 vs 47).

Back Valley Inman Valley
Population 176 361
+105% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.3% +5.2%
Median age 47 54
Median household income $62,504/yr $67,964/yr
+9% vs other
Median weekly rent $310/wk
+12% vs other
 $273/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Back Valley Inman Valley
0-4 9.7% / 3.3%
Back Valley — 0-4: 9.7% Inman Valley — 0-4: 3.3%
5-14 15.3% / 13.6%
Back Valley — 5-14: 15.3% Inman Valley — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 3.4% / 4.7%
Back Valley — 15-19: 3.4% Inman Valley — 15-19: 4.7%
20-24 — / 2.2%
Back Valley — 20-24: not among its largest Inman Valley — 20-24: 2.2%
25-34 13.1% / 5.0%
Back Valley — 25-34: 13.1% Inman Valley — 25-34: 5.0%
35-44 7.4% / 9.7%
Back Valley — 35-44: 7.4% Inman Valley — 35-44: 9.7%
45-54 9.7% / 10.5%
Back Valley — 45-54: 9.7% Inman Valley — 45-54: 10.5%
55-64 13.6% / 21.6%
Back Valley — 55-64: 13.6% Inman Valley — 55-64: 21.6%
65-74 19.9% / 16.9%
Back Valley — 65-74: 19.9% Inman Valley — 65-74: 16.9%
75-84 8.0% / 10.0%
Back Valley — 75-84: 8.0% Inman Valley — 75-84: 10.0%
85+ — / 0.8%
Back Valley — 85+: not among its largest Inman Valley — 85+: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Back Valley 61.9% couple families
Back Valley — Couple Families: 61.9% Back Valley — Lone Person: 31.0% Back Valley — One Parent Families: 7.1% Back Valley — Group Household: 0.0%
Inman Valley 41.4% couple families
Inman Valley — Couple Families: 41.4% Inman Valley — Lone Person: 31.4% Inman Valley — One Parent Families: 22.9% Inman Valley — Group Household: 4.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Back Valley 10.7% renting
Back Valley — Owned Outright: 53.6% Back Valley — Mortgage: 35.7% Back Valley — Renting: 10.7%
Inman Valley 11.3% renting
Inman Valley — Owned Outright: 43.6% Inman Valley — Mortgage: 45.1% Inman Valley — Renting: 11.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Back Valley Inman Valley
England 6.8% / 8.6%
Back Valley — England: 6.8% Inman Valley — England: 8.6%
Netherlands — / 2.5%
Back Valley — Netherlands: not among its largest Inman Valley — Netherlands: 2.5%
Scotland — / 1.1%
Back Valley — Scotland: not among its largest Inman Valley — Scotland: 1.1%
New Zealand — / 0.8%
Back Valley — New Zealand: not among its largest Inman Valley — New Zealand: 0.8%
Germany — / 0.8%
Back Valley — Germany: not among its largest Inman Valley — Germany: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.6%).

Qualifications

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

Back Valley Inman Valley
Certificate III & IV 18.8% / 15.8%
Back Valley — Certificate III & IV: 18.8% Inman Valley — Certificate III & IV: 15.8%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 8.9%
Back Valley — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% Inman Valley — Bachelor Degree: 8.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.2% / 10.0%
Back Valley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2% Inman Valley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.0%
Postgraduate Degree 1.7% / 5.0%
Back Valley — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7% Inman Valley — Postgraduate Degree: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 2.8%
Back Valley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Inman Valley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Back Valley 93.9% houses
Back Valley — Houses: 93.9% Back Valley — Flats / Apartments: 6.1%
Inman Valley 100.0% houses
Inman Valley — Houses: 100.0% Inman Valley — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Back Valley Inman Valley
Median house price — $975,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Back Valley Inman Valley
Rural and farming 100% 97%
Environmental 0% 3%
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

Back Valley Inman Valley
New dwellings approved 347
across Victor Harbor
 58
across Yankalilla
Approvals change year on year -26% -55%

Ranking within SA

Back Valley Inman Valley
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 30% of SA Higher than 36% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 40% of SA Higher than 38% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 63% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of SA Higher than 48% of SA

Liveability

Back Valley Inman Valley
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Inman Valley carries more bushfire risk (29 vs 0); Inman Valley carries more crime risk (52 vs 37).

Back Valley Inman Valley
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
29/100
Crime Low
37/100
 Moderate
52/100
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

Back Valley Inman Valley
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

Back Valley Inman Valley
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 9 32

Mobility

Back Valley sits further from the CBD (93.8 km vs 85.8 km).

Back Valley Inman Valley
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Adelaide 93.8 km
+9% vs other
 85.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 92 min 80 min
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 5211
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 70
postcode 5211
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.

Back Valley Inman Valley
Car (driver) 68.3% / 60.2%
Back Valley — Car (driver): 68.3% Inman Valley — Car (driver): 60.2%
Worked from Home 22.2% / 29.8%
Back Valley — Worked from Home: 22.2% Inman Valley — Worked from Home: 29.8%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 4.3%
Back Valley — Car (passenger): 4.8% Inman Valley — Car (passenger): 4.3%
Walked Only 4.8% / 3.7%
Back Valley — Walked Only: 4.8% Inman Valley — Walked Only: 3.7%
Train — / 1.9%
Back Valley — Train: not among its largest Inman Valley — Train: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.3%).

Setting

Back Valley Inman Valley
Elevation 97 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 111 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.3 km 14.4 km

NBN connectivity

Back Valley Inman Valley
Connectivity score 37/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
91 premises
 0%
212 premises

Climate

Back Valley Inman Valley
Annual rainfall 786 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Back Valley Inman Valley
Average residential rate $2,533/yr $2,546/yr
Council Victor Harbor Yankalilla

Federal electorate

Back Valley Inman Valley
Division Mayo
same for both
Member Rebekha Sharkie
same for both
Party Centre Alliance
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Back Valley Inman Valley
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Back Valley

Family Retirees Rural Young Families

Inman Valley

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Back Valley

Back Valley vs Encounter Bay Back Valley vs Victor Harbor Back Valley vs Lower Inman Valley Back Valley vs Waitpinga Back Valley vs Torrens Vale

Other comparisons with Inman Valley

Inman Valley vs Yankalilla Inman Valley vs Myponga Inman Valley vs Hindmarsh Valley Inman Valley vs Lower Inman Valley Inman Valley vs Wattle Flat Inman Valley vs Hindmarsh Tiers
Full data on Back Valley Full data on Inman Valley
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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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