Barabba vs Owen
Barabba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 42 in Owen. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Barabba, most households are couple families. On these figures, Barabba tends to suit couples, while Owen suits people living alone.
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
Owen
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 63/100)
- But Barabba is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 56%)
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
Barabba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $220/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Barabba
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (74.8 km vs 83.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (61 min vs 67 min)
- But Owen is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Owen
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 63/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Barabba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.4% vs -0.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Barabba and Owen 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
Owen rents higher ($220/wk vs $0/wk); Owen has more residents (509 vs 135).
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 135 | 509 +277% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +15.4% | -0.4% |
| Median age | 36 | 42 |
| Median household income | $110,500/yr +49% vs other | $56,472/yr |
| Median weekly rent | — | $220/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 (20.7%).
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 (3.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $540,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 20 days from 6 sales |
Zoning mix
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 99% |
| 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
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 106 across Adelaide Plains | 15 across Wakefield |
| Approvals change year on year | -21% | +0% |
Ranking within SA
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 87% of SA | Higher than 21% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 49% of SA | Higher than 66% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 47% of SA | Higher than 46% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 67% of SA | Higher than 51% of SA |
Liveability
Owen is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 14/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Barabba carries more crime risk (63 vs 36).
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 83/100 | High 77/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 63/100 | Low 36/100 |
| Flood | Low 25/100 | — |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Barabba
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Owen
- Owen Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
Owen sits further from the CBD (83.7 km vs 74.8 km).
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 74.8 km | 83.7 km +12% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 61 min | 67 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 5460 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 73 postcode 5460 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 (74.1%).
Setting
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 95 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 107 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 28.9 km | 29.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 48 premises | 0% 235 premises |
Climate
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 460 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,698/yr | $1,640/yr |
| Council | Adelaide Plains | Wakefield |
Federal electorate
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Barabba | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Barabba
Other comparisons with Owen
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.