Barossa Goldfields vs Cockatoo Valley
Cockatoo Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 47 in Barossa Goldfields. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Barossa Goldfields, about half of households are people living alone. In Cockatoo Valley, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Barossa Goldfields tends to suit people living alone, while Cockatoo Valley suits 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
Cockatoo Valley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 39/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (84% vs 55%)
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Barossa Goldfields sits closer to the CBD (51 km vs 63.9 km)
- Cockatoo Valley has a shorter drive in (56 min vs 62 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Cockatoo Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 39/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Barossa Goldfields and Cockatoo 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.
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
Cockatoo Valley has more residents (714 vs 63); Cockatoo Valley has higher household incomes ($129,428 vs $108,316).
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 63 | 714 +1033% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.0% | — |
| Median age | 47 | 42 |
| Median household income | $108,316/yr | $129,428/yr +19% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $360/wk | $383/wk +6% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.0%).
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 (8.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,157,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 20 days from 7 sales |
Zoning mix
Barossa Goldfields has more land zoned for conservation (26% vs 0%); Cockatoo Valley has more rural and farming land (100% vs 74%).
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 74% | 100% |
| Environmental | 26% | 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
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 180 across Barossa same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -48% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 85% of SA | Higher than 95% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 40% of SA | Higher than 19% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 54% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of SA | Higher than 56% of SA |
Liveability
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 54/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Barossa Goldfields carries more crime risk (39 vs 20).
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 59/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| Crime | Low 39/100 | Low 20/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Barossa Goldfields
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Cockatoo Valley
- Sandy Creek Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 7 | 3 |
Mobility
Cockatoo Valley sits further from the CBD (63.9 km vs 51 km).
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 51 km | 63.9 km +25% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 62 min | 56 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 5351 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 85 postcode 5351 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 202 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 171 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 27.5 km | 30.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 30 premises | 0% 241 premises |
Climate
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 404 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.6°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,247/yr same for both | |
| Council | Barossa same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Barossa Goldfields | Cockatoo Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Barossa Goldfields
Other comparisons with Cockatoo Valley
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.