Blackfellows Caves vs Carpenter Rocks
Carpenter Rocks is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 59 in Blackfellows Caves. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are 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
Carpenter Rocks
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 2)
- is already more of a family suburb (42% vs 31%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Carpenter Rocks
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 33%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Carpenter Rocks
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (6% vs 30%)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 8%)
- has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $225/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Carpenter Rocks
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (443.3 km vs 449.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Blackfellows Caves
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 26%)
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
Blackfellows Caves and Carpenter Rocks 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
Blackfellows Caves rents higher ($225/wk vs $100/wk); Carpenter Rocks has higher household incomes ($80,132 vs $38,948).
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 72 | 87 +21% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.9% | +6.1% |
| Median age | 59 | 51 |
| Median household income | $38,948/yr | $80,132/yr +106% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $225/wk +56% vs other | $100/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).
Zoning mix
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 88% | 90% |
| Environmental | 8% same for both | |
| Residential | 3% | 1% |
| 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
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 39 across Grant same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +300% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 6% of SA | Higher than 55% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 14% of SA | Higher than 53% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 18% of SA | Higher than 19% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 54% of SA | Higher than 69% of SA |
Liveability
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Carpenter Rocks carries more bushfire risk (29 vs 0).
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 29/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 69/100 | High 70/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 51/100 | High 71/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 5 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Beaches | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Blackfellows Caves sits further from the CBD (449.7 km vs 443.3 km).
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 449.7 km +1% vs other | 443.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 310 min | 307 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 5291 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 5291 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
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 19 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.2 km | 3.4 km 3.9 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 83 premises | 0% 80 premises |
Climate
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 724 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.8°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,458/yr same for both | |
| Council | Grant same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Blackfellows Caves | Carpenter Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Blackfellows Caves
Other comparisons with Carpenter Rocks
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.