Blackfellows Caves vs Nene Valley
Nene Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 56 against 59 in Blackfellows Caves. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Blackfellows Caves, most households are people living alone. In Nene Valley, most households are couple families. On these figures, Blackfellows Caves tends to suit people living alone, while Nene Valley suits 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
Nene Valley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 31%)
- carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 69/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Nene Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (15% vs 33%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Blackfellows Caves has cheaper rent ($225/wk vs $300/wk)
- Nene Valley leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 30%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Nene Valley
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 69/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 33%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Nene Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (17.9% vs 2.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Blackfellows Caves and Nene 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
Nene Valley has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $38,948); Nene Valley has more residents (99 vs 72).
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 72 | 99 +38% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.9% | +17.9% |
| Median age | 59 | 56 |
| Median household income | $38,948/yr | $94,224/yr +142% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $225/wk | $300/wk +33% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.9%).
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 (4.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Nene Valley has more land zoned for conservation (23% vs 8%); Blackfellows Caves has more rural and farming land (88% vs 77%).
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 88% | 77% |
| Environmental | 8% | 23% |
| Residential | 3% | 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
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 39 across Grant same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +300% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 6% of SA | Higher than 73% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 14% of SA | Higher than 48% 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 67% of SA |
Liveability
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Blackfellows Caves carries more crime risk (69 vs 48).
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 69/100 | Moderate 48/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 51/100 | Low 25/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene 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
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 449.7 km | 449.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 310 min | 312 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 | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.2 km | 1.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 83 premises | 0% 88 premises |
Climate
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,458/yr same for both | |
| Council | Grant same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Blackfellows Caves | Nene 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 Blackfellows Caves
Other comparisons with Nene 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.