Brukunga vs Dawesley

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Dawesley: a median of $1.16 million, against $820,000 in Brukunga, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Brukunga tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Brukunga

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 31/100)

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

First-home buyers

Brukunga

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($820,000 vs $1,162,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Brukunga

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (19% vs 3%)
  • has cheaper rent ($262/wk vs $290/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Dawesley

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (44 min vs 51 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (43.5 km vs 46.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Brukunga

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 31/100)

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

Investors

Dawesley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (22.0% vs -7.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Brukunga Dawesley
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.

Brukunga Dawesley
Walkability 5 / 10
Brukunga — Walkability: 5/100 Dawesley — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 89 / 69
Brukunga — Safety: 89/100 Dawesley — Safety: 69/100
Low fire risk 20 / 100
Brukunga — Low fire risk: 20/100 Dawesley — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Dawesley has higher household incomes ($101,348 vs $75,816); Brukunga has more residents (400 vs 316).

Brukunga Dawesley
Population 400
+21% vs other
 316
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -7.6% +22.0%
Median age 42 43
Median household income $75,816/yr $101,348/yr
+34% vs other
Median weekly rent $262/wk $290/wk
+11% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Brukunga Dawesley
0-4 4.5% / 7.3%
Brukunga — 0-4: 4.5% Dawesley — 0-4: 7.3%
5-14 12.5% / 13.0%
Brukunga — 5-14: 12.5% Dawesley — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 4.8% / 6.3%
Brukunga — 15-19: 4.8% Dawesley — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 7.5% / 5.4%
Brukunga — 20-24: 7.5% Dawesley — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 9.5% / 9.5%
Brukunga — 25-34: 9.5% Dawesley — 25-34: 9.5%
35-44 15.5% / 7.9%
Brukunga — 35-44: 15.5% Dawesley — 35-44: 7.9%
45-54 16.8% / 16.8%
Brukunga — 45-54: 16.8% Dawesley — 45-54: 16.8%
55-64 15.5% / 17.4%
Brukunga — 55-64: 15.5% Dawesley — 55-64: 17.4%
65-74 10.0% / 10.4%
Brukunga — 65-74: 10.0% Dawesley — 65-74: 10.4%
75-84 2.8% / 3.2%
Brukunga — 75-84: 2.8% Dawesley — 75-84: 3.2%
85+ — / 2.2%
Brukunga — 85+: not among its largest Dawesley — 85+: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Brukunga 50.9% couple families
Brukunga — Couple Families: 50.9% Brukunga — Lone Person: 35.2% Brukunga — One Parent Families: 7.4% Brukunga — Group Household: 6.5% Brukunga — Other Families: 0.0%
Dawesley 54.3% couple families
Dawesley — Couple Families: 54.3% Dawesley — Lone Person: 30.9% Dawesley — One Parent Families: 8.6% Dawesley — Group Household: 0.0% Dawesley — Other Families: 6.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Brukunga 18.8% renting
Brukunga — Owned Outright: 30.9% Brukunga — Mortgage: 50.3% Brukunga — Renting: 18.8%
Dawesley 2.7% renting
Dawesley — Owned Outright: 35.1% Dawesley — Mortgage: 62.2% Dawesley — Renting: 2.7%
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.

Brukunga Dawesley
England 3.2% / 11.7%
Brukunga — England: 3.2% Dawesley — England: 11.7%
New Zealand 0.8% / 2.8%
Brukunga — New Zealand: 0.8% Dawesley — New Zealand: 2.8%
India 0.8% / —
Brukunga — India: 0.8% Dawesley — India: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.7%).

Qualifications

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

Brukunga Dawesley
Certificate III & IV 20.2% / 15.2%
Brukunga — Certificate III & IV: 20.2% Dawesley — Certificate III & IV: 15.2%
Bachelor Degree 9.8% / 14.9%
Brukunga — Bachelor Degree: 9.8% Dawesley — Bachelor Degree: 14.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.0% / 7.9%
Brukunga — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0% Dawesley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9%
Postgraduate Degree 2.5% / 1.9%
Brukunga — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5% Dawesley — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.9%
Brukunga — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Dawesley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Brukunga 100.0% houses
Brukunga — Houses: 100.0%
Dawesley 100.0% houses
Dawesley — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Property market

Brukunga Dawesley
Median house price $820,000 $1,162,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Brukunga Dawesley
Rural and farming 95% 98%
Industrial 5% 0%
Residential 0% 2%
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

Brukunga Dawesley
New dwellings approved 657
across Mount Barker
same for both
Approvals change year on year -7%
same for both

Ranking within SA

Brukunga Dawesley
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 51% of SA Higher than 80% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 60% of SA Higher than 62% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 74% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 66% of SA Higher than 45% of SA

Liveability

Brukunga Dawesley
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Brukunga carries more bushfire risk (80 vs 0); Dawesley carries more crime risk (31 vs 11).

Brukunga Dawesley
Bushfire High
80/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
11/100
 Low
31/100
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

Brukunga Dawesley
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

Brukunga Dawesley
Waterways 4 1

Mobility

Brukunga sits further from the CBD (46.8 km vs 43.5 km).

Brukunga Dawesley
Walkability score 5/100 10/100
Distance to Adelaide 46.8 km
+7% vs other
 43.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 51 min 44 min
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 5252
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 73
postcode 5252
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.

Brukunga Dawesley
Car (driver) 75.3% / 76.0%
Brukunga — Car (driver): 75.3% Dawesley — Car (driver): 76.0%
Worked from Home 12.9% / 19.9%
Brukunga — Worked from Home: 12.9% Dawesley — Worked from Home: 19.9%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 2.1%
Brukunga — Car (passenger): 4.1% Dawesley — Car (passenger): 2.1%
Walked Only 5.3% / —
Brukunga — Walked Only: 5.3% Dawesley — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bus 2.4% / 2.1%
Brukunga — Bus: 2.4% Dawesley — Bus: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.0%).

Setting

Brukunga Dawesley
Elevation 384 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 310 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 39.7 km 39.8 km

NBN connectivity

Brukunga Dawesley
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
198 premises
 0%
113 premises

Climate

Brukunga Dawesley
Annual rainfall 730 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.7°C
same for both

Council rates

Brukunga Dawesley
Average residential rate $2,485/yr
same for both
Council Mount Barker
same for both

Federal electorate

Brukunga Dawesley
Division Mayo
same for both
Member Rebekha Sharkie
same for both
Party Centre Alliance
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Brukunga Dawesley
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Brukunga

Outer

Dawesley

Acreage Outer River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Brukunga

Brukunga vs Nairne Brukunga vs Woodside Brukunga vs Kanmantoo Brukunga vs Harrogate

Other comparisons with Dawesley

Dawesley vs Nairne Dawesley vs Kanmantoo Dawesley vs Petwood
Full data on Brukunga Full data on Dawesley
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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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