Bull Creek vs Mcharg Creek
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bull Creek, about half of households are people living alone. Bull Creek is closer to the city centre: 52.4 km, against 58.4 km. On these figures, Bull Creek tends to suit 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
McHarg Creek
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 54/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 46%)
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
McHarg Creek
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($225/wk vs $400/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 26%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Bull Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (52.4 km vs 58.4 km)
- has a shorter drive in (55 min vs 60 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
McHarg Creek
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 54/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 13%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
McHarg Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (35.8% vs -11.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bull Creek and Mcharg Creek 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
Bull Creek rents higher ($400/wk vs $225/wk); Bull Creek has more residents (111 vs 72).
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 111 +35% vs other | 72 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -11.2% | +35.8% |
| Median age | 51 same for both | |
| Median household income | $81,224/yr +7% vs other | $75,816/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk +44% vs other | $225/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.0%).
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 (9.9%).
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 (18.9%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 657 across Mount Barker | 429 across Alexandrina |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% | +25% |
Ranking within SA
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 56% of SA | Higher than 50% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 42% of SA | Higher than 26% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 70% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of SA | Higher than 59% of SA |
Liveability
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Bull Creek carries more crime risk (54 vs 13).
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 83/100 | High 84/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 54/100 | Low 13/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 5 |
| Waterways | 12 | 0 |
Mobility
McHarg Creek sits further from the CBD (58.4 km vs 52.4 km).
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 52.4 km | 58.4 km +11% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 55 min | 60 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.8% postcode 5157 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 97 postcode 5157 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 (77.8%).
Setting
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 270 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 309 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 26.5 km | 24.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 65 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 466 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 19.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.34 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,485/yr | $2,523/yr |
| Council | Mount Barker | Alexandrina |
Federal electorate
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mayo same for both | |
| Member | Rebekha Sharkie same for both | |
| Party | Centre Alliance same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bull Creek | Mcharg Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bull Creek
Other comparisons with Mcharg Creek
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.