Camden Park vs Novar Gardens

Camden Park is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 45 in Novar Gardens. In both, most households own their home. In Camden Park, about half of households are people living alone. In Novar Gardens, the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Novar Gardens: a median of $1.32 million, against $960,000 in Camden Park, though rent is higher in Camden Park. Camden Park is closer to the city centre: 7.8 km, against 9.8 km. On these figures, Camden Park tends to suit young adults and buyers on a tighter budget, while Novar Gardens suits older residents.

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

Novar Gardens

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (10 vs 1)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (80% vs 51%)
  • But Camden Park carries lower crime risk (59/100 vs 79/100)

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

First-home buyers

Camden Park

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($960,000 vs $1,320,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 32%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Novar Gardens

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($165/wk vs $305/wk)
  • But Camden Park has a bigger rental market to choose from (41% vs 27%)

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

Commuting to the city

Camden Park

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (7.8 km vs 9.8 km)
  • is more walkable (87/100 vs 72/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Camden Park

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (49% vs 20%)
  • carries lower crime risk (59/100 vs 79/100)
  • is more walkable (87/100 vs 72/100)
  • But Novar Gardens has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 17%)

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

Investors

Camden Park

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (6.3% vs 0.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Camden Park Novar Gardens
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.

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Walkability 87 / 72
Camden Park — Walkability: 87/100 Novar Gardens — Walkability: 72/100
Safety 41 / 21
Camden Park — Safety: 41/100 Novar Gardens — Safety: 21/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Camden Park — Low fire risk: 100/100 Novar Gardens — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Camden Park rents higher ($305/wk vs $165/wk); Camden Park has more residents (3,338 vs 2,508).

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Population 3,338
+25% vs other
 2,508
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.3% +0.2%
Median age 36 45
Median household income $72,696/yr $76,336/yr
+5% vs other
Median weekly rent $305/wk
+46% vs other
 $165/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Camden Park Novar Gardens
0-4 5.6% / 4.2%
Camden Park — 0-4: 5.6% Novar Gardens — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 8.4% / 11.6%
Camden Park — 5-14: 8.4% Novar Gardens — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 3.7% / 10.0%
Camden Park — 15-19: 3.7% Novar Gardens — 15-19: 10.0%
20-24 7.7% / 4.9%
Camden Park — 20-24: 7.7% Novar Gardens — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 21.6% / 7.9%
Camden Park — 25-34: 21.6% Novar Gardens — 25-34: 7.9%
35-44 14.3% / 10.4%
Camden Park — 35-44: 14.3% Novar Gardens — 35-44: 10.4%
45-54 11.1% / 11.2%
Camden Park — 45-54: 11.1% Novar Gardens — 45-54: 11.2%
55-64 10.2% / 14.2%
Camden Park — 55-64: 10.2% Novar Gardens — 55-64: 14.2%
65-74 8.5% / 12.4%
Camden Park — 65-74: 8.5% Novar Gardens — 65-74: 12.4%
75-84 5.5% / 10.1%
Camden Park — 75-84: 5.5% Novar Gardens — 75-84: 10.1%
85+ 3.0% / 3.1%
Camden Park — 85+: 3.0% Novar Gardens — 85+: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Camden Park 47.0% lone person
Camden Park — Lone Person: 47.0% Camden Park — Couple Families: 32.2% Camden Park — One Parent Families: 9.5% Camden Park — Group Household: 8.9% Camden Park — Other Families: 2.3%
Novar Gardens 40.6% lone person
Novar Gardens — Lone Person: 40.6% Novar Gardens — Couple Families: 42.9% Novar Gardens — One Parent Families: 12.0% Novar Gardens — Group Household: 3.0% Novar Gardens — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Camden Park 40.8% renting
Camden Park — Owned Outright: 26.5% Camden Park — Mortgage: 32.8% Camden Park — Renting: 40.8%
Novar Gardens 27.1% renting
Novar Gardens — Owned Outright: 40.3% Novar Gardens — Mortgage: 32.6% Novar Gardens — Renting: 27.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Bachelor Degree 18.0% / 13.8%
Camden Park — Bachelor Degree: 18.0% Novar Gardens — Bachelor Degree: 13.8%
Certificate III & IV 13.6% / 11.7%
Camden Park — Certificate III & IV: 13.6% Novar Gardens — Certificate III & IV: 11.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 7.5%
Camden Park — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Novar Gardens — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Postgraduate Degree 6.0% / 4.5%
Camden Park — Postgraduate Degree: 6.0% Novar Gardens — Postgraduate Degree: 4.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.7%
Camden Park — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Novar Gardens — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).

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.

Camden Park Novar Gardens
India 7.3% / 1.1%
Camden Park — India: 7.3% Novar Gardens — India: 1.1%
England 2.5% / 3.8%
Camden Park — England: 2.5% Novar Gardens — England: 3.8%
China 2.0% / 3.4%
Camden Park — China: 2.0% Novar Gardens — China: 3.4%
Nepal 2.5% / —
Camden Park — Nepal: 2.5% Novar Gardens — Nepal: not among its largest
Philippines 1.0% / —
Camden Park — Philippines: 1.0% Novar Gardens — Philippines: not among its largest
Malaysia — / 0.7%
Camden Park — Malaysia: not among its largest Novar Gardens — Malaysia: 0.7%
Italy — / 0.6%
Camden Park — Italy: not among its largest Novar Gardens — Italy: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Camden Park 50.7% houses
Camden Park — Houses: 50.7% Camden Park — Townhouses: 33.9% Camden Park — Flats / Apartments: 15.3%
Novar Gardens 79.5% houses
Novar Gardens — Houses: 79.5% Novar Gardens — Townhouses: 20.2% Novar Gardens — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Median house price $960,000 $1,320,000
Median unit price $570,000 —
Median land price — $1,210,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 23 sales
 16 days
from 18 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Camden Park Novar Gardens
3 bed $922K / $1.17M
Camden Park — 3 bed: $922K (30 sales) Novar Gardens — 3 bed: $1.17M (28 sales)

30 vs 28 sales

4 bed $1.23M / $1.42M
Camden Park — 4 bed: $1.23M (9 sales) Novar Gardens — 4 bed: $1.42M (13 sales)

9 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Camden Park has more industrially zoned land (17% vs 0%).

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Residential 83% 71%
Parks and recreation 0% 28%
Industrial 17% 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

Camden Park Novar Gardens
New dwellings approved 578
across West Torrens
same for both
Approvals change year on year +103%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Houses 3.6%
$715/wk on $1.02M
 —
Units 4.0%
$530/wk on $690K
 —

Ranking within SA

Camden Park Novar Gardens
House price Higher than 60% of SA Higher than 76% of SA
Income Higher than 47% of SA Higher than 51% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 97% of SA Higher than 89% of SA
Affordability Higher than 23% of SA Higher than 13% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 70% of SA Higher than 87% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 90% of SA Higher than 93% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 35% of SA —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 14% of SA —

Liveability

Camden Park is more walkable (87 vs 72); Camden Park scores higher overall (75 vs 69).

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Grade A
same for both
Score 75/100 69/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Novar Gardens carries more crime risk (79 vs 59).

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
59/100
 High
79/100
Flood — Low
22/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Moderate
50/100
 High
83/100
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Inside the suburb 0 2
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Tonsley, 4.4 km
 3
Tonsley, 5.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.3% 2.4%

Schools in Camden Park

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Novar Gardens

  • Immanuel College Independent · Secondary above peers
  • Immanuel Primary School Independent · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 2
same for both
Parks & reserves 1 10
Childcare 3 2
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Novar Gardens sits further from the CBD (9.8 km vs 7.8 km).

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Walkability score 87/100 72/100
Distance to Adelaide 7.8 km 9.8 km
+26% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 13 min 17 min
Public transport score 79/100
Tram · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 76.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 51.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 5038
 1.4%
postcode 5040
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 42
postcode 5038
 62
postcode 5040

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.

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Car (driver) 72.5% / 70.1%
Camden Park — Car (driver): 72.5% Novar Gardens — Car (driver): 70.1%
Worked from Home 9.9% / 16.1%
Camden Park — Worked from Home: 9.9% Novar Gardens — Worked from Home: 16.1%
Bus 6.9% / 3.4%
Camden Park — Bus: 6.9% Novar Gardens — Bus: 3.4%
Car (passenger) 4.3% / 4.8%
Camden Park — Car (passenger): 4.3% Novar Gardens — Car (passenger): 4.8%
Walked Only 1.8% / 2.6%
Camden Park — Walked Only: 1.8% Novar Gardens — Walked Only: 2.6%
Tram / Light Rail 2.7% / 0.7%
Camden Park — Tram / Light Rail: 2.7% Novar Gardens — Tram / Light Rail: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.5%).

Setting

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Elevation 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
same for both
Distance to the ocean 2.8 km 2.0 km

NBN connectivity

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Connectivity score 76/100 81/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 5%
1,916 premises
 18%
1,076 premises

Climate

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Annual rainfall 394 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Camden Park Novar Gardens
PM2.5 6.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 1.12 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Average residential rate $1,532/yr
same for both
Council West Torrens
same for both

Federal electorate

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Division Hindmarsh
same for both
Member Mark Butler
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Camden Park Novar Gardens
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Camden Park

Coastal Inner Parks Townhouses Trams

Novar Gardens

Coastal Inner Parks Quiet Retirees Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Camden Park

Camden Park vs Glengowrie Camden Park vs Plympton Camden Park vs Plympton Park Camden Park vs Glenelg East Camden Park vs Morphettville Camden Park vs North Plympton

Other comparisons with Novar Gardens

Novar Gardens vs Glenelg North Novar Gardens vs Glenelg East Novar Gardens vs North Plympton
Full data on Camden Park Full data on Novar Gardens
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or