Coonawarra vs Penola
Penola is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 53 in Coonawarra. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of 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
Penola
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
- has more childcare (3 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 37/100)
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
Coonawarra
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (4% vs 14%)
- has cheaper rent ($75/wk vs $198/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Coonawarra sits closer to the CBD (377.4 km vs 382.7 km)
- Penola is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Penola
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 37/100)
- But Coonawarra has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 24%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Coonawarra and Penola 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
Penola has more residents (1,622 vs 135); Penola rents higher ($198/wk vs $75/wk).
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 135 | 1,622 +1101% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.5% | +1.9% |
| Median age | 53 | 47 |
| Median household income | $88,816/yr +20% vs other | $71,188/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $75/wk | $198/wk +164% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
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 (17.8%).
Property market
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $455,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $275,000 |
| Median land price | — | $152,600 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 118 days from 16 sales |
Zoning mix
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 99% |
| 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
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 31 across Wattle Range same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.8% $488/wk on $530K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 68% of SA | Higher than 40% of SA |
| Schools | — | Higher than 69% of SA |
| Walkability | Higher than 38% of SA | Higher than 76% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 8% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 48% of SA | Higher than 72% of SA |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 94% of SA |
Liveability
Penola is more walkable (34 vs 0).
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 53/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Penola carries more bushfire risk (21 vs 0); Coonawarra carries more crime risk (37 vs 19).
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 21/100 |
| Crime | Low 37/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 4 within 5 km | 3 within 5 km |
Schools
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 3 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Coonawarra
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Penola
- Mary MacKillop Memorial School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Penola High School Government · Secondary at peers
- Penola Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 3 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 2 |
| Childcare | 0 | 3 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Penola sits further from the CBD (382.7 km vs 377.4 km).
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 34/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 377.4 km | 382.7 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 249 min | 250 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5263 | 0.1% postcode 5277 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — | 45 postcode 5277 |
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 (79.7%).
Setting
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 66 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 62 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 43/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 80 premises | 1% 938 premises |
Climate
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 556 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.3°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,537/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wattle Range same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Coonawarra | Penola | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Penola
More comparisons
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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.