Cowell vs Arno Bay
Comparing Cowell and Arno Bay, SA: Cowell carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 0); Cowell has more residents (1,124 vs 314); and Cowell is more walkable (42 vs 20).
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
Cowell
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (7 vs 2)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- But Arno Bay has more separate houses rather than flats (98% vs 81%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Cowell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper land ($86,500 vs $140,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Arno Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($183/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Cowell
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (42/100 vs 20/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (490 km vs 534.5 km)
- has a shorter drive in (323 min vs 352 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Cowell
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (19% vs 2%)
- is more walkable (42/100 vs 20/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Cowell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.4% vs -5.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cowell and Arno Bay 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
Cowell has more residents (1,124 vs 314); Cowell has higher household incomes ($60,372 vs $51,064).
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,124 +72% vs other | 314 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.4% | -5.1% |
| Median age | 53 | 52 |
| Median household income | $60,372/yr +15% vs other | $51,064/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk +8% vs other | $183/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (2.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $350,000 | $325,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $86,500 | $140,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 36 days from 11 sales | 53 days from 5 sales |
Zoning mix
Cowell has more land zoned for conservation (21% vs 4%); Arno Bay has more rural and farming land (94% vs 78%).
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 78% | 94% |
| Environmental | 21% | 4% |
| 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
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 5 across Franklin Harbour | 13 across Cleve |
| Approvals change year on year | -67% | — |
Ranking within SA
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 28% of SA | Higher than 16% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 78% of SA | Higher than 71% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 28% of SA | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of SA | Higher than 60% of SA |
Liveability
Cowell is more walkable (42 vs 20).
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 28/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Cowell carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 0).
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 34/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 54/100 | Moderate 63/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 88/100 | High 80/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Cowell
- Cowell Area School Government · Combined above peers
Schools in Arno Bay
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 same for both | |
| Cafes & restaurants | 5 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 7 | 2 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 9 | 2 |
Mobility
Arno Bay sits further from the CBD (534.5 km vs 490 km).
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 42/100 | 20/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 490 km | 534.5 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 323 min | 352 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 5602 | 0.0% postcode 5603 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 64 postcode 5602 | 60 postcode 5603 |
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 (73.6%).
Setting
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 11 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 546 m | 1.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 44/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 663 premises | 0% 243 premises |
Climate
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 326 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.3°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,072/yr | $1,474/yr |
| Council | Franklin Harbour | Cleve |
Federal electorate
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cowell | Arno Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Cowell
Arno Bay
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.