Echunga vs Meadows

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Echunga: a median of $1.13 million, against $1 million in Meadows, though rent is higher in Meadows. Echunga is closer to the city centre: 36 km, against 44.4 km.

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

Echunga

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Meadows

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($1,300,000 vs $1,700,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,000,000 vs $1,127,250)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

  • Echunga sits closer to the CBD (36 km vs 44.4 km)
  • Meadows is more walkable (32/100 vs 17/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Meadows

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (32/100 vs 17/100)

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

Investors

Meadows

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (25.4% vs 9.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Echunga Meadows
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.

Echunga Meadows
Walkability 17 / 32
Echunga — Walkability: 17/100 Meadows — Walkability: 32/100
Safety 85 / 80
Echunga — Safety: 85/100 Meadows — Safety: 80/100
Low fire risk 35 / 28
Echunga — Low fire risk: 35/100 Meadows — Low fire risk: 28/100

Demographics

Meadows has more residents (1,717 vs 1,219); Echunga skews older (41 vs 39).

Echunga Meadows
Population 1,219 1,717
+41% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.9% +25.4%
Median age 41 39
Median household income $108,680/yr
+6% vs other
 $102,128/yr
Median weekly rent $320/wk $343/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Echunga Meadows
0-4 7.1% / 7.1%
Echunga — 0-4: 7.1% Meadows — 0-4: 7.1%
5-14 11.1% / 13.6%
Echunga — 5-14: 11.1% Meadows — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 6.5% / 4.4%
Echunga — 15-19: 6.5% Meadows — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 5.4% / 4.1%
Echunga — 20-24: 5.4% Meadows — 20-24: 4.1%
25-34 10.3% / 14.0%
Echunga — 25-34: 10.3% Meadows — 25-34: 14.0%
35-44 13.9% / 15.0%
Echunga — 35-44: 13.9% Meadows — 35-44: 15.0%
45-54 15.3% / 12.6%
Echunga — 45-54: 15.3% Meadows — 45-54: 12.6%
55-64 14.0% / 14.9%
Echunga — 55-64: 14.0% Meadows — 55-64: 14.9%
65-74 12.0% / 8.9%
Echunga — 65-74: 12.0% Meadows — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 3.8% / 3.7%
Echunga — 75-84: 3.8% Meadows — 75-84: 3.7%
85+ 1.1% / 0.9%
Echunga — 85+: 1.1% Meadows — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Echunga 55.6% couple families
Echunga — Couple Families: 55.6% Echunga — Lone Person: 23.6% Echunga — One Parent Families: 13.9% Echunga — Group Household: 5.6% Echunga — Other Families: 1.4%
Meadows 58.7% couple families
Meadows — Couple Families: 58.7% Meadows — Lone Person: 23.8% Meadows — One Parent Families: 14.5% Meadows — Group Household: 1.8% Meadows — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Echunga 11.4% renting
Echunga — Owned Outright: 37.0% Echunga — Mortgage: 51.6% Echunga — Renting: 11.4%
Meadows 11.2% renting
Meadows — Owned Outright: 31.7% Meadows — Mortgage: 57.1% Meadows — Renting: 11.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Echunga Meadows
Certificate III & IV 15.5% / 20.0%
Echunga — Certificate III & IV: 15.5% Meadows — Certificate III & IV: 20.0%
Bachelor Degree 15.9% / 9.3%
Echunga — Bachelor Degree: 15.9% Meadows — Bachelor Degree: 9.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 7.7%
Echunga — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Meadows — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7%
Postgraduate Degree 4.4% / 2.5%
Echunga — Postgraduate Degree: 4.4% Meadows — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 2.1%
Echunga — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Meadows — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

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.

Echunga Meadows
England 5.1% / 6.3%
Echunga — England: 5.1% Meadows — England: 6.3%
New Zealand 0.7% / 0.8%
Echunga — New Zealand: 0.7% Meadows — New Zealand: 0.8%
Ireland 0.7% / —
Echunga — Ireland: 0.7% Meadows — Ireland: not among its largest
China 0.5% / 0.2%
Echunga — China: 0.5% Meadows — China: 0.2%
Netherlands — / 0.6%
Echunga — Netherlands: not among its largest Meadows — Netherlands: 0.6%
Philippines 0.2% / 0.3%
Echunga — Philippines: 0.2% Meadows — Philippines: 0.3%
Canada 0.4% / —
Echunga — Canada: 0.4% Meadows — Canada: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.4%
Echunga — Scotland: not among its largest Meadows — Scotland: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Echunga 97.9% houses
Echunga — Houses: 97.9% Echunga — Flats / Apartments: 2.1% Echunga — Townhouses: 0.0%
Meadows 98.1% houses
Meadows — Houses: 98.1% Meadows — Flats / Apartments: 1.0% Meadows — Townhouses: 0.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Echunga Meadows
Median house price $1,127,250 $1,000,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $1,700,000 $1,300,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 60 days
from 8 sales
 22 days
from 15 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.

Echunga Meadows
3 bed $756K / $885K
Echunga — 3 bed: $756K (10 sales) Meadows — 3 bed: $885K (17 sales)

10 vs 17 sales

4 bed $1.26M / $1.05M
Echunga — 4 bed: $1.26M (9 sales) Meadows — 4 bed: $1.05M (15 sales)

9 vs 15 sales

Zoning mix

Echunga Meadows
Rural and farming 98% 94%
Environmental 0% 3%
Residential 1% 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

Echunga Meadows
New dwellings approved 657
across Mount Barker
same for both
Approvals change year on year -7%
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.

Echunga Meadows
Houses — 2.0%
$720/wk on $1.84M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Echunga Meadows
House price Higher than 7% of SA Higher than 4% of SA
Income Higher than 86% of SA Higher than 81% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 70% of SA Higher than 75% of SA
Affordability Higher than 97% of SA Higher than 98% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 92% of SA Higher than 75% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 56% of SA Higher than 93% of SA
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 1% of SA

Liveability

Meadows is more walkable (32 vs 17); Echunga scores higher overall (58 vs 43).

Echunga Meadows
Grade B C
Score 58/100 43/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Echunga Meadows
Bushfire Moderate
65/100
 High
72/100
Crime Low
15/100
 Low
20/100
Flood Low
16/100
 —
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

Echunga Meadows
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Echunga

  • Echunga Primary and Preschool Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Meadows

  • Meadows Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Echunga Meadows
Parks & reserves 3 4
Childcare 2
same for both
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Meadows sits further from the CBD (44.4 km vs 36 km).

Echunga Meadows
Walkability score 17/100 32/100
Distance to Adelaide 36 km 44.4 km
+23% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 42 min 44 min
Electric vehicle share 1.8%
postcode 5153
 0.9%
postcode 5201
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 86
postcode 5153
 99
postcode 5201

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.

Echunga Meadows
Car (driver) 73.8% / 82.4%
Echunga — Car (driver): 73.8% Meadows — Car (driver): 82.4%
Worked from Home 16.0% / 11.5%
Echunga — Worked from Home: 16.0% Meadows — Worked from Home: 11.5%
Car (passenger) 4.2% / 3.4%
Echunga — Car (passenger): 4.2% Meadows — Car (passenger): 3.4%
Walked Only 3.9% / 1.7%
Echunga — Walked Only: 3.9% Meadows — Walked Only: 1.7%
Bus 0.9% / 0.5%
Echunga — Bus: 0.9% Meadows — Bus: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (82.4%).

Setting

Echunga Meadows
Elevation 397 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 328 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 27.0 km 25.8 km

NBN connectivity

Echunga Meadows
Connectivity score 30/100 81/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
464 premises
 73%
796 premises

Climate

Echunga Meadows
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

Air quality (annual mean)

Echunga Meadows
PM2.5 6.0 µg/m³ —
PM10 17.8 µg/m³ 19.5 µg/m³
NO₂ 1.12 pphm 0.34 pphm

Council rates

Echunga Meadows
Average residential rate $2,485/yr
same for both
Council Mount Barker
same for both

Federal electorate

Echunga Meadows
Division Mayo
same for both
Member Rebekha Sharkie
same for both
Party Centre Alliance
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Echunga Meadows
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Echunga

Acreage Outer Quiet

Meadows

Acreage Outer Quiet River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Echunga

Echunga vs Mount Barker Echunga vs Hahndorf Echunga vs Bugle Ranges Echunga vs Jupiter Creek Echunga vs Paechtown Echunga vs Flaxley

Other comparisons with Meadows

Meadows vs Macclesfield Meadows vs Kangarilla Meadows vs Jupiter Creek Meadows vs Paris Creek Meadows vs Kuitpo Meadows vs Flaxley
Full data on Echunga Full data on Meadows
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.

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