Emu Downs vs Robertstown
Emu Downs is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 59 in Robertstown. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Emu Downs tends to suit families with children and couples, while Robertstown 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
Emu Downs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (50% vs 37%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Robertstown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 21%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Emu Downs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $193/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Robertstown
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (102 min vs 118 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (132.7 km vs 146.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Robertstown
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 10%)
- But Emu Downs has more units and townhouses to downsize into (42% vs 3%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Emu Downs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.0% vs -10.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Emu Downs and Robertstown 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
Robertstown rents higher ($193/wk vs $0/wk); Robertstown has more residents (223 vs 52).
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 52 | 223 +329% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.0% | -10.1% |
| Median age | 37 | 59 |
| Median household income | $46,800/yr +17% vs other | $38,896/yr |
| Median weekly rent | — | $193/wk (not reported on the other side) |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).
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 (16.1%).
Property market
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $330,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 100% |
| Environmental | 6% | 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
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 12 across Goyder same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 12% of SA | Higher than 6% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 1% of SA | Higher than 70% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 1% of SA | Higher than 37% of SA |
Liveability
Robertstown is more walkable (17 vs 0).
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 70/100 | Moderate 64/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Emu Downs
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Robertstown
- Robertstown Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 same for both | |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Emu Downs sits further from the CBD (146.8 km vs 132.7 km).
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 17/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 146.8 km +10% vs other | 132.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 118 min | 102 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5381 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 59 postcode 5381 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 (68.2%).
Setting
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 445 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 346 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 26/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 14 premises | 0% 111 premises |
Climate
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 420 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,395/yr same for both | |
| Council | Goyder same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Emu Downs | Robertstown | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Emu Downs
Other comparisons with Robertstown
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.