Emu Flat vs Spring Gully
Emu Flat is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 51 in Spring Gully. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Emu Flat tends to suit families with children, while Spring Gully suits people living alone and 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 Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 67%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Emu Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Spring Gully
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $370/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Emu Flat has a shorter drive in (111 min vs 116 min)
- Spring Gully sits closer to the CBD (135.4 km vs 142.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Spring Gully
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Emu Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.5% vs -1.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Emu Flat and Spring Gully 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
Emu Flat rents higher ($370/wk vs $0/wk); Emu Flat has more residents (106 vs 60).
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 106 +43% vs other | 60 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.5% | -1.6% |
| Median age | 41 | 51 |
| Median household income | $117,000/yr +28% vs other | $84,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $370/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 (26.7%).
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 (14.2%).
Zoning mix
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 91% |
| Environmental | 0% | 9% |
| 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 Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 28 across Clare and Gilbert Valleys same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +20% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 92% of SA | Higher than 61% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 60% of SA | Higher than 25% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 21% of SA | Higher than 20% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 44% of SA | Higher than 36% of SA |
Liveability
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Emu Flat carries more bushfire risk (47 vs 25).
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 47/100 | Low 25/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 63/100 | — |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Emu Flat sits further from the CBD (142.9 km vs 135.4 km).
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 4/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 142.9 km +5% vs other | 135.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 111 min | 116 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 5453 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 5453 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 (81.1%).
Setting
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 433 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 459 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 25/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 43 premises | 0% 17 premises |
Council rates
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,830/yr same for both | |
| Council | Clare and Gilbert Valleys same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Emu Flat | Spring Gully | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Flat
Other comparisons with Spring Gully
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.