Flaxman Valley vs Bethany
Flaxman Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 49 in Bethany. 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, Bethany tends to suit 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
Flaxman Valley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
- is already more of a family suburb (77% vs 60%)
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
Flaxman Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $320/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bethany
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (61 min vs 78 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (77.8 km vs 94.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bethany
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 20%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Flaxman Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.3% vs -3.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Flaxman Valley and Bethany 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
Flaxman Valley has more residents (285 vs 146); Bethany rents higher ($320/wk vs $250/wk).
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 285 +49% vs other | 146 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.3% | -3.3% |
| Median age | 46 | 49 |
| Median household income | $91,676/yr | $93,600/yr +2% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk | $320/wk +28% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).
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 (3.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (16.5%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 95% | 93% |
| Residential | 0% | 7% |
| Environmental | 5% | 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
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 180 across Barossa same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -48% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 70% of SA | Higher than 72% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 5% of SA | Higher than 63% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 42% of SA | Higher than 58% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 51% of SA | Higher than 57% of SA |
Liveability
Bethany is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 34/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 11/100 | Low 13/100 |
| 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 | 6 within 5 km |
Schools
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 1 |
| Waterways | 4 | 0 |
Mobility
Flaxman Valley sits further from the CBD (94.4 km vs 77.8 km).
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 94.4 km +18% vs other | 77.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 78 min | 61 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 5235 | 0.6% postcode 5352 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 78 postcode 5235 | 78 postcode 5352 |
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 (68.3%).
Setting
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 476 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 273 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 48.0 km | 46.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 119 premises | 0% 66 premises |
Climate
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 460 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,247/yr same for both | |
| Council | Barossa same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Flaxman Valley | Bethany | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Flaxman Valley
Other comparisons with Bethany
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.