Gawler West vs Willaston

In both, most homes are detached houses. In Gawler West, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Willaston, the large majority of households own their home. Houses cost more in Willaston: a median of $708,000, against $620,000 in Gawler West, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Gawler West tends to suit renters and people living alone.

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

Willaston

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (86% vs 58%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (51% vs 40%)
  • carries lower crime risk (68/100 vs 79/100)

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

First-home buyers

Gawler West

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($620,000 vs $708,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Gawler West

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (47% vs 25%)
  • has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $300/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Willaston

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (56/100 vs 43/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Willaston

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (56/100 vs 43/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (68/100 vs 79/100)
  • But Gawler West has more units and townhouses to downsize into (43% vs 14%)

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

Investors

Gawler West

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.7% vs 4.2%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Gawler West Willaston
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.

Gawler West Willaston
Walkability 43 / 56
Gawler West — Walkability: 43/100 Willaston — Walkability: 56/100
Safety 21 / 32
Gawler West — Safety: 21/100 Willaston — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 100 / 82
Gawler West — Low fire risk: 100/100 Willaston — Low fire risk: 82/100
Low flood risk 1 / 15
Gawler West — Low flood risk: 1/100 Willaston — Low flood risk: 15/100

Demographics

Willaston has more residents (3,458 vs 975); Willaston rents higher ($300/wk vs $200/wk).

Gawler West Willaston
Population 975 3,458
+255% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.8% +2.2%
Median age 43 42
Median household income $48,204/yr $65,208/yr
+35% vs other
Median weekly rent $200/wk $300/wk
+50% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gawler West Willaston
0-4 6.5% / 5.0%
Gawler West — 0-4: 6.5% Willaston — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 11.5% / 13.5%
Gawler West — 5-14: 11.5% Willaston — 5-14: 13.5%
15-19 4.7% / 5.5%
Gawler West — 15-19: 4.7% Willaston — 15-19: 5.5%
20-24 5.6% / 5.1%
Gawler West — 20-24: 5.6% Willaston — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 13.5% / 11.9%
Gawler West — 25-34: 13.5% Willaston — 25-34: 11.9%
35-44 10.2% / 11.4%
Gawler West — 35-44: 10.2% Willaston — 35-44: 11.4%
45-54 11.6% / 11.8%
Gawler West — 45-54: 11.6% Willaston — 45-54: 11.8%
55-64 15.2% / 13.9%
Gawler West — 55-64: 15.2% Willaston — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 12.9% / 11.7%
Gawler West — 65-74: 12.9% Willaston — 65-74: 11.7%
75-84 6.1% / 7.1%
Gawler West — 75-84: 6.1% Willaston — 75-84: 7.1%
85+ 2.6% / 3.2%
Gawler West — 85+: 2.6% Willaston — 85+: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gawler West 53.4% lone person
Gawler West — Lone Person: 53.4% Gawler West — Couple Families: 19.8% Gawler West — One Parent Families: 20.1% Gawler West — Group Household: 3.6% Gawler West — Other Families: 3.1%
Willaston 43.1% lone person
Willaston — Lone Person: 43.1% Willaston — Couple Families: 29.1% Willaston — One Parent Families: 21.9% Willaston — Group Household: 4.6% Willaston — Other Families: 1.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gawler West 47.2% renting
Gawler West — Owned Outright: 19.7% Gawler West — Mortgage: 33.1% Gawler West — Renting: 47.2%
Willaston 24.8% renting
Willaston — Owned Outright: 34.0% Willaston — Mortgage: 41.2% Willaston — Renting: 24.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Gawler West Willaston
Certificate III & IV 17.9% / 20.2%
Gawler West — Certificate III & IV: 17.9% Willaston — Certificate III & IV: 20.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.1% / 6.7%
Gawler West — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.1% Willaston — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Bachelor Degree 2.9% / 6.9%
Gawler West — Bachelor Degree: 2.9% Willaston — Bachelor Degree: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 0.7% / 1.7%
Gawler West — Postgraduate Degree: 0.7% Willaston — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.4% / 0.9%
Gawler West — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.4% Willaston — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

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.

Gawler West Willaston
England 7.4% / 7.8%
Gawler West — England: 7.4% Willaston — England: 7.8%
Germany 0.9% / 0.6%
Gawler West — Germany: 0.9% Willaston — Germany: 0.6%
Scotland 0.5% / 1.0%
Gawler West — Scotland: 0.5% Willaston — Scotland: 1.0%
New Zealand 0.7% / 0.7%
Gawler West — New Zealand: 0.7% Willaston — New Zealand: 0.7%
Philippines 0.7% / 0.4%
Gawler West — Philippines: 0.7% Willaston — Philippines: 0.4%
Netherlands 0.4% / 0.5%
Gawler West — Netherlands: 0.4% Willaston — Netherlands: 0.5%
Italy 0.6% / 0.3%
Gawler West — Italy: 0.6% Willaston — Italy: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gawler West 57.5% houses
Gawler West — Houses: 57.5% Gawler West — Townhouses: 43.4% Gawler West — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Willaston 85.7% houses
Willaston — Houses: 85.7% Willaston — Townhouses: 13.5% Willaston — Flats / Apartments: 0.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Gawler West Willaston
Median house price $620,000 $708,000
Median unit price $545,000 $552,250
Median land price — $881,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 17 days
from 11 sales
 18 days
from 28 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.

Gawler West Willaston
3 bed $620K / $700K
Gawler West — 3 bed: $620K (22 sales) Willaston — 3 bed: $700K (49 sales)

22 vs 49 sales

4 bed $648K / $740K
Gawler West — 4 bed: $648K (5 sales) Willaston — 4 bed: $740K (17 sales)

5 vs 17 sales

Zoning mix

Gawler West has more rural and farming land (43% vs 1%); Willaston has more industrially zoned land (11% vs 0%).

Gawler West Willaston
Residential 57% 62%
Rural and farming 43% 1%
Parks and recreation 0% 16%
Industrial 0% 11%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 9%
Commercial 0% 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

Gawler West Willaston
New dwellings approved 324
across Gawler
same for both
Approvals change year on year -22%
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.

Gawler West Willaston
Houses 4.7%
$570/wk on $630K
 4.2%
$585/wk on $720K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Gawler West Willaston
House price Higher than 3% of SA Higher than 11% of SA
Income Higher than 14% of SA Higher than 33% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 78% of SA Higher than 82% of SA
Affordability Higher than 55% of SA Higher than 70% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 57% of SA Higher than 56% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 82% of SA Higher than 79% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 93% of SA Higher than 74% of SA

Liveability

Willaston scores higher overall (23 vs 13); Willaston is more walkable (56 vs 43).

Gawler West Willaston
Grade D
same for both
Score 13/100 23/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Willaston carries more bushfire risk (18 vs 0); Gawler West carries more flood risk (99 vs 85).

Gawler West Willaston
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
18/100
Crime High
79/100
 Moderate
68/100
Flood High
99/100
 High
85/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Gawler West Willaston
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

Gawler West Willaston
Parks & reserves 0 2
Childcare 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Gawler West Willaston
Walkability score 43/100 56/100
Distance to Adelaide 50.8 km 51.9 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 43 min 40 min
Public transport score 20/100
Bus
 51/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 4.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 23.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 5118
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 76
postcode 5118
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.

Gawler West Willaston
Car (driver) 80.2% / 86.5%
Gawler West — Car (driver): 80.2% Willaston — Car (driver): 86.5%
Worked from Home 6.6% / 6.3%
Gawler West — Worked from Home: 6.6% Willaston — Worked from Home: 6.3%
Car (passenger) 5.6% / 4.3%
Gawler West — Car (passenger): 5.6% Willaston — Car (passenger): 4.3%
Bus 4.0% / 1.6%
Gawler West — Bus: 4.0% Willaston — Bus: 1.6%
Walked Only 2.6% / 1.4%
Gawler West — Walked Only: 2.6% Willaston — Walked Only: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (86.5%).

Setting

Gawler West Willaston
Elevation 48 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 63 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 23.6 km 25.4 km

NBN connectivity

Gawler West Willaston
Connectivity score 69/100 65/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 43%
526 premises
 37%
1,764 premises

Climate

Gawler West Willaston
Annual rainfall 404 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.6°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Gawler West Willaston
PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.31 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Gawler West Willaston
Average residential rate $2,258/yr
same for both
Council Gawler
same for both

Federal electorate

Gawler West Willaston
Division Spence
same for both
Member Matt Burnell
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gawler West Willaston
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gawler West

Affordable Outer Quiet River Townhouses

Willaston

Large Blocks Outer Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gawler West

Gawler West vs Gawler South Gawler West vs Evanston Gawler West vs Reid

Other comparisons with Willaston

Willaston vs Gawler East Willaston vs Hewett Willaston vs Gawler South Willaston vs Gawler Belt Willaston vs Gawler Willaston vs Reid
Full data on Gawler West Full data on Willaston
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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.

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