Gilles Plains vs Walkley Heights

Gilles Plains is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 42 in Walkley Heights. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Walkley Heights, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Walkley Heights: a median of $1.04 million, against $870,000 in Gilles Plains, and rent is higher there too. Gilles Plains is closer to the city centre: 11.6 km, against 13.5 km. On these figures, Gilles Plains tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Walkley Heights suits couples.

Gilles Plains is closer to the CBD at 11.6 km versus Walkley Heights at 13.5 km, and offers notably better walkability (84 versus 61), making it more convenient for those prioritising easy access and foot traffic. However, Walkley Heights has a significantly higher median household income of $92,196 compared to $75,192, sits in a higher socio-economic decile, and scores much better on liveability at 63 versus 43. Walkley Heights also has substantially lower crime risk at 45 versus 90. Both suburbs face no bushfire risk, though Gilles Plains is slightly more affordable with a median house price of $872,500 against $1,043,500.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Gilles Plains has more childcare (5 vs 1)
  • Walkley Heights carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 90/100)

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

First-home buyers

Gilles Plains

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($870,000 vs $1,045,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Gilles Plains

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (41% vs 14%)
  • has cheaper rent ($295/wk vs $370/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Gilles Plains

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (84/100 vs 61/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Gilles Plains has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • Walkley Heights carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 90/100)

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

Investors

Gilles Plains

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (14.7% vs 0.5%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.3% vs 3.1%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
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.

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Walkability 84 / 61
Gilles Plains — Walkability: 84/100 Walkley Heights — Walkability: 61/100
Safety 10 / 55
Gilles Plains — Safety: 10/100 Walkley Heights — Safety: 55/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Gilles Plains — Low fire risk: 100/100 Walkley Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 51 / 42
Gilles Plains — Low flood risk: 51/100 Walkley Heights — Low flood risk: 42/100

Demographics

Walkley Heights rents higher ($370/wk vs $295/wk); Walkley Heights has higher household incomes ($92,196 vs $75,192).

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Population 4,101
+14% vs other
 3,513
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +14.7% +0.5%
Median age 36 42
Median household income $75,192/yr $92,196/yr
+23% vs other
Median weekly rent $295/wk $370/wk
+25% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
0-4 6.5% / 4.1%
Gilles Plains — 0-4: 6.5% Walkley Heights — 0-4: 4.1%
5-14 12.3% / 14.5%
Gilles Plains — 5-14: 12.3% Walkley Heights — 5-14: 14.5%
15-19 5.0% / 6.2%
Gilles Plains — 15-19: 5.0% Walkley Heights — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 6.8% / 6.2%
Gilles Plains — 20-24: 6.8% Walkley Heights — 20-24: 6.2%
25-34 16.4% / 8.2%
Gilles Plains — 25-34: 16.4% Walkley Heights — 25-34: 8.2%
35-44 16.7% / 13.7%
Gilles Plains — 35-44: 16.7% Walkley Heights — 35-44: 13.7%
45-54 11.9% / 15.1%
Gilles Plains — 45-54: 11.9% Walkley Heights — 45-54: 15.1%
55-64 9.9% / 10.2%
Gilles Plains — 55-64: 9.9% Walkley Heights — 55-64: 10.2%
65-74 8.3% / 8.9%
Gilles Plains — 65-74: 8.3% Walkley Heights — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 4.6% / 8.4%
Gilles Plains — 75-84: 4.6% Walkley Heights — 75-84: 8.4%
85+ 1.6% / 4.5%
Gilles Plains — 85+: 1.6% Walkley Heights — 85+: 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gilles Plains 42.3% couple families
Gilles Plains — Couple Families: 42.3% Gilles Plains — Lone Person: 33.2% Gilles Plains — One Parent Families: 16.2% Gilles Plains — Group Household: 6.4% Gilles Plains — Other Families: 1.9%
Walkley Heights 52.7% couple families
Walkley Heights — Couple Families: 52.7% Walkley Heights — Lone Person: 30.4% Walkley Heights — One Parent Families: 15.0% Walkley Heights — Group Household: 1.6% Walkley Heights — Other Families: 0.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gilles Plains 41.1% renting
Gilles Plains — Owned Outright: 21.2% Gilles Plains — Mortgage: 37.7% Gilles Plains — Renting: 41.1%
Walkley Heights 14.3% renting
Walkley Heights — Owned Outright: 35.2% Walkley Heights — Mortgage: 50.5% Walkley Heights — Renting: 14.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Bachelor Degree 14.5% / 12.8%
Gilles Plains — Bachelor Degree: 14.5% Walkley Heights — Bachelor Degree: 12.8%
Certificate III & IV 11.8% / 12.6%
Gilles Plains — Certificate III & IV: 11.8% Walkley Heights — Certificate III & IV: 12.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.9% / 7.7%
Gilles Plains — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9% Walkley Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7%
Postgraduate Degree 6.9% / 4.0%
Gilles Plains — Postgraduate Degree: 6.9% Walkley Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.9%
Gilles Plains — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Walkley Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.5%).

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.

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
India 11.0% / 7.5%
Gilles Plains — India: 11.0% Walkley Heights — India: 7.5%
England 2.8% / 5.5%
Gilles Plains — England: 2.8% Walkley Heights — England: 5.5%
China 3.1% / 0.7%
Gilles Plains — China: 3.1% Walkley Heights — China: 0.7%
Philippines 2.2% / 1.1%
Gilles Plains — Philippines: 2.2% Walkley Heights — Philippines: 1.1%
Vietnam 1.2% / 1.8%
Gilles Plains — Vietnam: 1.2% Walkley Heights — Vietnam: 1.8%
Afghanistan 1.3% / 1.6%
Gilles Plains — Afghanistan: 1.3% Walkley Heights — Afghanistan: 1.6%
Sri Lanka 2.0% / —
Gilles Plains — Sri Lanka: 2.0% Walkley Heights — Sri Lanka: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gilles Plains 77.5% houses
Gilles Plains — Houses: 77.5% Gilles Plains — Townhouses: 9.1% Gilles Plains — Flats / Apartments: 13.4%
Walkley Heights 81.0% houses
Walkley Heights — Houses: 81.0% Walkley Heights — Townhouses: 17.8% Walkley Heights — Flats / Apartments: 1.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Median house price $870,000 $1,045,000
Median unit price $525,800 —
Median land price — $1,131,250
Typical days to sell (houses) 19 days
from 27 sales
 17 days
from 23 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.

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
3 bed $848K / $889K
Gilles Plains — 3 bed: $848K (48 sales) Walkley Heights — 3 bed: $889K (20 sales)

48 vs 20 sales

4 bed $1.03M / $1.2M
Gilles Plains — 4 bed: $1.03M (9 sales) Walkley Heights — 4 bed: $1.2M (24 sales)

9 vs 24 sales

Zoning mix

Gilles Plains has more commercially zoned land (12% vs 1%).

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Residential 81% 65%
Parks and recreation 2% 24%
Commercial 12% 1%
Industrial 5% 11%
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

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
New dwellings approved 1,176
across Port Adelaide Enfield
 949
across Salisbury
Approvals change year on year +23% -30%

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.

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Houses 4.3%
$688/wk on $827K
 3.1%
$715/wk on $1.19M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
House price Higher than 32% of SA Higher than 63% of SA
Income Higher than 50% of SA Higher than 71% of SA
Schools Higher than 17% of SA —
Walkability Higher than 95% of SA Higher than 84% of SA
Affordability Higher than 64% of SA Higher than 47% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 72% of SA Higher than 52% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of SA Higher than 81% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 81% of SA Higher than 18% of SA

Liveability

Walkley Heights scores higher overall (63 vs 43); Gilles Plains is more walkable (84 vs 61).

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Grade C B
Score 43/100 63/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Gilles Plains carries more crime risk (90 vs 45).

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
90/100
 Moderate
45/100
Flood Moderate
49/100
 Moderate
58/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 14
within 5 km

Schools

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 2
Adelaide University, Mawson Lakes Campus, 6.2 km
 2
Adelaide University, Mawson Lakes Campus, 4.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.9% 3.4%

Schools in Gilles Plains

  • St Paul's College Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Wandana Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Pinnacle College - Gilles Plains Campus Independent · Combined

Schools in Walkley Heights

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Supermarkets 4 1
Cafes & restaurants 8 2
Parks & reserves 3 1
Childcare 5 1
GPs 2 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Walkability score 84/100 61/100
Distance to Adelaide 11.6 km 13.5 km
+16% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 20 min 23 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 85.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 51.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 5086
 0.5%
postcode 5098
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 63
postcode 5086
 70
postcode 5098

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.

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Car (driver) 72.4% / 78.5%
Gilles Plains — Car (driver): 72.4% Walkley Heights — Car (driver): 78.5%
Bus 11.6% / 6.8%
Gilles Plains — Bus: 11.6% Walkley Heights — Bus: 6.8%
Worked from Home 9.0% / 8.7%
Gilles Plains — Worked from Home: 9.0% Walkley Heights — Worked from Home: 8.7%
Car (passenger) 5.2% / 5.1%
Gilles Plains — Car (passenger): 5.2% Walkley Heights — Car (passenger): 5.1%
Walked Only 1.3% / 0.5%
Gilles Plains — Walked Only: 1.3% Walkley Heights — Walked Only: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.5%).

Setting

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Elevation 100 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 88 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.8 km 8.5 km

NBN connectivity

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Connectivity score 83/100 68/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 29%
1,899 premises
 37%
1,389 premises

Climate

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Annual rainfall 404 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ 0.51 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Average residential rate $1,311/yr $1,722/yr
Council Port Adelaide Enfield Salisbury

Federal electorate

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Division Sturt Makin
Member Claire Clutterham Tony Zappia
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gilles Plains Walkley Heights
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gilles Plains

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks

Walkley Heights

Middle-Ring Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gilles Plains

Gilles Plains vs Valley View Gilles Plains vs Windsor Gardens Gilles Plains vs Modbury Gilles Plains vs Holden Hill Gilles Plains vs Hillcrest Gilles Plains vs Oakden

Other comparisons with Walkley Heights

Walkley Heights vs Ingle Farm Walkley Heights vs Pooraka Walkley Heights vs Valley View Walkley Heights vs Northfield Walkley Heights vs Oakden Walkley Heights vs Gepps Cross
Full data on Gilles Plains Full data on Walkley Heights
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or