Goolwa Beach vs Goolwa South

Goolwa Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 58 against 62 in Goolwa South. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Goolwa Beach, about half of households are people living alone. In Goolwa South, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Goolwa South tends to suit 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

Goolwa Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more parks and reserves (6 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Goolwa Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($545,000 vs $940,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Goolwa Beach

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (77 min vs 84 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (85 km vs 88.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Goolwa Beach is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
  • Goolwa South has more residents already 65 and over (44% vs 38%)

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

Investors

Goolwa Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.9% vs 3.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
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.

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Walkability 17 / 0
Goolwa Beach — Walkability: 17/100 Goolwa South — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 58 / 60
Goolwa Beach — Safety: 58/100 Goolwa South — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 79 / 100
Goolwa Beach — Low fire risk: 79/100 Goolwa South — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Goolwa Beach has more residents (2,222 vs 1,041); Goolwa South skews older (62 vs 58).

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Population 2,222
+53% vs other
 1,041
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.4% +7.2%
Median age 58 62
Median household income $47,632/yr $49,972/yr
+5% vs other
Median weekly rent $275/wk $280/wk
+2% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
0-4 3.5% / 2.8%
Goolwa Beach — 0-4: 3.5% Goolwa South — 0-4: 2.8%
5-14 9.0% / 4.7%
Goolwa Beach — 5-14: 9.0% Goolwa South — 5-14: 4.7%
15-19 3.9% / 3.7%
Goolwa Beach — 15-19: 3.9% Goolwa South — 15-19: 3.7%
20-24 2.7% / 3.8%
Goolwa Beach — 20-24: 2.7% Goolwa South — 20-24: 3.8%
25-34 6.8% / 7.5%
Goolwa Beach — 25-34: 6.8% Goolwa South — 25-34: 7.5%
35-44 8.8% / 7.9%
Goolwa Beach — 35-44: 8.8% Goolwa South — 35-44: 7.9%
45-54 10.9% / 10.5%
Goolwa Beach — 45-54: 10.9% Goolwa South — 45-54: 10.5%
55-64 15.6% / 15.7%
Goolwa Beach — 55-64: 15.6% Goolwa South — 55-64: 15.7%
65-74 21.0% / 23.3%
Goolwa Beach — 65-74: 21.0% Goolwa South — 65-74: 23.3%
75-84 13.2% / 15.4%
Goolwa Beach — 75-84: 13.2% Goolwa South — 75-84: 15.4%
85+ 4.3% / 5.4%
Goolwa Beach — 85+: 4.3% Goolwa South — 85+: 5.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Goolwa Beach 54.8% lone person
Goolwa Beach — Lone Person: 54.8% Goolwa Beach — Couple Families: 26.5% Goolwa Beach — One Parent Families: 13.6% Goolwa Beach — Group Household: 3.0% Goolwa Beach — Other Families: 2.1%
Goolwa South 62.8% lone person
Goolwa South — Lone Person: 62.8% Goolwa South — Couple Families: 18.6% Goolwa South — One Parent Families: 14.3% Goolwa South — Group Household: 3.0% Goolwa South — 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.

Goolwa Beach 21.8% renting
Goolwa Beach — Owned Outright: 46.3% Goolwa Beach — Mortgage: 31.8% Goolwa Beach — Renting: 21.8%
Goolwa South 28.0% renting
Goolwa South — Owned Outright: 50.5% Goolwa South — Mortgage: 21.4% Goolwa South — Renting: 28.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Certificate III & IV 18.9% / 18.6%
Goolwa Beach — Certificate III & IV: 18.9% Goolwa South — Certificate III & IV: 18.6%
Bachelor Degree 7.7% / 8.7%
Goolwa Beach — Bachelor Degree: 7.7% Goolwa South — Bachelor Degree: 8.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 8.8%
Goolwa Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Goolwa South — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8%
Postgraduate Degree 1.6% / 3.7%
Goolwa Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 1.6% Goolwa South — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.5%
Goolwa Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Goolwa South — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

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.

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
England 9.9% / 10.2%
Goolwa Beach — England: 9.9% Goolwa South — England: 10.2%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.3%
Goolwa Beach — New Zealand: 0.9% Goolwa South — New Zealand: 1.3%
Netherlands 1.0% / 1.0%
Goolwa Beach — Netherlands: 1.0% Goolwa South — Netherlands: 1.0%
Germany 0.6% / 0.8%
Goolwa Beach — Germany: 0.6% Goolwa South — Germany: 0.8%
Scotland 0.4% / 0.5%
Goolwa Beach — Scotland: 0.4% Goolwa South — Scotland: 0.5%
South Africa 0.4% / 0.3%
Goolwa Beach — South Africa: 0.4% Goolwa South — South Africa: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Goolwa Beach 89.2% houses
Goolwa Beach — Houses: 89.2% Goolwa Beach — Townhouses: 10.0% Goolwa Beach — Flats / Apartments: 0.8%
Goolwa South 89.4% houses
Goolwa South — Houses: 89.4% Goolwa South — Townhouses: 5.6% Goolwa South — Flats / Apartments: 5.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Median house price $706,000 $690,000
Median unit price — $675,000
Median land price $545,000 $940,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 18 days
from 18 sales
 16 days
from 24 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.

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
2 bed $632K / $518K
Goolwa Beach — 2 bed: $632K (12 sales) Goolwa South — 2 bed: $518K (12 sales)

12 vs 12 sales

3 bed $686K / $675K
Goolwa Beach — 3 bed: $686K (37 sales) Goolwa South — 3 bed: $675K (41 sales)

37 vs 41 sales

4 bed $792K / $865K
Goolwa Beach — 4 bed: $792K (17 sales) Goolwa South — 4 bed: $865K (21 sales)

17 vs 21 sales

Zoning mix

Goolwa South has more land zoned for conservation (86% vs 11%); Goolwa Beach has more rural and farming land (41% vs 0%).

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Environmental 11% 86%
Residential 48% 12%
Rural and farming 41% 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

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
New dwellings approved 429
across Alexandrina
same for both
Approvals change year on year +25%
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.

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Houses 3.9%
$538/wk on $710K
 3.3%
$540/wk on $850K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 14% of SA Higher than 16% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 70% of SA Higher than 23% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 59% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of SA Higher than 76% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 53% of SA Higher than 25% of SA

Liveability

Goolwa Beach is more walkable (17 vs 0).

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Grade C
same for both
Score 38/100 41/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
same for both

Risk profile

Goolwa Beach carries more bushfire risk (21 vs 0).

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Bushfire Low
21/100
 None
0/100
Crime Moderate
42/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
67/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
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

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 6 0
Fuel stations 1 0

Mobility

Goolwa South sits further from the CBD (88.7 km vs 85 km).

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Walkability score 17/100 0/100
Distance to Adelaide 85 km 88.7 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 77 min 84 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 5214
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 73
postcode 5214
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.

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Car (driver) 79.2% / 75.9%
Goolwa Beach — Car (driver): 79.2% Goolwa South — Car (driver): 75.9%
Worked from Home 11.4% / 13.5%
Goolwa Beach — Worked from Home: 11.4% Goolwa South — Worked from Home: 13.5%
Car (passenger) 4.6% / 5.9%
Goolwa Beach — Car (passenger): 4.6% Goolwa South — Car (passenger): 5.9%
Walked Only 3.2% / 3.6%
Goolwa Beach — Walked Only: 3.2% Goolwa South — Walked Only: 3.6%
Bicycle 1.1% / 1.0%
Goolwa Beach — Bicycle: 1.1% Goolwa South — Bicycle: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.2%).

Setting

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Elevation 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 8 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 802 m
784 m to a named beach
 536 m

NBN connectivity

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Connectivity score 65/100 56/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 37%
1,664 premises
 19%
1,105 premises

Climate

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Annual rainfall 786 mm 466 mm
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Average residential rate $2,523/yr
same for both
Council Alexandrina
same for both

Federal electorate

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Division Mayo
same for both
Member Rebekha Sharkie
same for both
Party Centre Alliance
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Goolwa Beach Goolwa South
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Goolwa Beach

Beach Coastal Large Blocks Parks Retirees

Goolwa South

Acreage Coastal Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Goolwa Beach

Goolwa Beach vs Goolwa Goolwa Beach vs Middleton

Other comparisons with Goolwa South

Goolwa South vs Goolwa Goolwa South vs Hindmarsh Island Goolwa South vs Coorong
Full data on Goolwa Beach Full data on Goolwa South
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