Hardwicke Bay vs Warooka
Warooka is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 61 in Hardwicke Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hardwicke Bay, most households are people living alone. In Warooka, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Hardwicke Bay: a median of $464,000, against $220,000 in Warooka, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Hardwicke Bay tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Warooka suits buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Warooka
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (46% vs 28%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Warooka
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($220,000 vs $464,375)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 33%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Warooka
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 33%)
- has cheaper rent ($168/wk vs $245/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Hardwicke Bay
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (157 min vs 167 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (222.9 km vs 236.2 km)
- But Warooka is more walkable (42/100 vs 14/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Hardwicke Bay has more residents already 65 and over (40% vs 26%)
- Warooka is more walkable (42/100 vs 14/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hardwicke Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.3% vs 3.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hardwicke Bay and Warooka 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
Warooka has more residents (360 vs 149); Hardwicke Bay rents higher ($245/wk vs $168/wk).
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 149 | 360 +142% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.3% | +3.4% |
| Median age | 61 | 49 |
| Median household income | $38,220/yr | $51,584/yr +35% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $245/wk +31% vs other | $168/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.5%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.8%).
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 (25.5%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $464,375 | $220,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $335,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 89% | 98% |
| Environmental | 8% | 2% |
| Residential | 2% | 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
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 97 across Yorke Peninsula same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -18% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 5% of SA | Higher than 17% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 68% of SA | Higher than 78% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 11% of SA | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 63% of SA | Higher than 57% of SA |
Liveability
Warooka is more walkable (42 vs 14).
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Warooka carries more bushfire risk (42 vs 0).
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| Crime | Low 16/100 | Low 20/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Hardwicke Bay
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Warooka
- Warooka Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 3 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 3 |
Mobility
Warooka sits further from the CBD (236.2 km vs 222.9 km).
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 42/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 222.9 km | 236.2 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 157 min | 167 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 5575 | 0.0% postcode 5577 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 64 postcode 5575 | 40 postcode 5577 |
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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 54 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 167 m | 4.6 km 4.9 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 252 premises | 0% 203 premises |
Climate
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 425 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 8.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,494/yr same for both | |
| Council | Yorke Peninsula same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hardwicke Bay | Warooka | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Hardwicke Bay
Other comparisons with Warooka
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.