Hay Flat vs Second Valley
Hay Flat is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 65 in Second Valley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hay Flat, most households are couple families. In Second Valley, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Hay Flat tends to suit share households and couples, while Second Valley suits 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
Hay Flat
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 16%)
- carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 82/100)
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Second Valley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (85 min vs 108 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (90.7 km vs 101.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Hay Flat carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 82/100)
- Second Valley has more residents already 65 and over (46% vs 15%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hay Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (46.9% vs -4.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hay Flat and Second Valley 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
Second Valley has more residents (154 vs 72); Second Valley skews older (65 vs 48).
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 72 | 154 +114% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +46.9% | -4.9% |
| Median age | 48 | 65 |
| Median household income | $61,724/yr +14% vs other | $52,988/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (11.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $661,250 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $595,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 100 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 97% |
| Environmental | 0% | 1% |
| Residential | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 58 across Yankalilla same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -55% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 29% of SA | Higher than 17% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 63% of SA | Higher than 61% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 61% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 39% of SA | Higher than 56% of SA |
Liveability
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Second Valley carries more bushfire risk (26 vs 0); Second Valley carries more crime risk (82 vs 58).
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 26/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 58/100 | High 82/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Moderate 45/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 3 |
| Waterways | 9 | 3 |
Mobility
Hay Flat sits further from the CBD (101.6 km vs 90.7 km).
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 101.6 km +11% vs other | 90.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 108 min | 85 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 5204 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 63 postcode 5204 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.0%).
Setting
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 171 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 58 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.9 km | 1.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 31 premises | 0% 197 premises |
Climate
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 786 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,546/yr same for both | |
| Council | Yankalilla same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mayo same for both | |
| Member | Rebekha Sharkie same for both | |
| Party | Centre Alliance same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hay Flat | Second Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Hay Flat
Other comparisons with Second Valley
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.