Hay Flat vs Wirrina Cove
Hay Flat is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 61 in Wirrina Cove. In both, most households own their home. In Hay Flat, the large majority of homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. In Wirrina Cove, about half of homes are flats or apartments and the large majority of households are people living alone. On these figures, Hay Flat tends to suit couples, while Wirrina Cove 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 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 19%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 49%)
- But Wirrina Cove carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 58/100)
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
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Hay Flat leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 28%)
- Wirrina Cove has cheaper rent ($183/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Wirrina Cove
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 (87.4 km vs 101.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Wirrina Cove
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 15%)
- carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 58/100)
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 38.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hay Flat and Wirrina Cove 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
Wirrina Cove has more residents (187 vs 72); Hay Flat has higher household incomes ($61,724 vs $33,540).
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 72 | 187 +160% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +46.9% | +38.5% |
| Median age | 48 | 61 |
| Median household income | $61,724/yr +46% vs other | $33,540/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk +8% vs other | $183/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).
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 (11.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $585,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $297,000 |
| Median land price | — | $216,012 |
Zoning mix
Hay Flat has more rural and farming land (100% vs 27%).
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 27% |
| Residential | 0% | 64% |
| Environmental | 0% | 8% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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 | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 58 across Yankalilla same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -55% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 29% of SA | Higher than 3% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 63% of SA | Higher than 60% 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 46% of SA |
Liveability
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Wirrina Cove carries more bushfire risk (32 vs 0); Hay Flat carries more crime risk (58 vs 39).
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 58/100 | Low 39/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 29/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 0 |
| Waterways | 9 | 25 |
Mobility
Hay Flat sits further from the CBD (101.6 km vs 87.4 km).
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 101.6 km +14% vs other | 87.4 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 (79.2%).
Setting
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 171 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 61 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.9 km | 867 m |
NBN connectivity
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 31 premises | 0% 132 premises |
Climate
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 786 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,546/yr same for both | |
| Council | Yankalilla same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mayo same for both | |
| Member | Rebekha Sharkie same for both | |
| Party | Centre Alliance same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hay Flat | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Wirrina Cove
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.