Koolunga vs Gulnare
Koolunga is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 53 in Gulnare. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Koolunga tends to suit families with children.
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
Koolunga
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 39%)
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
Gulnare
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $175/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Koolunga
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (133 min vs 147 min)
- But Gulnare sits closer to the CBD (187.9 km vs 190 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Koolunga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Koolunga and Gulnare 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
Koolunga rents higher ($175/wk vs $0/wk); Koolunga has more residents (183 vs 80).
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 183 +56% vs other | 80 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.2% | -9.1% |
| Median age | 46 | 53 |
| Median household income | $66,300/yr | $68,224/yr +3% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $175/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.5%).
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 (5.5%).
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 (25.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $580,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 53 across Port Pirie | 11 across Northern Areas |
| Approvals change year on year | +75% | -100% |
Ranking within SA
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 34% of SA | Higher than 37% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 66% of SA | Higher than 38% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 53% of SA | Higher than 43% of SA |
Liveability
Koolunga is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Koolunga carries more bushfire risk (35 vs 0).
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 35/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 56/100 same for both | |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Koolunga
- Koolunga Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Gulnare
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 4 |
Mobility
Koolunga sits further from the CBD (190 km vs 187.9 km).
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 190 km +1% vs other | 187.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 133 min | 147 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5464 | 0.0% postcode 5471 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 5464 | — |
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 (67.4%).
Setting
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 126 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 320 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 33.5 km | 46.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 113 premises | 0% 50 premises |
Climate
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 472 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,855/yr | $1,809/yr |
| Council | Port Pirie | Northern Areas |
Federal electorate
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Koolunga | Gulnare | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Gulnare
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Koolunga
Other comparisons with Gulnare
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.