Magdala vs Hamley Bridge
Magdala is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 47 in Hamley Bridge. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Magdala tends to suit young adults.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Magdala is already more of a family suburb (63% vs 52%)
- Hamley Bridge carries lower crime risk (39/100 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
Hamley Bridge
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $320/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Magdala
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (71.7 km vs 79.8 km)
- has a shorter drive in (55 min vs 61 min)
- But Hamley Bridge is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hamley Bridge
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 82/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 18%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Magdala
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (49.1% vs -1.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Magdala and Hamley Bridge 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
Hamley Bridge has more residents (709 vs 79); Magdala has higher household incomes ($76,336 vs $52,416).
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 79 | 709 +797% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +49.1% | -1.1% |
| Median age | 40 | 47 |
| Median household income | $76,336/yr +31% vs other | $52,416/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk +31% vs other | $220/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).
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 (7.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $550,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 20 days from 13 sales |
Zoning mix
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 98% |
| 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
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 278 across Light | 15 across Wakefield |
| Approvals change year on year | +43% | +0% |
Ranking within SA
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 51% of SA | Higher than 17% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 3% of SA | Higher than 74% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 53% of SA | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 50% of SA | Higher than 58% of SA |
Liveability
Hamley Bridge is more walkable (27 vs 0).
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 12/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Magdala carries more crime risk (82 vs 39).
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 87/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | High 82/100 | Low 39/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Magdala
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Hamley Bridge
- Hamley Bridge Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Hamley Bridge sits further from the CBD (79.8 km vs 71.7 km).
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 27/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 71.7 km | 79.8 km +11% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 55 min | 61 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 5400 | 0.0% postcode 5401 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 97 postcode 5400 | 61 postcode 5401 |
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 (81.8%).
Setting
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 138 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 115 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 34.0 km | 37.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 29 premises | 0% 338 premises |
Climate
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 460 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,297/yr | $1,640/yr |
| Council | Light | Wakefield |
Federal electorate
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Magdala | Hamley Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Magdala
Hamley Bridge
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Magdala
Other comparisons with Hamley Bridge
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.