Mcharg Creek vs Prospect Hill

Prospect Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 51 in McHarg Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Prospect Hill, most households are couple families. Prospect Hill is closer to the city centre: 52.1 km, against 58.4 km. On these figures, Prospect Hill tends to suit couples.

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

McHarg Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more parks and reserves (5 vs 1)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Prospect Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 26%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

McHarg Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($225/wk vs $295/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Prospect Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (52.1 km vs 58.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

McHarg Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (35.8% vs -0.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Mcharg Creek and Prospect Hill drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Walkability 0 / 0
Mcharg Creek — Walkability: 0/100 Prospect Hill — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 87 / 88
Mcharg Creek — Safety: 87/100 Prospect Hill — Safety: 88/100
Low fire risk 16 / 19
Mcharg Creek — Low fire risk: 16/100 Prospect Hill — Low fire risk: 19/100

Demographics

Prospect Hill has more residents (158 vs 72); Prospect Hill has higher household incomes ($107,692 vs $75,816).

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Population 72 158
+119% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +35.8% -0.6%
Median age 51 47
Median household income $75,816/yr $107,692/yr
+42% vs other
Median weekly rent $225/wk $295/wk
+31% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
0-4 6.9% / —
Mcharg Creek — 0-4: 6.9% Prospect Hill — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 9.7% / 16.5%
Mcharg Creek — 5-14: 9.7% Prospect Hill — 5-14: 16.5%
15-19 5.6% / 7.0%
Mcharg Creek — 15-19: 5.6% Prospect Hill — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 5.6% / 5.1%
Mcharg Creek — 20-24: 5.6% Prospect Hill — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 16.7% / 7.6%
Mcharg Creek — 25-34: 16.7% Prospect Hill — 25-34: 7.6%
35-44 8.3% / 10.8%
Mcharg Creek — 35-44: 8.3% Prospect Hill — 35-44: 10.8%
45-54 18.1% / 22.8%
Mcharg Creek — 45-54: 18.1% Prospect Hill — 45-54: 22.8%
55-64 18.1% / 13.9%
Mcharg Creek — 55-64: 18.1% Prospect Hill — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 19.4% / 10.1%
Mcharg Creek — 65-74: 19.4% Prospect Hill — 65-74: 10.1%
75-84 — / 4.4%
Mcharg Creek — 75-84: not among its largest Prospect Hill — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ — / —
Mcharg Creek — 85+: not among its largest Prospect Hill — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mcharg Creek 40.0% couple families
Mcharg Creek — Couple Families: 40.0% Mcharg Creek — Lone Person: 30.0% Mcharg Creek — One Parent Families: 30.0%
Prospect Hill 56.8% couple families
Prospect Hill — Couple Families: 56.8% Prospect Hill — Lone Person: 24.3% Prospect Hill — One Parent Families: 18.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mcharg Creek 0.0% renting
Mcharg Creek — Owned Outright: 50.0% Mcharg Creek — Mortgage: 50.0% Mcharg Creek — Renting: 0.0%
Prospect Hill 0.0% renting
Prospect Hill — Owned Outright: 41.5% Prospect Hill — Mortgage: 58.5% Prospect Hill — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
England 4.2% / 3.8%
Mcharg Creek — England: 4.2% Prospect Hill — England: 3.8%
Scotland 4.2% / —
Mcharg Creek — Scotland: 4.2% Prospect Hill — Scotland: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.9%
Mcharg Creek — New Zealand: not among its largest Prospect Hill — New Zealand: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Certificate III & IV 12.5% / 14.6%
Mcharg Creek — Certificate III & IV: 12.5% Prospect Hill — Certificate III & IV: 14.6%
Bachelor Degree 11.1% / 12.7%
Mcharg Creek — Bachelor Degree: 11.1% Prospect Hill — Bachelor Degree: 12.7%
Postgraduate Degree 11.1% / 1.9%
Mcharg Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 11.1% Prospect Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.9% / 4.4%
Mcharg Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9% Prospect Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 3.8%
Mcharg Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Prospect Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mcharg Creek 100.0% houses
Mcharg Creek — Houses: 100.0%
Prospect Hill 100.0% houses
Prospect Hill — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Zoning mix

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
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

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
New dwellings approved 429
across Alexandrina
 657
across Mount Barker
Approvals change year on year +25% -7%

Ranking within SA

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 50% of SA Higher than 85% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 26% of SA Higher than 1% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 70% of SA Higher than 75% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 59% of SA Higher than 41% of SA

Liveability

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
same for both

Risk profile

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Bushfire High
84/100
 High
81/100
Crime Low
13/100
 Low
12/100
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
same for both

Schools

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
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

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Parks & reserves 5 1

Mobility

McHarg Creek sits further from the CBD (58.4 km vs 52.1 km).

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Adelaide 58.4 km
+11% vs other
 52.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 60 min 58 min
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 5157
 0.9%
postcode 5201
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 97
postcode 5157
 99
postcode 5201

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.

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Car (driver) 77.8% / 70.8%
Mcharg Creek — Car (driver): 77.8% Prospect Hill — Car (driver): 70.8%
Worked from Home 22.2% / 19.4%
Mcharg Creek — Worked from Home: 22.2% Prospect Hill — Worked from Home: 19.4%
Car (passenger) — / 5.6%
Mcharg Creek — Car (passenger): not among its largest Prospect Hill — Car (passenger): 5.6%
Walked Only — / 4.2%
Mcharg Creek — Walked Only: not among its largest Prospect Hill — Walked Only: 4.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.8%).

Setting

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Elevation 309 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 381 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 24.1 km 23.8 km

NBN connectivity

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Connectivity score 30/100 28/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
32 premises
 0%
62 premises

Climate

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Annual rainfall 466 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 19.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.34 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Average residential rate $2,523/yr $2,485/yr
Council Alexandrina Mount Barker

Federal electorate

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Division Mayo
same for both
Member Rebekha Sharkie
same for both
Party Centre Alliance
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mcharg Creek Prospect Hill
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mcharg Creek

Outer

Prospect Hill

Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mcharg Creek

Mcharg Creek vs Ashbourne Mcharg Creek vs Bull Creek Mcharg Creek vs Mount Magnificent

Other comparisons with Prospect Hill

Prospect Hill vs Meadows Prospect Hill vs Kuitpo Prospect Hill vs Bull Creek
Full data on Mcharg Creek Full data on Prospect Hill
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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.

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