Melrose vs Wilmington
Melrose is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 51 in Wilmington. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Melrose, about half of households are couple families.
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
Melrose
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 60/100)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Wilmington
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper land ($72,000 vs $231,500)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Melrose
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Melrose
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (187 min vs 205 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (269.9 km vs 293.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Melrose
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 60/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Wilmington
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.8% vs -1.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Melrose and Wilmington 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
Wilmington has more residents (667 vs 342); Melrose has higher household incomes ($73,632 vs $65,520).
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 342 | 667 +95% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.4% | +14.8% |
| Median age | 48 | 51 |
| Median household income | $73,632/yr +11% vs other | $65,520/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $180/wk | $200/wk +11% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).
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 (2.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $310,000 | $325,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $231,500 | $72,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 54 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Melrose has more rural and farming land (87% vs 73%); Wilmington has more land zoned for conservation (27% vs 12%).
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 87% | 73% |
| Environmental | 12% | 27% |
| 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
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 13 across Mount Remarkable same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +200% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 47% of SA | Higher than 33% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 77% of SA same for both | |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of SA | Higher than 44% of SA |
Liveability
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 20/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Wilmington carries more crime risk (60 vs 24).
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 59/100 | Moderate 57/100 |
| Crime | Low 24/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| 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
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Melrose
- Melrose Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Wilmington
- Wilmington Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 3 |
| Childcare | 1 same for both | |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 2 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 7 | 11 |
Mobility
Wilmington sits further from the CBD (293.4 km vs 269.9 km).
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 38/100 | 40/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 269.9 km | 293.4 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 187 min | 205 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5483 | 0.0% postcode 5485 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 65 postcode 5483 | 75 postcode 5485 |
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 (73.5%).
Setting
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 384 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 331 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 24.7 km | 19.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 168 premises | 0% 275 premises |
Council rates
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,600/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mount Remarkable same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Melrose | Wilmington | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Melrose
Other comparisons with Wilmington
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.