Menzies vs Wisanger

Menzies is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 43 in Wisanger. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Menzies, the large majority of households are couple families. In Wisanger, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Menzies 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

Menzies

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 48%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 88%)

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

First-home buyers

Menzies

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 22%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Menzies

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $240/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Menzies

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (188.8 km vs 192.4 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

Wisanger

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (12.9% vs -9.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Menzies Wisanger
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.

Menzies Wisanger
Walkability 0 / 0
Menzies — Walkability: 0/100 Wisanger — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 41 / 41
Menzies — Safety: 41/100 Wisanger — Safety: 41/100
Low fire risk 15 / 59
Menzies — Low fire risk: 15/100 Wisanger — Low fire risk: 59/100
Low flood risk 87 / 62
Menzies — Low flood risk: 87/100 Wisanger — Low flood risk: 62/100

Demographics

Wisanger rents higher ($240/wk vs $0/wk); Menzies has higher household incomes ($117,000 vs $66,612).

Menzies Wisanger
Population 83 140
+69% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -9.8% +12.9%
Median age 38 43
Median household income $117,000/yr
+43% vs other
 $66,612/yr
Median weekly rent — $240/wk
(not reported on the other side)

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Menzies Wisanger
0-4 12.0% / 5.0%
Menzies — 0-4: 12.0% Wisanger — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 10.8% / 19.3%
Menzies — 5-14: 10.8% Wisanger — 5-14: 19.3%
15-19 — / —
Menzies — 15-19: not among its largest Wisanger — 15-19: not among its largest
20-24 4.8% / 3.6%
Menzies — 20-24: 4.8% Wisanger — 20-24: 3.6%
25-34 4.8% / 10.0%
Menzies — 25-34: 4.8% Wisanger — 25-34: 10.0%
35-44 10.8% / 11.4%
Menzies — 35-44: 10.8% Wisanger — 35-44: 11.4%
45-54 16.9% / 8.6%
Menzies — 45-54: 16.9% Wisanger — 45-54: 8.6%
55-64 12.0% / 16.4%
Menzies — 55-64: 12.0% Wisanger — 55-64: 16.4%
65-74 9.6% / 14.3%
Menzies — 65-74: 9.6% Wisanger — 65-74: 14.3%
75-84 4.8% / 3.6%
Menzies — 75-84: 4.8% Wisanger — 75-84: 3.6%
85+ — / —
Menzies — 85+: not among its largest Wisanger — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Menzies 100.0% couple families
Menzies — Couple Families: 100.0% Menzies — Lone Person: 0.0%
Wisanger 48.4% couple families
Wisanger — Couple Families: 48.4% Wisanger — Lone Person: 51.6%
Couple Families Lone Person

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Menzies 0.0% renting
Menzies — Owned Outright: 52.9% Menzies — Mortgage: 47.1% Menzies — Renting: 0.0%
Wisanger 19.6% renting
Wisanger — Owned Outright: 34.8% Wisanger — Mortgage: 45.7% Wisanger — Renting: 19.6%
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.

Menzies Wisanger
England 3.6% / —
Menzies — England: 3.6% Wisanger — England: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 3.6%
Menzies — New Zealand: not among its largest Wisanger — New Zealand: 3.6%
South Africa — / 2.9%
Menzies — South Africa: not among its largest Wisanger — South Africa: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.6%).

Qualifications

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

Menzies Wisanger
Certificate III & IV 6.0% / 21.4%
Menzies — Certificate III & IV: 6.0% Wisanger — Certificate III & IV: 21.4%
Bachelor Degree 9.6% / 11.4%
Menzies — Bachelor Degree: 9.6% Wisanger — Bachelor Degree: 11.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.6% / 2.1%
Menzies — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.6% Wisanger — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Menzies 100.0% houses
Menzies — Houses: 100.0% Menzies — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Wisanger 88.5% houses
Wisanger — Houses: 88.5% Wisanger — Flats / Apartments: 11.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Zoning mix

Menzies has more rural and farming land (100% vs 89%); Wisanger has more land zoned for conservation (11% vs 0%).

Menzies Wisanger
Rural and farming 100% 89%
Environmental 0% 11%
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

Menzies Wisanger
New dwellings approved 48
across Kangaroo Island
same for both
Approvals change year on year -12%
same for both

Ranking within SA

Menzies Wisanger
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 90% of SA Higher than 34% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 5% of SA Higher than 40% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 44% of SA Higher than 45% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 41% of SA Higher than 43% of SA

Liveability

Menzies Wisanger
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Wisanger carries more flood risk (38 vs 13); Menzies carries more bushfire risk (85 vs 41).

Menzies Wisanger
Bushfire High
85/100
 Moderate
41/100
Crime Moderate
59/100
same for both
Flood Low
13/100
 Low
38/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
48/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Menzies Wisanger
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

Menzies Wisanger
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 3
same for both
Waterways 23 13

Mobility

Wisanger sits further from the CBD (192.4 km vs 188.8 km).

Menzies Wisanger
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Adelaide 188.8 km 192.4 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 212 min 208 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 5223
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 5223
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.

Menzies Wisanger
Car (driver) 54.3% / 56.7%
Menzies — Car (driver): 54.3% Wisanger — Car (driver): 56.7%
Walked Only 22.9% / 16.7%
Menzies — Walked Only: 22.9% Wisanger — Walked Only: 16.7%
Worked from Home 22.9% / 16.7%
Menzies — Worked from Home: 22.9% Wisanger — Worked from Home: 16.7%
Car (passenger) — / 10.0%
Menzies — Car (passenger): not among its largest Wisanger — Car (passenger): 10.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (56.7%).

Setting

Menzies Wisanger
Elevation 72 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 54 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.8 km 3.9 km

NBN connectivity

Menzies Wisanger
Connectivity score 28/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
34 premises
 0%
55 premises

Climate

Menzies Wisanger
Annual rainfall 412 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Menzies Wisanger
Average residential rate $1,908/yr
same for both
Council Kangaroo Island
same for both

Federal electorate

Menzies Wisanger
Division Mayo
same for both
Member Rebekha Sharkie
same for both
Party Centre Alliance
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Menzies Wisanger
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Menzies

Family Rural Young Families

Wisanger

Family River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Menzies

Menzies vs Kingscote Menzies vs Cassini Menzies vs Cygnet River

Other comparisons with Wisanger

Wisanger vs Kingscote Wisanger vs Emu Bay Wisanger vs Cassini Wisanger vs Cygnet River
Full data on Menzies Full data on Wisanger
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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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