Merriton vs Wandearah East

Merriton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 49 in Wandearah East. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Merriton, the large majority of households are couple families. In Wandearah East, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Merriton tends to suit couples and older residents, while Wandearah East suits people living alone.

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

Merriton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (77% vs 55%)

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

First-home buyers

Wandearah East

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 27%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Merriton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $400/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Merriton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (125 min vs 145 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (190.7 km vs 217.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Merriton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 7%)

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

Investors

Merriton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (12.2% vs -2.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Merriton Wandearah East
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.

Merriton Wandearah East
Walkability 0 / 0
Merriton — Walkability: 0/100 Wandearah East — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 89 / 83
Merriton — Safety: 89/100 Wandearah East — Safety: 83/100
Low fire risk 83 / 85
Merriton — Low fire risk: 83/100 Wandearah East — Low fire risk: 85/100

Demographics

Wandearah East rents higher ($400/wk vs $0/wk); Wandearah East has more residents (95 vs 55).

Merriton Wandearah East
Population 55 95
+73% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.2% -2.1%
Median age 45 49
Median household income $86,632/yr $92,040/yr
+6% vs other
Median weekly rent — $400/wk
(not reported on the other side)

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Merriton Wandearah East
0-4 9.1% / 9.5%
Merriton — 0-4: 9.1% Wandearah East — 0-4: 9.5%
5-14 12.7% / 10.5%
Merriton — 5-14: 12.7% Wandearah East — 5-14: 10.5%
15-19 9.1% / 3.2%
Merriton — 15-19: 9.1% Wandearah East — 15-19: 3.2%
20-24 — / 3.2%
Merriton — 20-24: not among its largest Wandearah East — 20-24: 3.2%
25-34 5.5% / 9.5%
Merriton — 25-34: 5.5% Wandearah East — 25-34: 9.5%
35-44 18.2% / 4.2%
Merriton — 35-44: 18.2% Wandearah East — 35-44: 4.2%
45-54 18.2% / 15.8%
Merriton — 45-54: 18.2% Wandearah East — 45-54: 15.8%
55-64 7.3% / 26.3%
Merriton — 55-64: 7.3% Wandearah East — 55-64: 26.3%
65-74 21.8% / 7.4%
Merriton — 65-74: 21.8% Wandearah East — 65-74: 7.4%
75-84 5.5% / —
Merriton — 75-84: 5.5% Wandearah East — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / —
Merriton — 85+: not among its largest Wandearah East — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Merriton 76.9% couple families
Merriton — Couple Families: 76.9% Merriton — Lone Person: 23.1%
Wandearah East 55.0% couple families
Wandearah East — Couple Families: 55.0% Wandearah East — Lone Person: 45.0%
Couple Families Lone Person

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Merriton 0.0% renting
Merriton — Owned Outright: 73.7% Merriton — Mortgage: 26.3% Merriton — Renting: 0.0%
Wandearah East 0.0% renting
Wandearah East — Owned Outright: 70.7% Wandearah East — Mortgage: 29.3% Wandearah East — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Merriton 100.0% houses
Merriton — Houses: 100.0%
Wandearah East 100.0% houses
Wandearah East — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Merriton Wandearah East
Certificate III & IV 12.7% / 16.8%
Merriton — Certificate III & IV: 12.7% Wandearah East — Certificate III & IV: 16.8%
Bachelor Degree 10.9% / 4.2%
Merriton — Bachelor Degree: 10.9% Wandearah East — Bachelor Degree: 4.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.9% / 3.2%
Merriton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.9% Wandearah East — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5.5% / —
Merriton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.5% Wandearah East — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree — / 3.2%
Merriton — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Wandearah East — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).

Zoning mix

Merriton Wandearah East
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

Merriton Wandearah East
New dwellings approved 53
across Port Pirie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +75%
same for both

Ranking within SA

Merriton Wandearah East
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 64% of SA Higher than 70% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 7% of SA Higher than 35% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 41% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 41% of SA Higher than 39% of SA

Liveability

Merriton Wandearah East
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
same for both

Risk profile

Merriton Wandearah East
Bushfire Low
17/100
 Low
15/100
Crime Low
11/100
 Low
17/100
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

Merriton Wandearah East
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

Merriton Wandearah East
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Wandearah East sits further from the CBD (217.9 km vs 190.7 km).

Merriton Wandearah East
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Adelaide 190.7 km 217.9 km
+14% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 125 min 145 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 5523
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 5523
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.

Merriton Wandearah East
Car (driver) 50.0% / 47.8%
Merriton — Car (driver): 50.0% Wandearah East — Car (driver): 47.8%
Worked from Home 37.5% / 41.3%
Merriton — Worked from Home: 37.5% Wandearah East — Worked from Home: 41.3%
Walked Only 12.5% / 10.9%
Merriton — Walked Only: 12.5% Wandearah East — Walked Only: 10.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.0%).

Setting

Merriton Wandearah East
Elevation 64 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 28 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 20.0 km 13.4 km

NBN connectivity

Merriton Wandearah East
Connectivity score 28/100 27/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
24 premises
 0%
50 premises

Climate

Merriton Wandearah East
Annual rainfall 472 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Merriton Wandearah East
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 23.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Merriton Wandearah East
Average residential rate $1,855/yr
same for both
Council Port Pirie
same for both

Federal electorate

Merriton Wandearah East
Division Grey
same for both
Member Tom Venning
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Merriton Wandearah East
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Merriton

Retirees Rural Young Families

Wandearah East

Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Merriton

Merriton vs Crystal Brook Merriton vs Redhill Merriton vs Clements Gap

Other comparisons with Wandearah East

Wandearah East vs Crystal Brook Wandearah East vs Fisherman Bay Wandearah East vs Clements Gap
Full data on Merriton Full data on Wandearah East
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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