Middle Beach vs Port Gawler

Port Gawler is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 49 in Middle Beach. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Port Gawler, most households are couple families. On these figures, Port Gawler tends to suit families with children and 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

Port Gawler

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 48%)
  • carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 91/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 83%)

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

First-home buyers

Port Gawler

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 25%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Port Gawler

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 29%)
  • has cheaper rent ($235/wk vs $305/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Middle Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a shorter drive in (40 min vs 46 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Port Gawler

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 91/100)

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

Investors

Port Gawler

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (30.2% vs 19.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Middle Beach Port Gawler
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.

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Walkability 0 / 0
Middle Beach — Walkability: 0/100 Port Gawler — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 9 / 39
Middle Beach — Safety: 9/100 Port Gawler — Safety: 39/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Middle Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100 Port Gawler — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 8 / 19
Middle Beach — Low flood risk: 8/100 Port Gawler — Low flood risk: 19/100

Demographics

Port Gawler has higher household incomes ($109,200 vs $55,224); Middle Beach skews older (49 vs 36).

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Population 94 112
+19% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +19.0% +30.2%
Median age 49 36
Median household income $55,224/yr $109,200/yr
+98% vs other
Median weekly rent $305/wk
+23% vs other
 $235/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Middle Beach Port Gawler
0-4 4.3% / 4.5%
Middle Beach — 0-4: 4.3% Port Gawler — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 11.7% / 16.1%
Middle Beach — 5-14: 11.7% Port Gawler — 5-14: 16.1%
15-19 3.2% / 15.2%
Middle Beach — 15-19: 3.2% Port Gawler — 15-19: 15.2%
20-24 — / 8.0%
Middle Beach — 20-24: not among its largest Port Gawler — 20-24: 8.0%
25-34 18.1% / 8.9%
Middle Beach — 25-34: 18.1% Port Gawler — 25-34: 8.9%
35-44 7.4% / 13.4%
Middle Beach — 35-44: 7.4% Port Gawler — 35-44: 13.4%
45-54 7.4% / 15.2%
Middle Beach — 45-54: 7.4% Port Gawler — 45-54: 15.2%
55-64 31.9% / 8.0%
Middle Beach — 55-64: 31.9% Port Gawler — 55-64: 8.0%
65-74 8.5% / 8.0%
Middle Beach — 65-74: 8.5% Port Gawler — 65-74: 8.0%
75-84 9.6% / 8.9%
Middle Beach — 75-84: 9.6% Port Gawler — 75-84: 8.9%
85+ — / —
Middle Beach — 85+: not among its largest Port Gawler — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Middle Beach 37.0% couple families
Middle Beach — Couple Families: 37.0% Middle Beach — Lone Person: 40.7% Middle Beach — One Parent Families: 11.1% Middle Beach — Group Household: 11.1%
Port Gawler 72.2% couple families
Port Gawler — Couple Families: 72.2% Port Gawler — Lone Person: 0.0% Port Gawler — One Parent Families: 27.8% Port Gawler — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Middle Beach 20.0% renting
Middle Beach — Owned Outright: 43.3% Middle Beach — Mortgage: 36.7% Middle Beach — Renting: 20.0%
Port Gawler 20.8% renting
Port Gawler — Owned Outright: 25.0% Port Gawler — Mortgage: 54.2% Port Gawler — Renting: 20.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Middle Beach 82.9% houses
Middle Beach — Houses: 82.9% Middle Beach — Flats / Apartments: 17.1%
Port Gawler 100.0% houses
Port Gawler — Houses: 100.0% Port Gawler — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Certificate III & IV 20.2% / 15.2%
Middle Beach — Certificate III & IV: 20.2% Port Gawler — Certificate III & IV: 15.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.3% / 2.7%
Middle Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3% Port Gawler — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.7%
Bachelor Degree — / 4.5%
Middle Beach — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest Port Gawler — Bachelor Degree: 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

Property market

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Median house price $338,000 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Environmental 47% 57%
Rural and farming 51% 43%
Industrial 2% 0%
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

Middle Beach Port Gawler
New dwellings approved 106
across Adelaide Plains
same for both
Approvals change year on year -21%
same for both

Ranking within SA

Middle Beach Port Gawler
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 20% of SA Higher than 86% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 31% of SA Higher than 13% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 48% of SA Higher than 47% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 42% of SA Higher than 54% of SA

Liveability

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Middle Beach carries more crime risk (91 vs 61); Middle Beach carries more flood risk (92 vs 81).

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
91/100
 Moderate
61/100
Flood High
92/100
 High
81/100
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

Middle Beach Port Gawler
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

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Parks & reserves 1 0
Waterways 2 1

Mobility

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Adelaide 49 km
+2% vs other
 48.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 40 min 46 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 5501
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.

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Car (driver) 82.1% / 76.4%
Middle Beach — Car (driver): 82.1% Port Gawler — Car (driver): 76.4%
Worked from Home 17.9% / 16.4%
Middle Beach — Worked from Home: 17.9% Port Gawler — Worked from Home: 16.4%
Car (passenger) — / 7.3%
Middle Beach — Car (passenger): not among its largest Port Gawler — Car (passenger): 7.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (82.1%).

Setting

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Elevation 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.2 km 602 m

NBN connectivity

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Connectivity score 28/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
39 premises
 0%
32 premises

Climate

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Annual rainfall 404 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.6°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Middle Beach Port Gawler
PM2.5 4.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.51 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Average residential rate $2,698/yr
same for both
Council Adelaide Plains
same for both

Federal electorate

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Division Grey
same for both
Member Tom Venning
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Middle Beach Port Gawler
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Middle Beach

Outer

Port Gawler

Coastal Outer River Students

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Middle Beach

Middle Beach vs Two Wells Middle Beach vs Korunye Middle Beach vs Lower Light

Other comparisons with Port Gawler

Port Gawler vs Two Wells Port Gawler vs Buckland Park
Full data on Middle Beach Full data on Port Gawler
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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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