Middleton vs Goolwa

Middleton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 67 in Goolwa. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Goolwa, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Middleton: a median of $1.06 million, against $715,000 in Goolwa, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Goolwa tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Middleton

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 26%)
  • carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 67/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (98% vs 85%)
  • But Goolwa has more childcare (4 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Goolwa

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($360,000 vs $1,275,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($715,000 vs $1,060,000)
  • But Middleton leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 29%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Middleton leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 32%)
  • Goolwa has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $283/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Middleton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (68 min vs 73 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (78.5 km vs 82.7 km)
  • But Goolwa is more walkable (65/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Goolwa

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (65/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (15% vs 2%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (54% vs 25%)
  • But Middleton carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 67/100)

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

Investors

Goolwa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.1% vs 2.2%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Middleton Goolwa
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.

Middleton Goolwa
Walkability 0 / 65
Middleton — Walkability: 0/100 Goolwa — Walkability: 65/100
Safety 64 / 33
Middleton — Safety: 64/100 Goolwa — Safety: 33/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Middleton — Low fire risk: 100/100 Goolwa — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Goolwa has more residents (2,558 vs 1,298); Middleton has higher household incomes ($69,160 vs $41,080).

Middleton Goolwa
Population 1,298 2,558
+97% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.3% +8.9%
Median age 49 67
Median household income $69,160/yr
+41% vs other
 $41,080/yr
Median weekly rent $283/wk
+12% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Middleton Goolwa
0-4 3.8% / 1.9%
Middleton — 0-4: 3.8% Goolwa — 0-4: 1.9%
5-14 11.7% / 5.4%
Middleton — 5-14: 11.7% Goolwa — 5-14: 5.4%
15-19 5.1% / 3.1%
Middleton — 15-19: 5.1% Goolwa — 15-19: 3.1%
20-24 4.1% / 2.0%
Middleton — 20-24: 4.1% Goolwa — 20-24: 2.0%
25-34 7.7% / 4.7%
Middleton — 25-34: 7.7% Goolwa — 25-34: 4.7%
35-44 10.9% / 5.1%
Middleton — 35-44: 10.9% Goolwa — 35-44: 5.1%
45-54 13.6% / 8.2%
Middleton — 45-54: 13.6% Goolwa — 45-54: 8.2%
55-64 17.0% / 15.1%
Middleton — 55-64: 17.0% Goolwa — 55-64: 15.1%
65-74 16.7% / 24.0%
Middleton — 65-74: 16.7% Goolwa — 65-74: 24.0%
75-84 7.0% / 21.4%
Middleton — 75-84: 7.0% Goolwa — 75-84: 21.4%
85+ 1.5% / 9.1%
Middleton — 85+: 1.5% Goolwa — 85+: 9.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Middleton 43.3% lone person
Middleton — Lone Person: 43.3% Middleton — Couple Families: 41.8% Middleton — One Parent Families: 10.1% Middleton — Group Household: 4.9% Middleton — Other Families: 0.0%
Goolwa 70.4% lone person
Goolwa — Lone Person: 70.4% Goolwa — Couple Families: 13.8% Goolwa — One Parent Families: 11.8% Goolwa — Group Household: 2.8% Goolwa — Other Families: 1.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Middleton 18.0% renting
Middleton — Owned Outright: 46.6% Middleton — Mortgage: 35.4% Middleton — Renting: 18.0%
Goolwa 26.6% renting
Goolwa — Owned Outright: 55.1% Goolwa — Mortgage: 18.3% Goolwa — Renting: 26.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Middleton Goolwa
Certificate III & IV 19.0% / 16.8%
Middleton — Certificate III & IV: 19.0% Goolwa — Certificate III & IV: 16.8%
Bachelor Degree 13.6% / 8.0%
Middleton — Bachelor Degree: 13.6% Goolwa — Bachelor Degree: 8.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.2% / 7.3%
Middleton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2% Goolwa — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 2.1%
Middleton — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Goolwa — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.2% / 1.5%
Middleton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2% Goolwa — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

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.

Middleton Goolwa
England 7.9% / 13.3%
Middleton — England: 7.9% Goolwa — England: 13.3%
Scotland 1.0% / 1.3%
Middleton — Scotland: 1.0% Goolwa — Scotland: 1.3%
Netherlands 0.9% / 0.9%
Middleton — Netherlands: 0.9% Goolwa — Netherlands: 0.9%
Germany 0.5% / 1.3%
Middleton — Germany: 0.5% Goolwa — Germany: 1.3%
New Zealand 0.5% / 0.9%
Middleton — New Zealand: 0.5% Goolwa — New Zealand: 0.9%
Philippines 0.7% / —
Middleton — Philippines: 0.7% Goolwa — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Middleton 98.1% houses
Middleton — Houses: 98.1% Middleton — Townhouses: 1.3% Middleton — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Goolwa 85.3% houses
Goolwa — Houses: 85.3% Goolwa — Townhouses: 9.0% Goolwa — Flats / Apartments: 5.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Middleton Goolwa
Median house price $1,060,000 $715,000
Median unit price — $445,000
Median land price $1,275,000 $360,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 31 sales
 24 days
from 36 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Middleton Goolwa
2 bed $1.26M / $642K
Middleton — 2 bed: $1.26M (12 sales) Goolwa — 2 bed: $642K (20 sales)

12 vs 20 sales

3 bed $918K / $700K
Middleton — 3 bed: $918K (28 sales) Goolwa — 3 bed: $700K (28 sales)

28 vs 28 sales

4 bed $1.19M / $856K
Middleton — 4 bed: $1.19M (12 sales) Goolwa — 4 bed: $856K (13 sales)

12 vs 13 sales

5 bed $1.94M / $905K
Middleton — 5 bed: $1.94M (6 sales) Goolwa — 5 bed: $905K (6 sales)

6 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Middleton has more rural and farming land (94% vs 74%).

Middleton Goolwa
Rural and farming 94% 74%
Residential 5% 8%
Other and special use 0% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 5%
Environmental 1% 3%
Commercial 0% 2%
Industrial 0% 1%
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

Middleton Goolwa
New dwellings approved 429
across Alexandrina
same for both
Approvals change year on year +25%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Middleton Goolwa
Houses 2.2%
$600/wk on $1.42M
 3.1%
$480/wk on $800K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Middleton Goolwa
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 38% of SA Higher than 7% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 47% of SA Higher than 86% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 69% of SA Higher than 58% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of SA Higher than 75% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 4% of SA Higher than 18% of SA

Liveability

Goolwa is more walkable (65 vs 0); Middleton scores higher overall (54 vs 43).

Middleton Goolwa
Grade B C
Score 54/100 43/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Goolwa carries more crime risk (67 vs 36).

Middleton Goolwa
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
36/100
 Moderate
67/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
15/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Middleton Goolwa
Inside the suburb 0 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Middleton

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Goolwa

  • Goolwa Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • Goolwa Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Middleton Goolwa
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 5
Parks & reserves 0 1
Childcare 0 4
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
EV chargers 0 1
Beaches 1 0

Mobility

Goolwa sits further from the CBD (82.7 km vs 78.5 km).

Middleton Goolwa
Walkability score 0/100 65/100
Distance to Adelaide 78.5 km 82.7 km
+5% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 68 min 73 min
Public transport score 21/100 26/100
Peak arrivals per hour 1.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 3.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 39.5 min
scheduled, not actual
 4 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 5213
 0.6%
postcode 5214
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 5213
 73
postcode 5214

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.

Middleton Goolwa
Car (driver) 76.0% / 79.1%
Middleton — Car (driver): 76.0% Goolwa — Car (driver): 79.1%
Worked from Home 15.8% / 11.2%
Middleton — Worked from Home: 15.8% Goolwa — Worked from Home: 11.2%
Walked Only 5.0% / 5.5%
Middleton — Walked Only: 5.0% Goolwa — Walked Only: 5.5%
Car (passenger) 3.2% / 2.0%
Middleton — Car (passenger): 3.2% Goolwa — Car (passenger): 2.0%
Train — / 1.0%
Middleton — Train: not among its largest Goolwa — Train: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.1%).

Setting

Middleton Goolwa
Elevation 84 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.3 km
3.7 km to a named beach
 2.6 km
2.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Middleton Goolwa
Connectivity score 67/100 53/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 42%
1,309 premises
 14%
1,858 premises

Climate

Middleton Goolwa
Annual rainfall 786 mm 466 mm
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Middleton Goolwa
Average residential rate $2,523/yr
same for both
Council Alexandrina
same for both

Federal electorate

Middleton Goolwa
Division Mayo
same for both
Member Rebekha Sharkie
same for both
Party Centre Alliance
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Middleton Goolwa
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Middleton

Acreage Retirees

Goolwa

Acreage Coastal Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Middleton

Middleton vs Port Elliot Middleton vs Goolwa Beach Middleton vs Currency Creek Middleton vs Mount Jagged Middleton vs Mosquito Hill

Other comparisons with Goolwa

Goolwa vs Goolwa Beach Goolwa vs Hindmarsh Island Goolwa vs Goolwa North Goolwa vs Goolwa South Goolwa vs Currency Creek
Full data on Middleton Full data on Goolwa
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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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