Mintaro vs Watervale
Watervale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 52 in Mintaro. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mintaro, about half of households are couple families. In Watervale, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Mintaro: a median of $685,000, against $458,000 in Watervale, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Mintaro tends to suit older residents, while Watervale suits families with children, couples, 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
Watervale
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 30/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Watervale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($457,600 vs $685,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Watervale
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (24/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (94 min vs 102 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (126.5 km vs 134.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Watervale
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (24/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 30/100)
- But Mintaro has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 20%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mintaro
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.0% vs 3.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mintaro and Watervale 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
Watervale has more residents (338 vs 218); Mintaro skews older (52 vs 43).
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 218 | 338 +55% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.0% | +3.7% |
| Median age | 52 | 43 |
| Median household income | $74,724/yr same for both | |
| Median weekly rent | $295/wk +7% vs other | $275/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
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 (8.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $685,000 | $457,600 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 37 days from 6 sales | 34 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 99% |
| Residential | 3% | 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
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 28 across Clare and Gilbert Valleys same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +20% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 49% of SA same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 31% of SA | Higher than 74% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 47% of SA | Higher than 46% of SA |
Liveability
Watervale is more walkable (24 vs 0).
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Watervale carries more bushfire risk (16 vs 0); Mintaro carries more crime risk (30 vs 15).
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Crime | Low 30/100 | Low 15/100 |
| Flood | Low 19/100 | — |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Mintaro
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Watervale
- Watervale Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 same for both | |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Mintaro sits further from the CBD (134.2 km vs 126.5 km).
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 24/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 134.2 km +6% vs other | 126.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 102 min | 94 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5415 | 0.0% postcode 5452 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 5415 | 81 postcode 5452 |
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 (69.9%).
Setting
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 409 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 388 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 109 premises | 0% 140 premises |
Climate
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 420 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,830/yr same for both | |
| Council | Clare and Gilbert Valleys same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mintaro | Watervale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Mintaro
Other comparisons with Watervale
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.