Monbulla vs Penola

In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Monbulla 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

Penola

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Monbulla

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (11% vs 18%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Monbulla

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $198/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Penola

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (250 min vs 257 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (382.7 km vs 392.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Penola

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

Penola

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (1.9% vs -3.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Monbulla Penola
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.

Monbulla Penola
Walkability 0 / 34
Monbulla — Walkability: 0/100 Penola — Walkability: 34/100
Safety 74 / 81
Monbulla — Safety: 74/100 Penola — Safety: 81/100
Low fire risk 21 / 79
Monbulla — Low fire risk: 21/100 Penola — Low fire risk: 79/100

Demographics

Penola has more residents (1,622 vs 122); Penola rents higher ($198/wk vs $180/wk).

Monbulla Penola
Population 122 1,622
+1230% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.9% +1.9%
Median age 47
same for both
Median household income $69,316/yr $71,188/yr
+3% vs other
Median weekly rent $180/wk $198/wk
+10% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Monbulla Penola
0-4 — / 4.3%
Monbulla — 0-4: not among its largest Penola — 0-4: 4.3%
5-14 18.9% / 13.1%
Monbulla — 5-14: 18.9% Penola — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 6.6% / 5.5%
Monbulla — 15-19: 6.6% Penola — 15-19: 5.5%
20-24 4.9% / 3.2%
Monbulla — 20-24: 4.9% Penola — 20-24: 3.2%
25-34 3.3% / 10.6%
Monbulla — 25-34: 3.3% Penola — 25-34: 10.6%
35-44 13.9% / 10.7%
Monbulla — 35-44: 13.9% Penola — 35-44: 10.7%
45-54 18.9% / 13.9%
Monbulla — 45-54: 18.9% Penola — 45-54: 13.9%
55-64 7.4% / 15.2%
Monbulla — 55-64: 7.4% Penola — 55-64: 15.2%
65-74 16.4% / 14.4%
Monbulla — 65-74: 16.4% Penola — 65-74: 14.4%
75-84 11.5% / 7.5%
Monbulla — 75-84: 11.5% Penola — 75-84: 7.5%
85+ — / 2.0%
Monbulla — 85+: not among its largest Penola — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Monbulla 50.0% lone person
Monbulla — Lone Person: 50.0% Monbulla — Couple Families: 50.0% Monbulla — One Parent Families: 0.0% Monbulla — Group Household: 0.0%
Penola 49.5% lone person
Penola — Lone Person: 49.5% Penola — Couple Families: 36.6% Penola — One Parent Families: 10.6% Penola — Group Household: 3.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Monbulla 30.4% renting
Monbulla — Owned Outright: 41.3% Monbulla — Mortgage: 28.3% Monbulla — Renting: 30.4%
Penola 23.6% renting
Penola — Owned Outright: 42.1% Penola — Mortgage: 34.3% Penola — Renting: 23.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Monbulla 95.6% houses
Monbulla — Houses: 95.6% Monbulla — Flats / Apartments: 4.4% Monbulla — Townhouses: 0.0%
Penola 89.4% houses
Penola — Houses: 89.4% Penola — Flats / Apartments: 3.9% Penola — Townhouses: 6.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Qualifications

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

Monbulla Penola
Certificate III & IV 16.4% / 14.7%
Monbulla — Certificate III & IV: 16.4% Penola — Certificate III & IV: 14.7%
Bachelor Degree 7.4% / 8.8%
Monbulla — Bachelor Degree: 7.4% Penola — Bachelor Degree: 8.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 2.5% / 6.4%
Monbulla — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.5% Penola — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.8%
Monbulla — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Penola — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.2%
Monbulla — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Penola — Postgraduate Degree: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

Property market

Monbulla Penola
Median house price — $455,000
Median unit price — $275,000
Median land price — $152,600
Typical days to sell (houses) — 118 days
from 16 sales

Zoning mix

Monbulla Penola
Rural and farming 99%
same for both
Environmental 1% 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

Monbulla Penola
New dwellings approved 31
across Wattle Range
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
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.

Monbulla Penola
Houses — 4.8%
$488/wk on $530K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Monbulla Penola
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 39% of SA Higher than 40% of SA
Schools — Higher than 69% of SA
Walkability Higher than 29% of SA Higher than 76% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 8% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 42% of SA Higher than 72% of SA
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 94% of SA

Liveability

Penola is more walkable (34 vs 0).

Monbulla Penola
Grade — B
Score — 53/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Monbulla carries more bushfire risk (79 vs 21).

Monbulla Penola
Bushfire High
79/100
 Low
21/100
Crime Low
26/100
 Low
19/100
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
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Monbulla Penola
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Monbulla

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

Schools in Penola

  • Mary MacKillop Memorial School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Penola High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Penola Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Monbulla Penola
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 3
Parks & reserves 2
same for both
Childcare 0 3
GPs 0 1
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 2

Mobility

Monbulla sits further from the CBD (392.5 km vs 382.7 km).

Monbulla Penola
Walkability score 0/100 34/100
Distance to Adelaide 392.5 km
+2% vs other
 382.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 257 min 250 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 5277
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 5277
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.

Monbulla Penola
Car (driver) 64.9% / 79.7%
Monbulla — Car (driver): 64.9% Penola — Car (driver): 79.7%
Worked from Home 28.1% / 9.0%
Monbulla — Worked from Home: 28.1% Penola — Worked from Home: 9.0%
Walked Only 7.0% / 4.7%
Monbulla — Walked Only: 7.0% Penola — Walked Only: 4.7%
Car (passenger) — / 6.1%
Monbulla — Car (passenger): not among its largest Penola — Car (passenger): 6.1%
Bus — / 0.6%
Monbulla — Bus: not among its largest Penola — Bus: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.7%).

Setting

Monbulla Penola
Elevation 61 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 62 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Monbulla Penola
Connectivity score 28/100 43/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
53 premises
 1%
938 premises

Climate

Monbulla Penola
Annual rainfall 556 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.3°C
same for both

Council rates

Monbulla Penola
Average residential rate $1,537/yr
same for both
Council Wattle Range
same for both

Federal electorate

Monbulla Penola
Division Barker
same for both
Member Tony Pasin
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Monbulla Penola
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Monbulla

Retirees Rural

Penola

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Monbulla

Monbulla vs Nangwarry Monbulla vs Kalangadoo Monbulla vs Coonawarra Monbulla vs Maaoupe

Other comparisons with Penola

Penola vs Nangwarry Penola vs Coonawarra Penola vs Maaoupe
Full data on Monbulla Full data on Penola
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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