Mount Barker vs Mount Barker Springs
Mount Barker is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 49 in Mount Barker Springs. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Barker Springs, most households are couple families. Mount Barker is closer to the city centre: 34.3 km, against 40.9 km. On these figures, Mount Barker tends to suit people living alone, while Mount Barker Springs suits 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
Mount Barker
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more childcare (18 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (8 vs 0)
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
- But Mount Barker Springs carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 59/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Mount Barker Springs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 23%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Mount Barker Springs
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 22%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $350/wk)
- But Mount Barker has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 14%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Barker
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (70/100 vs 4/100)
- has a shorter drive in (33 min vs 41 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (34.3 km vs 40.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mount Barker
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (70/100 vs 4/100)
- has more GPs (9 vs 0)
- But Mount Barker Springs carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 59/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Barker
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (32.4% vs 6.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mount Barker and Mount Barker Springs 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
Mount Barker has more residents (18,330 vs 174); Mount Barker Springs has higher household incomes ($157,456 vs $84,448).
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,330 +99% vs other | 174 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +32.4% | +6.7% |
| Median age | 36 | 49 |
| Median household income | $84,448/yr | $157,456/yr +86% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +43% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).
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 (10.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $821,250 | — |
| Median unit price | $590,000 | — |
| Median land price | $730,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 27 days from 421 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Mount Barker Springs has more rural and farming land (100% vs 38%).
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 38% | 100% |
| Residential | 53% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 4% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 2% | 0% |
| Industrial | 1% | 0% |
| Commercial | 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
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 657 across Mount Barker same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.1% $640/wk on $815K | — |
| Units | 6.0% $625/wk on $545K | — |
Ranking within SA
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 3% of SA | — |
| Income | Higher than 59% of SA | Higher than 98% of SA |
| Schools | Higher than 9% of SA | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 88% of SA | Higher than 59% of SA |
| Affordability | Higher than 95% of SA | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 80% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 92% of SA | Higher than 48% of SA |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 63% of SA | — |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 97% of SA | — |
Liveability
Mount Barker is more walkable (70 vs 4).
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 34/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Mount Barker carries more flood risk (54 vs 0); Mount Barker carries more bushfire risk (53 vs 0).
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 53/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 59/100 | Low 15/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 54/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 4 within 5 km | 3 within 5 km |
Schools
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 8 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 3 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 4 | 0 |
Schools in Mount Barker
- Cornerstone College Independent · Secondary at peers
- Mount Barker High School Government · Secondary at peers
- St Francis de Sales College Catholic · Combined at peers
- Mount Barker Primary School Government · Primary below peers
- Mount Barker South Primary School Government · Primary below peers
- Mount Barker Waldorf School Independent · Combined below peers
Schools in Mount Barker Springs
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 6 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 17 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 8 | 0 |
| Childcare | 18 | 0 |
| GPs | 9 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 7 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 10 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 5 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 4 | 1 |
Mobility
Mount Barker Springs sits further from the CBD (40.9 km vs 34.3 km).
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 70/100 | 4/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 34.3 km | 40.9 km +19% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 33 min | 41 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 5251 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 82 postcode 5251 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.0%).
Setting
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 328 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 277 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 32.0 km | 37.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 79/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 61% 10,696 premises | 0% 67 premises |
Climate
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 730 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,485/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mount Barker same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mayo same for both | |
| Member | Rebekha Sharkie same for both | |
| Party | Centre Alliance same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Barker | Mount Barker Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Mount Barker Springs
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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.