Mount Benson vs Wangolina
Wangolina is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 49 in Mount Benson. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Benson, most households are couple families. In Wangolina, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Mount Benson tends to suit couples, while Wangolina suits people living alone and families with children.
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 Benson
ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 24/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (57% vs 40%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Wangolina
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Wangolina
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (213 min vs 251 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (309.2 km vs 333.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Mount Benson carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 24/100)
- Wangolina has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 15%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Benson
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (17.1% vs 7.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mount Benson and Wangolina 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 Benson rents higher ($200/wk vs $0/wk); Mount Benson has more residents (130 vs 69).
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 130 +47% vs other | 69 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +17.1% | +7.8% |
| Median age | 49 | 46 |
| Median household income | $73,632/yr same for both | |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.8%).
Zoning mix
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 95% | 98% |
| Environmental | 5% | 2% |
| 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 Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 32 across Robe | 21 across Kingston (SA) |
| Approvals change year on year | +80% | +25% |
Ranking within SA
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 47% of SA same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 2% of SA | Higher than 9% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 9% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 1% of SA | Higher than 4% of SA |
Liveability
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Wangolina carries more crime risk (24 vs 14).
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 16/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Crime | Low 14/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 50/100 | High 92/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Mount Benson sits further from the CBD (333.4 km vs 309.2 km).
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 333.4 km +7% vs other | 309.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 251 min | 213 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 5275 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 43 postcode 5275 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 (71.0%).
Setting
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 5 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 9.8 km | 8.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 15 premises | 0% 16 premises |
Climate
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 620 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 8.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,940/yr | $1,515/yr |
| Council | Robe | Kingston (SA) |
Federal electorate
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Benson | Wangolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Mount Benson
Wangolina
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Mount Benson
Other comparisons with Wangolina
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.