Murray Town vs Melrose
Melrose is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 55 in Murray Town. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Murray Town, most households are people living alone. In Melrose, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Murray Town tends to suit people living alone, while Melrose suits 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
Melrose
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 1)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 43%)
Weighs schools, house stock, 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
Murray Town
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $180/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Murray Town
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (175 min vs 187 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (257.1 km vs 269.9 km)
- But Melrose is more walkable (38/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Melrose
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (38/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Melrose
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-1.4% vs -9.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Murray Town and Melrose 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
Melrose rents higher ($180/wk vs $0/wk); Melrose has more residents (342 vs 58).
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 58 | 342 +490% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -9.4% | -1.4% |
| Median age | 55 | 48 |
| Median household income | $46,800/yr | $73,632/yr +57% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | — | $180/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 (22.4%).
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 (6.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $310,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $231,500 |
Zoning mix
Melrose has more land zoned for conservation (12% vs 0%); Murray Town has more rural and farming land (99% vs 87%).
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 87% |
| Environmental | 0% | 12% |
| 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
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 13 across Mount Remarkable same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +200% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 12% of SA | Higher than 47% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 27% of SA | Higher than 77% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 52% of SA | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 28% of SA | Higher than 46% of SA |
Liveability
Melrose is more walkable (38 vs 0).
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Murray Town carries more bushfire risk (88 vs 59).
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 88/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Crime | — | Low 24/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Murray Town
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Melrose
- Melrose Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 3 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 5 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 7 |
Mobility
Melrose sits further from the CBD (269.9 km vs 257.1 km).
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 38/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 257.1 km | 269.9 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 175 min | 187 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 5481 | 0.0% postcode 5483 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 69 postcode 5481 | 65 postcode 5483 |
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 (58.9%).
Setting
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 379 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 384 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 24.9 km | 24.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 17/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 32 premises | 0% 168 premises |
Council rates
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,600/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mount Remarkable same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Murray Town | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Murray Town
Other comparisons with Melrose
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.