Nildottie vs Swan Reach
Nildottie is the younger of the two, with a median age of 56 against 59 in Swan Reach. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Nildottie: a median of $588,000, against $410,000 in Swan Reach, though rent is higher in Swan Reach. On these figures, Swan Reach tends to suit 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
Nildottie
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 75/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (39% vs 25%)
- But Swan Reach has more parks and reserves (8 vs 2)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Swan Reach
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 29%)
- has cheaper houses ($410,000 vs $587,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Nildottie
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 24%)
- has cheaper rent ($113/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Nildottie
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (161.7 km vs 167.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Nildottie
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 75/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Nildottie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.4% vs -4.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Nildottie and Swan Reach 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
Swan Reach rents higher ($200/wk vs $113/wk); Swan Reach skews older (59 vs 56).
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 220 | 271 +23% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.4% | -4.2% |
| Median age | 56 | 59 |
| Median household income | $44,772/yr +4% vs other | $43,056/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $113/wk | $200/wk +77% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).
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 (6.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $587,500 | $410,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 164 days from 4 sales | 52 days from 5 sales |
Zoning mix
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 90% |
| Environmental | 2% | 10% |
| 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
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 131 across Mid Murray same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -42% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 10% of SA | Higher than 8% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 72% of SA | Higher than 56% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of SA | Higher than 56% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 47% of SA | Higher than 69% of SA |
Liveability
Nildottie is more walkable (21 vs 0).
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Swan Reach carries more crime risk (75 vs 29).
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 16/100 | Low 18/100 |
| Crime | Low 29/100 | High 75/100 |
| 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
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Nildottie
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Swan Reach
- Swan Reach Area School Government · Combined below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 8 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Swan Reach sits further from the CBD (167.5 km vs 161.7 km).
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 21/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 161.7 km | 167.5 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 115 min | 116 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 5238 | 0.6% postcode 5354 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 5238 | 50 postcode 5354 |
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 (72.6%).
Setting
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 42 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 35 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 143 premises | 0% 185 premises |
Council rates
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,037/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid Murray same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Nildottie | Swan Reach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Nildottie
Swan Reach
More comparisons
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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.