Pages Flat vs Mount Compass
Mount Compass is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 44 in Pages Flat. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Pages Flat tends to suit couples.
Pages Flat is a tiny, affluent enclave with just 164 residents, commanding a median house price of $1,500,000 and household incomes averaging $109,200 yearly. Mount Compass is a larger village of 1,580 people with significantly lower property costs at $813,000 and more affordable rents at $340 weekly versus $265. Pages Flat offers lower crime risk (12 versus 26) and zero bushfire exposure, though it's car-dependent with a walkability score of just 1; Mount Compass is more walkable at 33 and sits in a higher socio-economic decile. Both are roughly equidistant from Adelaide's CBD, so the choice hinges on whether you prioritise a quiet, wealthy, low-risk setting or a more connected community with greater affordability.
Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.
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 Compass
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 52/100)
- But Pages Flat is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 73%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Mount Compass
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper land ($450,000 vs $2,100,000)
Weighs land prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Pages Flat
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 20%)
- has cheaper rent ($265/wk vs $340/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Pages Flat sits closer to the CBD (55.8 km vs 58.4 km)
- Mount Compass is more walkable (55/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mount Compass
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (55/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 52/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Compass
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.4% vs 1.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Pages Flat and Mount Compass 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 Compass has more residents (1,580 vs 164); Mount Compass rents higher ($340/wk vs $265/wk).
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 164 | 1,580 +863% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.9% | +8.4% |
| Median age | 44 | 40 |
| Median household income | $109,200/yr +21% vs other | $86,060/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $265/wk | $340/wk +28% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.7%).
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 (19.5%).
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 (8.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $816,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $2,100,000 | $450,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 25 days from 15 sales |
Zoning mix
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 94% |
| Residential | 0% | 3% |
| Environmental | 0% | 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
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 429 across Alexandrina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +25% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 86% of SA | Higher than 64% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 44% of SA | Higher than 82% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 88% of SA | Higher than 40% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 43% of SA | Higher than 77% of SA |
Liveability
Mount Compass is more walkable (55 vs 0).
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 56/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Mount Compass carries more bushfire risk (31 vs 0); Pages Flat carries more crime risk (52 vs 16).
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 31/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 52/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Pages Flat
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Mount Compass
- Mount Compass Area School Government · Combined at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 5 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Mount Compass sits further from the CBD (58.4 km vs 55.8 km).
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 55/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 55.8 km | 58.4 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 50 min | 53 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.5% postcode 5172 | 0.3% postcode 5210 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 96 postcode 5172 | 98 postcode 5210 |
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 (81.1%).
Setting
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 278 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 238 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 9.1 km | 15.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 62/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 62 premises | 36% 660 premises |
Climate
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 786 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 19.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.34 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,523/yr same for both | |
| Council | Alexandrina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mayo same for both | |
| Member | Rebekha Sharkie same for both | |
| Party | Centre Alliance same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Pages Flat | Mount Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Pages Flat
Other comparisons with Mount Compass
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.