Palmer vs Rockleigh
Rockleigh is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 50 in Palmer. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Rockleigh, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Rockleigh: a median of $905,000, against $516,000 in Palmer. On these figures, Palmer tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Rockleigh 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
Rockleigh
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 4)
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 45/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 54%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Palmer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($515,500 vs $905,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Palmer
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (72.5 km vs 75.1 km)
- But Rockleigh has a shorter drive in (65 min vs 71 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Palmer is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
- Rockleigh carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 45/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Rockleigh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.3% vs 6.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Palmer and Rockleigh 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
Rockleigh has more residents (287 vs 215); Palmer skews older (50 vs 45).
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 215 | 287 +33% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.4% | +14.3% |
| Median age | 50 | 45 |
| Median household income | $65,676/yr | $68,224/yr +4% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
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 (5.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (22.8%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $515,500 | $905,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $185,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 79 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 100% |
| 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
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 131 across Mid Murray | 274 across Murray Bridge |
| Approvals change year on year | -42% | +51% |
Ranking within SA
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 33% of SA | Higher than 37% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 74% of SA | Higher than 20% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 67% of SA | Higher than 15% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of SA | Higher than 41% of SA |
Liveability
Palmer is more walkable (27 vs 0).
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Palmer carries more crime risk (45 vs 25); Rockleigh carries more bushfire risk (64 vs 49).
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 49/100 | Moderate 64/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 45/100 | Low 25/100 |
| 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
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Palmer
- Palmer Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Rockleigh
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 8 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 2 |
Mobility
Rockleigh sits further from the CBD (75.1 km vs 72.5 km).
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 27/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 72.5 km | 75.1 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 71 min | 65 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 5237 | 0.1% postcode 5254 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 77 postcode 5237 | 89 postcode 5254 |
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 (80.9%).
Setting
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 194 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 188 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 114 premises | 0% 112 premises |
Climate
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 337 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,037/yr | $2,478/yr |
| Council | Mid Murray | Murray Bridge |
Federal electorate
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Palmer | Rockleigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Palmer
Other comparisons with Rockleigh
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.