Port Lincoln vs Duck Ponds

Port Lincoln is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 46 in Duck Ponds. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Port Lincoln, about half of households are people living alone. In Duck Ponds, most households are couple families. On these figures, Port Lincoln tends to suit people living alone and families with children, while Duck Ponds 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Port Lincoln has more parks and reserves (13 vs 1)
  • Duck Ponds carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 91/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Port Lincoln

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 34%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Duck Ponds

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $240/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Port Lincoln

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (51/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (428 min vs 439 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (651.6 km vs 660.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Port Lincoln

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (51/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • But Duck Ponds carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 91/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Port Lincoln and Duck Ponds drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Walkability 51 / 0
Port Lincoln — Walkability: 51/100 Duck Ponds — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 9 / 52
Port Lincoln — Safety: 9/100 Duck Ponds — Safety: 52/100
Low fire risk 51 / 47
Port Lincoln — Low fire risk: 51/100 Duck Ponds — Low fire risk: 47/100

Demographics

Port Lincoln has more residents (14,458 vs 284); Port Lincoln rents higher ($240/wk vs $200/wk).

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Population 14,458
+98% vs other
 284
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.4% -1.7%
Median age 41 46
Median household income $64,636/yr $66,612/yr
+3% vs other
Median weekly rent $240/wk
+17% vs other
 $200/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
0-4 5.7% / 2.8%
Port Lincoln — 0-4: 5.7% Duck Ponds — 0-4: 2.8%
5-14 12.3% / 4.9%
Port Lincoln — 5-14: 12.3% Duck Ponds — 5-14: 4.9%
15-19 5.8% / 3.2%
Port Lincoln — 15-19: 5.8% Duck Ponds — 15-19: 3.2%
20-24 5.5% / 5.6%
Port Lincoln — 20-24: 5.5% Duck Ponds — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 12.5% / 13.4%
Port Lincoln — 25-34: 12.5% Duck Ponds — 25-34: 13.4%
35-44 11.3% / 18.7%
Port Lincoln — 35-44: 11.3% Duck Ponds — 35-44: 18.7%
45-54 12.3% / 21.1%
Port Lincoln — 45-54: 12.3% Duck Ponds — 45-54: 21.1%
55-64 13.3% / 15.8%
Port Lincoln — 55-64: 13.3% Duck Ponds — 55-64: 15.8%
65-74 11.6% / 9.9%
Port Lincoln — 65-74: 11.6% Duck Ponds — 65-74: 9.9%
75-84 6.6% / 6.7%
Port Lincoln — 75-84: 6.6% Duck Ponds — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ 3.0% / —
Port Lincoln — 85+: 3.0% Duck Ponds — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Port Lincoln 31.7% couple families
Port Lincoln — Couple Families: 31.7% Port Lincoln — Lone Person: 45.0% Port Lincoln — One Parent Families: 17.5% Port Lincoln — Group Household: 4.4% Port Lincoln — Other Families: 1.4%
Duck Ponds 55.9% couple families
Duck Ponds — Couple Families: 55.9% Duck Ponds — Lone Person: 35.3% Duck Ponds — One Parent Families: 8.8% Duck Ponds — Group Household: 0.0% Duck Ponds — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Port Lincoln 35.3% renting
Port Lincoln — Owned Outright: 32.9% Port Lincoln — Mortgage: 31.8% Port Lincoln — Renting: 35.3%
Duck Ponds 27.3% renting
Duck Ponds — Owned Outright: 40.9% Duck Ponds — Mortgage: 31.8% Duck Ponds — Renting: 27.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
England 2.4% / 1.1%
Port Lincoln — England: 2.4% Duck Ponds — England: 1.1%
New Zealand 0.7% / 1.4%
Port Lincoln — New Zealand: 0.7% Duck Ponds — New Zealand: 1.4%
Philippines 0.9% / —
Port Lincoln — Philippines: 0.9% Duck Ponds — Philippines: not among its largest
India 0.5% / —
Port Lincoln — India: 0.5% Duck Ponds — India: not among its largest
Germany 0.4% / —
Port Lincoln — Germany: 0.4% Duck Ponds — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.4%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Certificate III & IV 17.5% / 9.2%
Port Lincoln — Certificate III & IV: 17.5% Duck Ponds — Certificate III & IV: 9.2%
Bachelor Degree 7.2% / 6.3%
Port Lincoln — Bachelor Degree: 7.2% Duck Ponds — Bachelor Degree: 6.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.8% / 3.5%
Port Lincoln — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.8% Duck Ponds — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.5%
Postgraduate Degree 1.3% / —
Port Lincoln — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3% Duck Ponds — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.0% / —
Port Lincoln — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0% Duck Ponds — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Port Lincoln 81.7% houses
Port Lincoln — Houses: 81.7% Port Lincoln — Townhouses: 11.3% Port Lincoln — Flats / Apartments: 7.0%
Duck Ponds 102.6% houses
Duck Ponds — Houses: 102.6% Duck Ponds — Townhouses: 0.0% Duck Ponds — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Median house price $585,000 —
Median unit price $400,000 —
Median land price $215,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 39 days
from 126 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Duck Ponds has more rural and farming land (98% vs 27%).

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Rural and farming 27% 98%
Residential 44% 0%
Industrial 10% 0%
Other and special use 8% 0%
Parks and recreation 6% 0%
Environmental 2% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 0%
Commercial 2% 0%
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

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
New dwellings approved 30
across Port Lincoln
 39
across Lower Eyre Peninsula
Approvals change year on year -50% +29%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Houses 4.8%
$610/wk on $655K
 —
Units 5.8%
$465/wk on $415K
 —

Ranking within SA

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 32% of SA Higher than 34% of SA
Schools Higher than 3% of SA —
Walkability Higher than 81% of SA Higher than 42% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 24% of SA Higher than 4% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 74% of SA Higher than 64% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 94% of SA —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 93% of SA —

Liveability

Port Lincoln is more walkable (51 vs 0).

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Grade D —
Score 16/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
same for both

Risk profile

Port Lincoln carries more crime risk (91 vs 48).

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Bushfire Moderate
49/100
 Moderate
53/100
Crime High
91/100
 Moderate
48/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
65/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Inside the suburb 8 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 5 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Port Lincoln

  • Kirton Point Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Navigator College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Port Lincoln High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Port Lincoln Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Joseph's School Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Lincoln Gardens Primary School Government · Primary

Schools in Duck Ponds

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 11 0
Parks & reserves 13 1
Childcare 11 0
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 3 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 7 0
Fuel stations 9 0

Mobility

Duck Ponds sits further from the CBD (660.2 km vs 651.6 km).

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Walkability score 51/100 0/100
Distance to Adelaide 651.6 km 660.2 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 428 min 439 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 5606
 0.1%
postcode 5607
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 49
postcode 5606
 59
postcode 5607

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.

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Car (driver) 83.7% / 61.0%
Port Lincoln — Car (driver): 83.7% Duck Ponds — Car (driver): 61.0%
Walked Only 3.6% / 26.8%
Port Lincoln — Walked Only: 3.6% Duck Ponds — Walked Only: 26.8%
Worked from Home 4.8% / 12.2%
Port Lincoln — Worked from Home: 4.8% Duck Ponds — Worked from Home: 12.2%
Car (passenger) 6.9% / —
Port Lincoln — Car (passenger): 6.9% Duck Ponds — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Bicycle 0.5% / —
Port Lincoln — Bicycle: 0.5% Duck Ponds — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (83.7%).

Setting

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Elevation 50 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 82 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.4 km
2.9 km to a named beach
 7.2 km

NBN connectivity

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Connectivity score 51/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 13%
8,116 premises
 0%
50 premises

Council rates

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Average residential rate $2,090/yr $1,789/yr
Council Port Lincoln Lower Eyre Peninsula

Federal electorate

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Division Grey
same for both
Member Tom Venning
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Port Lincoln Duck Ponds
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Port Lincoln

Affordable Coastal Parks Regional Centre

Duck Ponds

Multicultural Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Port Lincoln

Port Lincoln vs Boston Port Lincoln vs Tulka

Other comparisons with Duck Ponds

Duck Ponds vs Boston Duck Ponds vs Coomunga Duck Ponds vs Tulka Duck Ponds vs Hawson
Full data on Port Lincoln Full data on Duck Ponds
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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