Purnong vs Walker Flat
Purnong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 58 against 61 in Walker Flat. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Purnong, most households are couple families. In Walker Flat, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Purnong tends to suit couples, while Walker Flat suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Purnong
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 26%)
- carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Purnong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 29%)
Weighs 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
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Purnong is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
- Walker Flat sits closer to the CBD (124.2 km vs 136.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Purnong
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 73/100)
- But Walker Flat has more residents already 65 and over (51% vs 27%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Purnong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (37.5% vs -5.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Purnong and Walker Flat 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
Walker Flat has more residents (92 vs 55); Walker Flat skews older (61 vs 58).
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 55 | 92 +67% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +37.5% | -5.2% |
| Median age | 58 | 61 |
| Median household income | $44,720/yr +5% vs other | $42,432/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $213/wk +6% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.9%).
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 (5.5%).
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 (20.7%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,254,294 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $415,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 49 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 92% | 91% |
| Environmental | 7% | 9% |
| Commercial | 1% | 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
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 131 across Mid Murray same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -42% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 10% of SA | Higher than 8% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of SA | Higher than 28% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of SA | Higher than 59% of SA |
Liveability
Purnong is more walkable (16 vs 0).
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Purnong carries more bushfire risk (15 vs 0); Walker Flat carries more crime risk (73 vs 55).
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 15/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 55/100 | High 73/100 |
| 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
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 3 |
Mobility
Purnong sits further from the CBD (136.6 km vs 124.2 km).
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 16/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 136.6 km +9% vs other | 124.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 97 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 5238 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 5238 same for both | |
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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 12 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 85 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 31 premises | 0% 184 premises |
Climate
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,037/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid Murray same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Purnong | Walker Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Purnong
Other comparisons with Walker Flat
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.