Second Valley vs Wirrina Cove
Wirrina Cove is the younger of the two, with a median age of 61 against 65 in Second Valley. In both, most households own their home and most households are people living alone. In Second Valley, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Wirrina Cove, about half of homes are flats or apartments. Houses cost more in Second Valley: a median of $661,000, against $585,000 in Wirrina Cove, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Wirrina Cove tends to suit people living alone.
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
Second Valley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 49%)
- But Wirrina Cove carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 82/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Wirrina Cove
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($216,012 vs $595,000)
- has cheaper houses ($585,000 vs $661,250)
- But Second Valley leaves households under less mortgage stress (32% vs 37%)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Wirrina Cove
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (33% vs 17%)
- has cheaper rent ($183/wk vs $200/wk)
- But Second Valley leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 28%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Wirrina Cove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (87.4 km vs 90.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Second Valley has more residents already 65 and over (46% vs 38%)
- Wirrina Cove carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 82/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Wirrina Cove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (38.5% vs -4.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Second Valley and Wirrina Cove 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
Second Valley has higher household incomes ($52,988 vs $33,540); Second Valley skews older (65 vs 61).
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 154 | 187 +21% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.9% | +38.5% |
| Median age | 65 | 61 |
| Median household income | $52,988/yr +37% vs other | $33,540/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk +8% vs other | $183/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.1%).
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 (23.0%).
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 (11.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $661,250 | $585,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $297,000 |
| Median land price | $595,000 | $216,012 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 100 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Second Valley has more rural and farming land (97% vs 27%).
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 27% |
| Residential | 1% | 64% |
| Environmental | 1% | 8% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 58 across Yankalilla same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -55% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 17% of SA | Higher than 3% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 61% of SA | Higher than 60% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 61% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of SA | Higher than 46% of SA |
Liveability
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Second Valley carries more crime risk (82 vs 39).
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 26/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Crime | High 82/100 | Low 39/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 45/100 | Low 29/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 25 |
Mobility
Second Valley sits further from the CBD (90.7 km vs 87.4 km).
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 8/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 90.7 km +4% vs other | 87.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 85 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 5204 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 63 postcode 5204 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 (79.2%).
Setting
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 58 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 61 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.3 km | 867 m |
NBN connectivity
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 197 premises | 0% 132 premises |
Climate
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 786 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,546/yr same for both | |
| Council | Yankalilla same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mayo same for both | |
| Member | Rebekha Sharkie same for both | |
| Party | Centre Alliance same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Second Valley | Wirrina Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Second Valley
Other comparisons with Wirrina Cove
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.