Sherlock vs Karoonda
Karoonda is the younger of the two, with a median age of 55 against 58 in Sherlock. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Sherlock carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 53/100)
- Karoonda has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Sherlock
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (8% vs 16%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Sherlock
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 21%)
- has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $170/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sherlock
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (91 min vs 102 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (130.8 km vs 146.4 km)
- But Karoonda is more walkable (44/100 vs 16/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Karoonda
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (44/100 vs 16/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 26%)
- But Sherlock carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 53/100)
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
Sherlock and Karoonda 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
Karoonda has more residents (517 vs 70); Karoonda rents higher ($170/wk vs $100/wk).
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 70 | 517 +639% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.8% | +1.0% |
| Median age | 58 | 55 |
| Median household income | $62,816/yr +32% vs other | $42,744/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $100/wk | $170/wk +70% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (18.6%).
Property market
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $330,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $56,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 30 days from 4 sales |
Zoning mix
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 28 across Coorong | 1 across Karoonda East Murray |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% | — |
Ranking within SA
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 30% of SA | Higher than 8% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of SA | Higher than 79% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 39% of SA | Higher than 47% of SA |
Liveability
Karoonda is more walkable (44 vs 16).
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 42/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Karoonda carries more crime risk (53 vs 23).
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 23/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| 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
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Sherlock
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Karoonda
- Karoonda Area School Government · Combined above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 4 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Karoonda sits further from the CBD (146.4 km vs 130.8 km).
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 16/100 | 44/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 130.8 km | 146.4 km +12% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 91 min | 102 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5301 | 0.0% postcode 5307 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 62 postcode 5301 | 64 postcode 5307 |
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 (64.4%).
Setting
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 16 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 69 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 41 premises | 0% 273 premises |
Climate
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 345 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,465/yr | $1,044/yr |
| Council | Coorong | Karoonda East Murray |
Federal electorate
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sherlock | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Karoonda
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Sherlock
Other comparisons with Karoonda
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.