Ward Hill vs Alford
Alford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 53 in Ward Hill. In both, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Ward Hill tends to suit 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
Alford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 67%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Ward Hill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($175/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Alford
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (120 min vs 138 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (170.5 km vs 182.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
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
Ward Hill and Alford 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
Alford has more residents (159 vs 52); Ward Hill has higher household incomes ($80,184 vs $66,872).
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 52 | 159 +206% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.0% | +0.6% |
| Median age | 53 | 47 |
| Median household income | $80,184/yr +17% vs other | $66,872/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $175/wk | $200/wk +14% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).
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 (19.5%).
Property market
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $320,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Ward Hill has more land zoned for conservation (15% vs 0%); Alford has more rural and farming land (100% vs 85%).
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 85% | 100% |
| Environmental | 15% | 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
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 29 across Barunga West same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +233% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 55% of SA | Higher than 35% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 39% of SA | Higher than 50% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 48% of SA same for both | |
Liveability
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Alford carries more bushfire risk (10 vs 0).
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 10/100 |
| Crime | — | Moderate 53/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 92/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Ward Hill sits further from the CBD (182.9 km vs 170.5 km).
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 182.9 km +7% vs other | 170.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 138 min | 120 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5522 | 0.0% postcode 5555 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 63 postcode 5522 | 75 postcode 5555 |
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 (88.9%).
Setting
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 24 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 67 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.5 km | 10.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 19 premises | 0% 83 premises |
Council rates
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,540/yr same for both | |
| Council | Barunga West same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ward Hill | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Ward Hill
Other comparisons with Alford
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.