Wellington East vs Cooke Plains
Cooke Plains is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 56 in Wellington East. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Wellington East, most households are people living alone. In Cooke Plains, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Wellington East tends to suit older residents, while Cooke Plains 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
Cooke Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (46/100 vs 56/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Cooke Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 22%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Cooke Plains
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($120/wk vs $310/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 22%)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (28% vs 16%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Wellington East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (107 km vs 114.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Wellington East has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 10%)
- Cooke Plains carries lower crime risk (46/100 vs 56/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Wellington East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (72.2% vs 0.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Wellington East and Cooke Plains 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
Wellington East has more residents (291 vs 69); Wellington East rents higher ($310/wk vs $120/wk).
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 291 +76% vs other | 69 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +72.2% | +0.0% |
| Median age | 56 | 45 |
| Median household income | $71,916/yr +19% vs other | $58,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $310/wk +61% vs other | $120/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).
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 (19.2%).
Property market
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $660,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $182,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 113 days from 5 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Cooke Plains has more rural and farming land (100% vs 43%); Wellington East has more land zoned for conservation (55% vs 0%).
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 43% | 100% |
| Environmental | 55% | 0% |
| Residential | 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
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 28 across Coorong same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 45% of SA | Higher than 25% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 68% of SA same for both | |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 48% of SA | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 76% of SA | Higher than 47% of SA |
Liveability
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Wellington East carries more crime risk (56 vs 46).
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 56/100 | Moderate 46/100 |
| 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
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 2 |
Mobility
Cooke Plains sits further from the CBD (114.1 km vs 107 km).
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 107 km | 114.1 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 76 min | 79 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 5259 | 0.0% postcode 5261 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 82 postcode 5259 | 54 postcode 5261 |
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 (76.5%).
Setting
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 4 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 55/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 30% 232 premises | 0% 36 premises |
Climate
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 345 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,465/yr same for both | |
| Council | Coorong same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Wellington East | Cooke Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Wellington East
Other comparisons with Cooke Plains
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.