Western Flat vs Padthaway
Padthaway is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 48 in Western Flat. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Western Flat, about half of households are couple families. In Padthaway, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Western Flat tends to suit couples, while Padthaway suits 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
Western Flat
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 45/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 46%)
- has more parks and reserves (14 vs 10)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Padthaway
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (9% vs 16%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Western Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $150/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Padthaway
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (25/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (187 min vs 200 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (287.1 km vs 300.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Western Flat carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 45/100)
- Padthaway is more walkable (25/100 vs 0/100)
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
Western Flat and Padthaway 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
Padthaway has more residents (321 vs 121); Padthaway rents higher ($150/wk vs $100/wk).
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 121 | 321 +165% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.0% | +0.9% |
| Median age | 48 | 44 |
| Median household income | $67,132/yr +2% vs other | $65,520/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $100/wk | $150/wk +50% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.4%).
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 (16.5%).
Zoning mix
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 97% |
| Environmental | 0% | 3% |
| 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
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 12 across Tatiara same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 33% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 44% of SA | Higher than 74% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 4% of SA | Higher than 8% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 20% of SA | Higher than 21% of SA |
Liveability
Padthaway is more walkable (25 vs 0).
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Padthaway carries more crime risk (45 vs 14); Padthaway carries more bushfire risk (40 vs 18).
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 18/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Crime | Low 14/100 | Moderate 45/100 |
| 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
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Western Flat
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Padthaway
- Padthaway Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 14 | 10 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Western Flat sits further from the CBD (300.8 km vs 287.1 km).
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 25/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 300.8 km +5% vs other | 287.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 200 min | 187 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 5268 | 0.1% postcode 5271 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 58 postcode 5268 | 50 postcode 5271 |
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 (73.6%).
Setting
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 85 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 36 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 31 premises | 0% 28 premises |
Council rates
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,656/yr same for both | |
| Council | Tatiara same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Western Flat | Padthaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Western Flat
Other comparisons with Padthaway
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.