Willamulka vs Alford
Willamulka is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 47 in Alford. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Willamulka, about half of households are couple families. In Alford, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Willamulka tends to suit families with children and couples, while Alford suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Willamulka
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 53/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 52%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, 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
Willamulka
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 16%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Willamulka
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (163.8 km vs 170.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Willamulka carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 53/100)
- Alford has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 5%)
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
Willamulka 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 65); Willamulka has higher household incomes ($107,224 vs $66,872).
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 65 | 159 +145% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.0% | +0.6% |
| Median age | 34 | 47 |
| Median household income | $107,224/yr +38% vs other | $66,872/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $200/wk +33% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.6%).
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 (23.1%).
Property market
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $320,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 232 across Copper Coast | 29 across Barunga West |
| Approvals change year on year | +142% | +233% |
Ranking within SA
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 35% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 54% of SA | Higher than 50% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 1% of SA | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 49% of SA | Higher than 48% of SA |
Liveability
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Alford carries more bushfire risk (10 vs 0); Alford carries more crime risk (53 vs 25).
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 10/100 |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | 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
| Willamulka | 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
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Alford sits further from the CBD (170.5 km vs 163.8 km).
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 163.8 km | 170.5 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 117 min | 120 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 5554 | 0.0% postcode 5555 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 69 postcode 5554 | 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
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 49 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 67 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 18.2 km | 10.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 27 premises | 0% 83 premises |
Council rates
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,817/yr | $1,540/yr |
| Council | Copper Coast | Barunga West |
Federal electorate
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Willamulka | Alford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Willamulka
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Willamulka
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.