Wirrabara vs Beetaloo Valley

Beetaloo Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 56 against 60 in Wirrabara. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Wirrabara, most households are people living alone. In Beetaloo Valley, most households are couple families. On these figures, Wirrabara tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Beetaloo Valley suits couples.

Wirrabara and Beetaloo Valley are both small, quiet South Australian communities with notably different economic profiles. Beetaloo Valley has a median household income of $97,500 compared to Wirrabara's $46,800, and scores higher on socio-economic measures at 7 out of 10 versus 3. Wirrabara is the larger settlement with 353 residents and sits slightly closer to the CBD at 242.2 km, while both suburbs share identical weekly rent at $150 and zero flood risk. Beetaloo Valley faces marginally higher bushfire risk, though both areas carry moderate to elevated exposure to this hazard.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Beetaloo Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 26%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Beetaloo Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (12% vs 22%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Beetaloo Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 17%)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Wirrabara is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
  • Beetaloo Valley sits closer to the CBD (221.9 km vs 242.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Wirrabara

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 21%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Beetaloo Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (-2.6% vs -12.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Wirrabara and Beetaloo Valley drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Walkability 20 / 0
Wirrabara — Walkability: 20/100 Beetaloo Valley — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 53 / 57
Wirrabara — Safety: 53/100 Beetaloo Valley — Safety: 57/100
Low fire risk 34 / 27
Wirrabara — Low fire risk: 34/100 Beetaloo Valley — Low fire risk: 27/100

Demographics

Wirrabara has more residents (353 vs 75); Beetaloo Valley has higher household incomes ($97,500 vs $46,800).

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Population 353
+79% vs other
 75
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -12.4% -2.6%
Median age 60 56
Median household income $46,800/yr $97,500/yr
+108% vs other
Median weekly rent $150/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
0-4 — / 4.0%
Wirrabara — 0-4: not among its largest Beetaloo Valley — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 8.8% / 5.3%
Wirrabara — 5-14: 8.8% Beetaloo Valley — 5-14: 5.3%
15-19 4.2% / 4.0%
Wirrabara — 15-19: 4.2% Beetaloo Valley — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 2.5% / —
Wirrabara — 20-24: 2.5% Beetaloo Valley — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 5.1% / 16.0%
Wirrabara — 25-34: 5.1% Beetaloo Valley — 25-34: 16.0%
35-44 5.7% / 5.3%
Wirrabara — 35-44: 5.7% Beetaloo Valley — 35-44: 5.3%
45-54 11.6% / 16.0%
Wirrabara — 45-54: 11.6% Beetaloo Valley — 45-54: 16.0%
55-64 26.3% / 25.3%
Wirrabara — 55-64: 26.3% Beetaloo Valley — 55-64: 25.3%
65-74 25.8% / 21.3%
Wirrabara — 65-74: 25.8% Beetaloo Valley — 65-74: 21.3%
75-84 9.9% / —
Wirrabara — 75-84: 9.9% Beetaloo Valley — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 2.8% / —
Wirrabara — 85+: 2.8% Beetaloo Valley — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Wirrabara 68.7% lone person
Wirrabara — Lone Person: 68.7% Wirrabara — Couple Families: 15.2% Wirrabara — One Parent Families: 11.1% Wirrabara — Group Household: 5.1%
Beetaloo Valley 40.0% lone person
Beetaloo Valley — Lone Person: 40.0% Beetaloo Valley — Couple Families: 60.0% Beetaloo Valley — One Parent Families: 0.0% Beetaloo Valley — Group Household: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Wirrabara 9.5% renting
Wirrabara — Owned Outright: 60.4% Wirrabara — Mortgage: 30.2% Wirrabara — Renting: 9.5%
Beetaloo Valley 0.0% renting
Beetaloo Valley — Owned Outright: 59.3% Beetaloo Valley — Mortgage: 40.7% Beetaloo Valley — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
England 3.1% / 6.7%
Wirrabara — England: 3.1% Beetaloo Valley — England: 6.7%
New Zealand — / 5.3%
Wirrabara — New Zealand: not among its largest Beetaloo Valley — New Zealand: 5.3%
Netherlands 0.8% / —
Wirrabara — Netherlands: 0.8% Beetaloo Valley — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.7%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Certificate III & IV 17.0% / 30.7%
Wirrabara — Certificate III & IV: 17.0% Beetaloo Valley — Certificate III & IV: 30.7%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 17.3%
Wirrabara — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% Beetaloo Valley — Bachelor Degree: 17.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 6.7%
Wirrabara — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Beetaloo Valley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 9.3%
Wirrabara — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Beetaloo Valley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 9.3%
Postgraduate Degree — / 6.7%
Wirrabara — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Beetaloo Valley — Postgraduate Degree: 6.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Wirrabara 98.9% houses
Wirrabara — Houses: 98.9% Wirrabara — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Beetaloo Valley 100.0% houses
Beetaloo Valley — Houses: 100.0% Beetaloo Valley — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Median house price $283,500 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $150,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 130 days
from 6 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Wirrabara has more rural and farming land (86% vs 67%).

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Rural and farming 86% 67%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 27%
Environmental 13% 6%
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

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
New dwellings approved 13
across Mount Remarkable
 11
across Northern Areas
Approvals change year on year +200% -100%

Ranking within SA

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 13% of SA Higher than 76% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 71% of SA Higher than 35% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 52% of SA Higher than 41% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 40% of SA Higher than 29% of SA

Liveability

Wirrabara is more walkable (20 vs 0).

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Bushfire Moderate
66/100
 High
73/100
Crime Moderate
47/100
 Moderate
43/100
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

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
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

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 4 5
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 1
same for both

Mobility

Wirrabara sits further from the CBD (242.2 km vs 221.9 km).

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Walkability score 20/100 0/100
Distance to Adelaide 242.2 km
+8% vs other
 221.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 164 min 160 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 5481
 0.3%
postcode 5523
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 5481
 62
postcode 5523

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.

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Car (driver) 65.8% / 81.1%
Wirrabara — Car (driver): 65.8% Beetaloo Valley — Car (driver): 81.1%
Worked from Home 21.1% / 18.9%
Wirrabara — Worked from Home: 21.1% Beetaloo Valley — Worked from Home: 18.9%
Walked Only 10.5% / —
Wirrabara — Walked Only: 10.5% Beetaloo Valley — Walked Only: not among its largest
Car (passenger) 2.6% / —
Wirrabara — Car (passenger): 2.6% Beetaloo Valley — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.1%).

Setting

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Elevation 340 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 392 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 21.7 km 17.1 km

NBN connectivity

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Connectivity score 27/100 18/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
236 premises
 0%
29 premises

Climate

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Annual rainfall 472 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 23.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Average residential rate $1,600/yr $1,809/yr
Council Mount Remarkable Northern Areas

Federal electorate

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Division Grey
same for both
Member Tom Venning
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Wirrabara Beetaloo Valley
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Wirrabara

Affordable Quiet Retirees Rural

Beetaloo Valley

River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Wirrabara

Wirrabara vs Booleroo Centre Wirrabara vs Nelshaby Wirrabara vs Appila Wirrabara vs Telowie

Other comparisons with Beetaloo Valley

Beetaloo Valley vs Crystal Brook Beetaloo Valley vs Laura Beetaloo Valley vs Gladstone Beetaloo Valley vs Napperby Beetaloo Valley vs Warnertown Beetaloo Valley vs Nelshaby
Full data on Wirrabara Full data on Beetaloo Valley
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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