Wirrabara vs Nelshaby
Nelshaby is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 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. On these figures, Wirrabara tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Nelshaby suits families with children.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Wirrabara carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 61/100)
- Nelshaby is already more of a family suburb (59% vs 26%)
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
Wirrabara
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $295/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 23%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Nelshaby
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (153 min vs 164 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (230.4 km vs 242.2 km)
- But Wirrabara is more walkable (20/100 vs 10/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Wirrabara
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (20/100 vs 10/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 23%)
- carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 61/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Nelshaby
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (3.9% vs -12.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Wirrabara and Nelshaby 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
Nelshaby rents higher ($295/wk vs $150/wk); Wirrabara has more residents (353 vs 188).
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 353 +47% vs other | 188 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -12.4% | +3.9% |
| Median age | 60 | 51 |
| Median household income | $46,800/yr | $66,092/yr +41% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $295/wk +97% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Nelshaby has more land zoned for conservation (34% vs 13%); Wirrabara has more rural and farming land (86% vs 65%).
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 86% | 65% |
| Environmental | 13% | 34% |
| 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 | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 13 across Mount Remarkable | 53 across Port Pirie |
| Approvals change year on year | +200% | +75% |
Ranking within SA
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 13% of SA | Higher than 34% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 71% of SA | Higher than 64% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 52% of SA | Higher than 23% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 40% of SA | Higher than 64% of SA |
Liveability
Wirrabara is more walkable (20 vs 10).
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Nelshaby carries more crime risk (61 vs 47); Nelshaby carries more bushfire risk (82 vs 66).
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 66/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 47/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| 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 | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 2 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Wirrabara sits further from the CBD (242.2 km vs 230.4 km).
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 20/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 242.2 km +5% vs other | 230.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 164 min | 153 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 5481 | 0.2% postcode 5540 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 69 postcode 5481 | 58 postcode 5540 |
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 (87.0%).
Setting
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 340 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 111 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 21.7 km | 6.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 236 premises | 0% 72 premises |
Climate
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 472 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 23.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,600/yr | $1,855/yr |
| Council | Mount Remarkable | Port Pirie |
Federal electorate
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Wirrabara | Nelshaby | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Wirrabara
Nelshaby
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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.