Wistow vs Highland Valley
Highland Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 50 in Wistow. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Wistow, about half of households are couple families. In Highland Valley, most households are couple families. On these figures, Wistow tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Highland Valley 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
Highland Valley
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (7 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 24/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 60%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Highland Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Highland Valley
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 19%)
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $295/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Wistow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (43.5 km vs 46.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Wistow has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 18%)
- Highland Valley carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 24/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Highland Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.3% vs 4.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Wistow and Highland 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.
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
Highland Valley has higher household incomes ($119,132 vs $79,248); Highland Valley has more residents (384 vs 285).
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 285 | 384 +35% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.0% | +13.3% |
| Median age | 50 | 47 |
| Median household income | $79,248/yr | $119,132/yr +50% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $295/wk +15% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).
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 (21.6%).
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 (9.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 100% |
| Industrial | 2% | 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
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 657 across Mount Barker | 429 across Alexandrina |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% | +25% |
Ranking within SA
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 54% of SA | Higher than 92% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 6% of SA | Higher than 28% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 80% of SA | Higher than 64% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 51% of SA | Higher than 42% of SA |
Liveability
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Wistow carries more crime risk (24 vs 10).
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 58/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Crime | Low 24/100 | Low 10/100 |
| Flood | Low 19/100 | — |
| 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
| Wistow | Highland 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
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 7 |
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Highland Valley sits further from the CBD (46.8 km vs 43.5 km).
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 43.5 km | 46.8 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 45 min | 48 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 5251 | 0.7% postcode 5255 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 82 postcode 5251 | 85 postcode 5255 |
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 (85.1%).
Setting
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 293 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 244 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 37.2 km | 40.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 126 premises | 0% 136 premises |
Climate
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 730 mm | 466 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.8°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.7°C | — |
Council rates
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,485/yr | $2,523/yr |
| Council | Mount Barker | Alexandrina |
Federal electorate
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mayo same for both | |
| Member | Rebekha Sharkie same for both | |
| Party | Centre Alliance same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Wistow | Highland Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Wistow
Other comparisons with Highland Valley
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.