Wistow vs Petwood

Petwood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 50 in Wistow. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Wistow tends to suit older residents, while Petwood 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

Wistow

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 37/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 48%)

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

First-home buyers

Petwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 30%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Petwood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 19%)
  • has cheaper rent ($248/wk vs $295/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Wistow

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (45 min vs 50 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (43.5 km vs 46.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Wistow

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 37/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 20%)

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

Investors

Petwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (32.4% vs 4.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Wistow Petwood
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.

Wistow Petwood
Walkability 0 / 0
Wistow — Walkability: 0/100 Petwood — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 76 / 63
Wistow — Safety: 76/100 Petwood — Safety: 63/100
Low fire risk 42 / 40
Wistow — Low fire risk: 42/100 Petwood — Low fire risk: 40/100

Demographics

Wistow has more residents (285 vs 90); Wistow skews older (50 vs 42).

Wistow Petwood
Population 285
+68% vs other
 90
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.0% +32.4%
Median age 50 42
Median household income $79,248/yr $94,224/yr
+19% vs other
Median weekly rent $295/wk
+16% vs other
 $248/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Wistow Petwood
0-4 3.2% / 14.4%
Wistow — 0-4: 3.2% Petwood — 0-4: 14.4%
5-14 9.8% / 14.4%
Wistow — 5-14: 9.8% Petwood — 5-14: 14.4%
15-19 8.4% / 10.0%
Wistow — 15-19: 8.4% Petwood — 15-19: 10.0%
20-24 2.5% / —
Wistow — 20-24: 2.5% Petwood — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 6.0% / 5.6%
Wistow — 25-34: 6.0% Petwood — 25-34: 5.6%
35-44 6.3% / 10.0%
Wistow — 35-44: 6.3% Petwood — 35-44: 10.0%
45-54 17.2% / 11.1%
Wistow — 45-54: 17.2% Petwood — 45-54: 11.1%
55-64 15.4% / 16.7%
Wistow — 55-64: 15.4% Petwood — 55-64: 16.7%
65-74 20.4% / 15.6%
Wistow — 65-74: 20.4% Petwood — 65-74: 15.6%
75-84 6.3% / 4.4%
Wistow — 75-84: 6.3% Petwood — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ 1.4% / —
Wistow — 85+: 1.4% Petwood — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Wistow 48.3% couple families
Wistow — Couple Families: 48.3% Wistow — Lone Person: 40.0% Wistow — Group Household: 0.0% Wistow — One Parent Families: 11.7%
Petwood 48.1% couple families
Petwood — Couple Families: 48.1% Petwood — Lone Person: 37.0% Petwood — Group Household: 14.8% Petwood — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person Group Household One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Wistow 7.1% renting
Wistow — Owned Outright: 52.0% Wistow — Mortgage: 40.8% Wistow — Renting: 7.1%
Petwood 12.1% renting
Petwood — Owned Outright: 39.4% Petwood — Mortgage: 48.5% Petwood — Renting: 12.1%
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.

Wistow Petwood
England 7.7% / 10.0%
Wistow — England: 7.7% Petwood — England: 10.0%
Netherlands 1.8% / —
Wistow — Netherlands: 1.8% Petwood — Netherlands: not among its largest
Scotland 1.1% / —
Wistow — Scotland: 1.1% Petwood — Scotland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.0%).

Qualifications

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

Wistow Petwood
Certificate III & IV 17.9% / 21.1%
Wistow — Certificate III & IV: 17.9% Petwood — Certificate III & IV: 21.1%
Bachelor Degree 10.5% / 17.8%
Wistow — Bachelor Degree: 10.5% Petwood — Bachelor Degree: 17.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.0% / 3.3%
Wistow — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0% Petwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.3%
Postgraduate Degree 4.9% / —
Wistow — Postgraduate Degree: 4.9% Petwood — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.2% / —
Wistow — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2% Petwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Wistow 100.0% houses
Wistow — Houses: 100.0%
Petwood 100.0% houses
Petwood — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Zoning mix

Wistow Petwood
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 Petwood
New dwellings approved 657
across Mount Barker
same for both
Approvals change year on year -7%
same for both

Ranking within SA

Wistow Petwood
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 54% of SA Higher than 73% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 6% of SA Higher than 38% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 80% of SA Higher than 74% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 51% of SA Higher than 40% of SA

Liveability

Wistow Petwood
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Petwood carries more crime risk (37 vs 24).

Wistow Petwood
Bushfire Moderate
58/100
 Moderate
60/100
Crime Low
24/100
 Low
37/100
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
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Wistow Petwood
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 Petwood
Waterways 0 5

Mobility

Petwood sits further from the CBD (46.4 km vs 43.5 km).

Wistow Petwood
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Adelaide 43.5 km 46.4 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 45 min 50 min
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 5251
 0.9%
postcode 5252
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 82
postcode 5251
 73
postcode 5252

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.

Wistow Petwood
Car (driver) 85.1% / 67.4%
Wistow — Car (driver): 85.1% Petwood — Car (driver): 67.4%
Worked from Home 14.9% / 32.6%
Wistow — Worked from Home: 14.9% Petwood — Worked from Home: 32.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (85.1%).

Setting

Wistow Petwood
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 40.6 km

NBN connectivity

Wistow Petwood
Connectivity score 30/100 27/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
126 premises
 0%
21 premises

Climate

Wistow Petwood
Annual rainfall 730 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.7°C
same for both

Council rates

Wistow Petwood
Average residential rate $2,485/yr
same for both
Council Mount Barker
same for both

Federal electorate

Wistow Petwood
Division Mayo
same for both
Member Rebekha Sharkie
same for both
Party Centre Alliance
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Wistow Petwood
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Wistow

Outer Retirees

Petwood

Family Outer Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Wistow

Wistow vs Mount Barker Wistow vs Highland Valley Wistow vs Bugle Ranges Wistow vs Mount Barker Springs Wistow vs Red Creek

Other comparisons with Petwood

Petwood vs Nairne Petwood vs Kanmantoo Petwood vs Dawesley Petwood vs Mount Barker Springs Petwood vs Red Creek Petwood vs Mount Barker Summit
Full data on Wistow Full data on Petwood
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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.

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