Carpenter Rocks is a rural locality in South Australia, 443 km from Adelaide CBD, around 5 hours 5 minutes by car. Population is 87; the median age is 51 and the median household income is $80,132 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The locality grew 6.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $100 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,509. Carpenter Rocks is characterised by high coastal erosion risk and high crime risk. Walkability is low.
This locality is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 87. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
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Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025107 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 28% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5291.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Is Carpenter Rocks safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Carpenter Rocks sits in the high band, with 4 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 43% on the prior year.
4 offences
42.9% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20254 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. This state’s crash data does not name the road.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 3.7 km
- Rate
- -0.30 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -9.2 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Walkability
Carpenter Rocks is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Carpenter Rocks.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 80
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Grant: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Carpenter Rocks is home to 87 residents, with a median age of 51 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $80,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
87
Median Age
51
Median Household Income
$80,132/yr
Census Median Rent
$100/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,509/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$42,484/yr
Unemployment Rate
0.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
140.0%
Total Dwellings
35
Owner-Occupier Rate
69.7%
Houses
100.0%
Rental Stress
6.5%
Mortgage Stress
22.6%
Work From Home
31.0%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 87.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 89.7%
- Employment Rate
- 56.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 17.2%
Occupations
Religion
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,458 a year through Grant based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 90%
- Environmental 8%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Grant
In the year to August 2026, 39 new dwellings were approved across Grant. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are up 300.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Climate & Setting
from Mount Gambier Aero, 34.7 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 19 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 3.4 km
- 3.9 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 724 mm
- 117 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 25.8°C
- 12 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 5.8°C
- 3 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the locality centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 5291, 15 of 10,007 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.3% (126 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.4%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5291, 2,204 rooftop-solar systems totalling 19.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,974 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 150 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$15,000 for new homes.
No purchase-price cap. Stamp duty is fully exempted for eligible first-home buyers as a separate concession.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Tony Pasin Liberal
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tony Pasin | 37.0% | 63.0% | +3.6 |
| 2022 | Tony Pasin | 33.4% | 66.6% | -2.3 |
| 2019 | Tony Pasin | 31.1% | 68.9% | +5.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Travis Fatchen Independent
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Travis Fatchen IND | 60.4% |
| 2022 | Troy Bell IND | 63.1% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2024, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of South Australia.
Looking at a specific address in Carpenter Rocks?
Every figure above is a locality average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 87 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Carpenter Rocks to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Carpenter Rocks
Is Carpenter Rocks a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Carpenter Rocks is high (70/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Carpenter Rocks?
Carpenter Rocks has a low recorded bushfire history (29/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Carpenter Rocks?
Carpenter Rocks, SA had a population of 87 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Carpenter Rocks, SA?
The postcode for Carpenter Rocks, SA is 5291.
How far is Carpenter Rocks from Adelaide?
Carpenter Rocks is 443 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 307 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Carpenter Rocks?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Carpenter Rocks was $80,132 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Carpenter Rocks?
There are too few current rental listings in Carpenter Rocks for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $100, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Carpenter Rocks?
The median age of residents in Carpenter Rocks was 51 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Carpenter Rocks at risk of bushfire?
Carpenter Rocks has a low recorded bushfire history (29/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
What is the weather like in Carpenter Rocks?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Carpenter Rocks, Mount Gambier Aero (34.7 km away), summer days average 25.8°C, winter nights 5.8°C, 724 mm of rain a year over 117 rainy days, and 12 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Carpenter Rocks?
First-home buyers in SA may be eligible for $15,000 towards new homes. The grant is administered by RevenueSA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Carpenter Rocks belong to?
Carpenter Rocks sits within the Grant local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Carpenter Rocks?
The average residential rates bill through Grant is $1,458 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Carpenter Rocks?
Across Grant, 39 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 300.0% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Carpenter Rocks in?
Carpenter Rocks sits within the federal Division of Barker, currently held by Tony Pasin (Liberal).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2026
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.