Christie Downs SA 5164

Located in South Australia, Christie Downs sits 30 km from Adelaide CBD, around 33 minutes by car. The suburb has 5,239 residents, a median age of 41, and a median household income of $46,228 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $250 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,148. The area shows high crime risk. Of 8 schools within the suburb boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is high.

Is Christie Downs a good suburb?

Christie Downs scores a D (28/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on prices, safety, and community.

Schools

Mixed results

8 schools · 1 above peer schools

Transit

Very walkable

Walkability 81/100 · 29.5 km · 33 min drive to Adelaide

Prices

Above the state median

Median $740K · Less affordable than 76% of SA

Safety

High crime risk

Fire 30/100 · Crime 91/100

Community

Highly disadvantaged

SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 41 · 5,239 residents

D

Liveability Rating

28 / 100 · Ranked #457 in SA

Each bar is Christie Downs's rank among SA suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).

Schools quality
40
Few above similar
Safety
7
Bushfire Low · Crime High
Socio-economic
4
Very disadvantaged
Walkability
75
Very walkable
CBD access
39
29.5 km · 33 min drive to Adelaide
How it's calculated: Schools rank 40 × 25% + Safety rank 7 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 4 × 25% + Walkability rank 75 × 15% + CBD access rank 39 × 10% = 28 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Christie Downs?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

28 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

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Median House Price

Public listings data

Christie Downs's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $740,000, roughly 14% above where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$740,000

last 8 quarters
Cheaper than 88% of SA

4% below its 4 neighbours (median $771,000)

↑ +14.4% year-on-year

Based on 159 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 19 days — median across 46 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 2 bed 5 sales $620K
  • 3 bed 130 sales $740K
  • 4 bed 17 sales $750K

Land

$335,000

Based on only 9 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Currently for Sale

Last 6 months

Houses in Christie Downs are currently listed at around $732,000 on average. Based on 34 houses listed in the past six months.

$732K

last 4 months
↑ +0.8% vs previous 6 months from $726K
Since 2022: $447K → $729K (+63%)

34 houses listed in the last 6 months.

34 of the suburb's 2,130 dwellings (1.6%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.

Rental Market

Advertised rents · last 6 months

Houses in Christie Downs rent for around $580 a week on average, based on 28 houses listed for rent in the past six months.

$580/wk

last 6 months

6% below its 3 neighbours (median $620/wk)

↑ +1.4% vs previous 6 months from $572/wk
Since 2021: $370/wk → $572/wk (+55%)

28 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.

29 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,020 rented homes (2.8%) in the last 6 months.

Rent agreed on new leases

Apr–Jun 2026
3-bed houses
$550/wk
25 bonds
+62% since 2021

Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

113 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 27% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5164.

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.

Gross rental yield

Indicative
House
4.1% above the typical range

$580/week ($30,000 a year) on a $732,000 median

Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Is Christie Downs safe? Crime statistics

2026

Crime in Christie Downs sits in the high band, with 630 incidents recorded in 2026 — down about 8% on the prior year.

630 offences

8.2% since 2025
Assault 219 (34.8%)
Property Damage 203 (32.2%)
Theft 113 (17.9%)
Break & Enter 95 (15.1%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

9 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. This state’s crash data does not name the road.

Schools

Eight schools serve Christie Downs, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Lonsdale Heights Primary School leads the pack.

36
out of 100
Weak
8 schools in this suburb
1 above similar · 3 below similar · 4 unrated
  • • 1,202 students across 4 schools (avg 300)
  • • Sectors: 5 Government, 3 Catholic
  • • ICSEA 905-952, median 937 (below the national baseline of 1000)
  • • Largest: Christies Beach High School (789 students)

Primary

Government · U, R-6 · 205 students
ICSEA 925 (higher than 17% of Australian schools) · 9% top-SEA students
Below similar
Government · U, R-6 · 71 students
ICSEA 949 (higher than 24% of Australian schools) · 6% top-SEA students
Above similar

Secondary

Cardijn College - Marcellin Campus
Catholic
Government · U, 7-12 · 789 students
ICSEA 905 (higher than 12% of Australian schools) · 3% top-SEA students
Below similar
Catholic · 7-12 · 137 students
ICSEA 952 (higher than 25% of Australian schools) · 7% top-SEA students
Below similar
FAME - Flexible Accredited Meaningful Engagement - Wardli Youth Centre
Catholic

Combined

Bowden Brompton Community School - Beach Campus
Government
Bowden Brompton Community School - Torrens Road Campus
Government

Walkability

Christie Downs is very walkable on foot — at 81/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.

81
out of 100
Very Walkable
Top 7% in SA
Public Transport within 1 km 86
Schools within 1.5 km 100
Parks within 800 m 80
Supermarkets within 1 km 60
GPs within 1 km 60
Pharmacies within 1 km 80
Childcare within 1 km 100
Hospitals within 5 km 60

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Christie Downs.

91
out of 100
Top 6% in SA
RailBus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
131.5 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
85.3 arrivals/hr
Saturday
53.7 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
0 min
Span of service
19.9 hours
Direct to CBD (peak)
15 min wait

Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Christie Downs.

65
connectivity score / 100
Top 21% in SA
Most common
Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
37%
Premises covered
2,641
Technology mix
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 63%
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 37%

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

Supermarkets
1 in suburb
Shopping Centres
1 in suburb
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
3 in suburb
Sport & Recreation
1 in suburb
Beaches
None
Waterways
None
Childcare
4 in suburb
GPs
1 in suburb
Pharmacies
1 in suburb
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
1 in suburb
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
2 in suburb

Onkaparinga: council population

The whole council area, not just Christie Downs · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
184,827
+0.9% in a year
Change
+1,588
people since 2024
Density
357
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+283
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+422
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+883
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
1/10
1/10 within SA
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
1/10
1/10 within SA
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
1/10
1/10 within SA
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 12 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 2 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.

Christie Downs is home to about 5,200 residents, with a median age of 41, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $46,000 a year, with unemployment at 11.8%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

5,239

0.9% since 2016

Median Age

41

5.1% since 2016

Median Household Income

$46,228/yr

15.5% since 2016
Bottom 11% in SA

Census Median Rent

$250/wk

25.0% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,148/mo

4.3% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.2

no change since 2016

Median Personal Income

$25,636/yr

11.0% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

11.8%

20.8% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

9.2%

3.2% since 2016

Total Dwellings

2,130

1.2% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

52.1%

0.8% since 2016

Houses

76.9%

2.7% since 2016

Rental Stress

28.1%

8.1% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

29.8%

17.2% since 2016

Work From Home

5.8%

222.2% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 1,637 (76.9%)
Townhouses 473 (22.2%)
Flats / Apartments 20 (0.9%)

Property Ownership

Renting 980 (47.9%)
Mortgage 578 (28.2%)
Owned Outright 489 (23.9%)
Of those rentals, social housing 503 (51.3%)

393 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 110 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 980 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.

Demographics

Born in Australia
69.2%
English Spoken at Home
81.8%
Employment Rate
38%
5.0% since 2016
Completed Year 12
28.4%

Occupations

Community & Personal Service 289 (17.5%)
Technicians & Trades 278 (16.9%)
Labourers 265 (16.1%)
Sales 211 (12.8%)
Clerical & Administrative 179 (10.9%)
Professionals 163 (9.9%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 136 (8.3%)
Managers 107 (6.5%)

Religion

No Religion 2,756 (52.6%)
Christianity 1,599 (30.5%)
Other Religions 37 (0.7%)
Buddhism 36 (0.7%)
Hinduism 27 (0.5%)
Islam 19 (0.4%)
Sikhism 9 (0.2%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 406 (7.7%)
New Zealand 49 (0.9%)
Scotland 41 (0.8%)
Philippines 38 (0.7%)
Netherlands 37 (0.7%)
Germany 36 (0.7%)
India 34 (0.6%)
China 15 (0.3%)

When They Arrived

Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.

2016-2021 60 (1.1%)
2011-2015 69 (1.3%)
2001-2010 115 (2.2%)
1991-2000 76 (1.5%)
1981-1990 94 (1.8%)
Before 1981 507 (9.7%)

60 residents (1.1%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.

Where New Residents Came From

Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.

South Australia - South East 78 (1.6%)
Adelaide - North 71 (1.4%)
Overseas 70 (1.4%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 4,983 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.

Languages Spoken at Home

Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.

Arabic 12 (0.2%)
Cantonese 11 (0.2%)
Polish 11 (0.2%)
Russian 8 (0.2%)
Greek 7 (0.1%)
German 7 (0.1%)
Croatian 7 (0.1%)
Mandarin 6 (0.1%)

Age Distribution

0-4 256 (4.9%)
5-14 646 (12.3%)
15-19 299 (5.7%)
20-24 312 (6.0%)
25-34 661 (12.6%)
35-44 690 (13.2%)
45-54 633 (12.1%)
55-64 588 (11.2%)
65-74 657 (12.5%)
75-84 348 (6.6%)
85+ 143 (2.7%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 825 (47.8%)
One Parent Families 392 (22.7%)
Couple Families 389 (22.5%)
Group Household 87 (5.0%)
Other Families 33 (1.9%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 1,064 (76.9%)
Car (passenger) 103 (7.4%)
Worked from Home 80 (5.8%)
Train 76 (5.5%)
Walked Only 29 (2.1%)
Bus 26 (1.9%)
Bicycle 6 (0.4%)

9% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (149 of 1,647).

City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.

Local Jobs

People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.

About 941 people work here; 1,647 employed residents live here.

Mostly a place people commute from: 0.6 jobs per working resident. At least 43% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.

Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.

Education

Certificate III & IV 871 (16.6%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 248 (4.7%)
Bachelor Degree 246 (4.7%)
Postgraduate Degree 53 (1.0%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 30 (0.6%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 350 (16.8%)
1 car 921 (44.3%)
2 cars 561 (27.0%)
3 cars 155 (7.5%)
4+ cars 85 (4.1%)

Council Rates

Onkaparinga
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,008 a year through Onkaparinga based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$2,008/yr
8% above the SA average of $1,863 · median of 68 councils
Valuation basis
Capital Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Christie Downs's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Residential 98%
  • Commercial 2%

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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Onkaparinga

The whole council area, not just Christie Downs · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 1,367 new dwellings were approved across Onkaparinga. That mix is 813 houses and 554 units. Approvals are up 58.4% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
1,367dwellings
+58.4% YoY
Houses
813
detached dwellings
Units
554
townhouses + apartments

Air Quality

This station does not measure fine particles (PM2.5).

PM10 averaged 19.5 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.34 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 3 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.

From the Christie Downs monitoring station, 0.6 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Adelaide Airport M.o., 19.8 km

Dry climate — hot summers, mild winters.

Elevation
65 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean
2.5 km
Annual rainfall
394 mm
71 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
28.1°C
16 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
7.8°C
0 frost days ≤ 0°C

Elevation is the ground at the suburb 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.

Industrial Emissions Nearby

9 facilities within 5 km

EV adoption

0.2%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.0 points this year

In postcode 5164, 7 of 3,160 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.6% (49 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.8%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.10%
2023
0.10%
2024
0.19%
2025
0.22%

Rooftop solar

45
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 5.0 kW each

In postcode 5164, 1,044 rooftop-solar systems totalling 5.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,327 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 39 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
84
2020
70
2021
64
2022
56
2023
37
2024
50
2025
43
2026
28

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.

Verify eligibility with RevenueSA

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$3,859
Loan amount
$592,000
Total interest over 30 years
$797,383
Deposit
$148,000
Stamp duty
$34,530
Cash needed at settlement
$182,530

Conveyance duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with RevenueSA

Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.

Federal Electorate

Division of Kingston

Currently held by Amanda Rishworth Australian Labor Party

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Amanda Rishworth 70.7% 29.3% +4.4
2022 Amanda Rishworth 66.3% 33.6% -4.4
2019 Amanda Rishworth 61.9% 38.1% +1.6

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.

State Electorate

Reynell District

Currently held by Katrine Hildyard Australian Labor Party

Next state election: 16 March 2030.

Year Winner Won with
2026 Katrine Hildyard ALP 60.1%
2022 Katrine Hildyard ALP 66.7%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2024, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of South Australia.

Looking at a specific address in Christie Downs?

Every figure above is a suburb 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.

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Checking the whole city?

Suburbs to avoid in Adelaide There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Adelaide suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.

Nearby suburbs

Compare Christie Downs 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 Christie Downs

Is Christie Downs a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Christie Downs is high (91/100, 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 Christie Downs?

Christie Downs has a low recorded bushfire history (30/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Christie Downs a good place to live?

Christie Downs has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (28/100), ranked against other SA suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.

What is the population of Christie Downs?

Christie Downs, SA had a population of 5,239 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Christie Downs, SA?

The postcode for Christie Downs, SA is 5164.

How far is Christie Downs from Adelaide?

Christie Downs is 30 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 33 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Christie Downs?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Christie Downs was $46,228 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 Christie Downs?

The median advertised rent in Christie Downs is $580 a week for houses (28 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.

What is the median age in Christie Downs?

The median age of residents in Christie Downs was 41 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Christie Downs at risk of bushfire?

Christie Downs has a low recorded bushfire history (30/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb 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.

How are the schools in Christie Downs?

There are 8 schools inside the Christie Downs boundary: 1 above and 3 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

Is Christie Downs walkable?

Christie Downs scores 81/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.

What is the weather like in Christie Downs?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Christie Downs, Adelaide Airport M.o. (19.8 km away), summer days average 28.1°C, winter nights 7.8°C, 394 mm of rain a year over 71 rainy days, and 16 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Christie Downs?

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 Christie Downs belong to?

Christie Downs sits within the Onkaparinga local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Christie Downs?

The average residential rates bill through Onkaparinga is $2,008 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Christie Downs?

Across Onkaparinga, 1,367 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 58.4% 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 Christie Downs in?

Christie Downs sits within the federal Division of Kingston, currently held by Amanda Rishworth (Australian Labor Party).

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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
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See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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