Gawler River ^{SA 5118}

Recorded crime in Gawler River is high (93/100, 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.

Gawler River has a low recorded bushfire history (36/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a high share of it (94/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Gawler River, SA had a population of 104 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

The postcode for Gawler River, SA is 5118.

Gawler River is 44 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 41 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Gawler River was $84,448 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.

There are too few current rental listings in Gawler River for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $320, across all dwelling types.

The median age of residents in Gawler River was 46 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Gawler River has a low recorded bushfire history (36/100). 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.

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Gawler River (Elizabeth) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.5 µg/m³ and PM10 of 18.7 µg/m³. That puts Gawler River below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Gawler River, Edinburgh RAAF (11.5 km away), summer days average 30°C, winter nights 6.6°C, 404 mm of rain a year over 67 rainy days, and 28 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

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.

Gawler River sits within the Light local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

The average residential rates bill through Light is $2,297 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

Across Light, 278 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 42.9% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Gawler River sits within the federal Division of Grey, currently held by Tom Venning (Liberal).