Gawler SA 5118
Gawler is a suburb in South Australia, 54 km from Adelaide CBD, around 44 minutes by car. Population is 668; the median age is 57 and the median household income is $48,672 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 2.8% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $240 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,200. Gawler is characterised by high crime risk and high flood risk. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Gawler a good suburb?
Gawler scores a D (31/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on prices, safety, and community.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Very walkable
Walkability 89/100 · 53.8 km · 44 min drive to Adelaide
Above the state median
Median $708K · Cheaper than 85% of SA
High crime risk
Fire 24/100 · Crime 98/100 · Flood 93/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 57 · 668 residents
Liveability Rating
31 / 100 · Ranked #441 in SAEach bar is Gawler's rank among SA suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Gawler?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
31 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataGawler's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $708,000, roughly 12% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$708,500
In line with its 3 neighbours (median $708,000)
Based on 21 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 23 days — median across 9 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 6 sales $638K
- 3 bed 10 sales $719K
Units
$500,000
Based on 13 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 15 days — median across 5 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 11 sales $500K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Gawler are currently listed at around $709,000 on average. Based on 3 houses listed in the past six months.
$709K
3 houses listed in the last 6 months.
4 of the suburb's 342 dwellings (1.2%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025112 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 27% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5118.
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 Gawler safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Gawler sits in the high band, with 325 incidents recorded in 2026 — down about 2% on the prior year.
325 offences
1.5% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20255 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 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
One school serve Gawler, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Gawler Primary School leads the pack.
- • 168 students in one school (avg 168)
Primary
Walkability
Gawler is very walkable on foot — at 89/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 3 supermarkets, 2 parks and 14 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Gawler.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 35.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 21.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 7.9 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 19.7 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 1 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 Gawler.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 41%
- Premises covered
- 703
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
Gawler: council population
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
Gawler is home to 668 residents, with a median age of 57 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $49,000 a year, with unemployment at 9.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
668
Median Age
57
Median Household Income
$48,672/yr
Census Median Rent
$240/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,200/mo
Avg Household Size
1.9
Median Personal Income
$31,044/yr
Unemployment Rate
9.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.8%
Total Dwellings
342
Owner-Occupier Rate
64.3%
Houses
52.3%
Rental Stress
25.6%
Mortgage Stress
29.6%
Work From Home
11.8%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
22 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 14 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 105 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 71.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 89.4%
- Employment Rate
- 42.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 39.8%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
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.
8 residents (1.2%) 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.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 654 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.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
8% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (21 of 262).
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 2,186 people work here; 262 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 8.3 jobs for every working resident. At least 87% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
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
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,258 a year through Gawler based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Parks and recreation 37%
- Residential 34%
- Commercial 29%
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: Gawler
In the year to August 2026, 324 new dwellings were approved across Gawler. That mix is 271 houses and 53 units. Approvals are down 22.2% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 5.5 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 18.7 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.31 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 5 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Elizabeth monitoring station, 14.9 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Edinburgh RAAF, 16.9 kmDry climate — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 61 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 24.9 km
- Annual rainfall
- 404 mm
- 67 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.0°C
- 28 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.6°C
- 1 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
1 facility within 5 km- 4.9 km
EV adoption
In postcode 5118, 102 of 17,166 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.3% (401 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5118, 6,058 rooftop-solar systems totalling 41.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 7,931 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 418 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.
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in this suburb, 6 across postcode 5118.
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
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
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
Currently held by Matt Burnell Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Matt Burnell | 65.3% | 34.7% | +2.4 |
| 2022 | Matt Burnell | 62.9% | 37.1% | +1.2 |
| 2019 | Nick Champion | 64.1% | 35.9% | +3.0 |
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
Currently held by James Agness Australian Labor Party
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | James Agness ALP | 51.6% |
| 2022 | Tony Piccolo ALP | 69.5% |
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 Gawler?
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.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 668 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 Gawler to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Gawler
Is Gawler a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Gawler is high (98/100, 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 Gawler?
Gawler has a low recorded bushfire history (24/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a high share of it (93/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Gawler a good place to live?
Gawler has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (31/100), 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 Gawler?
Gawler, SA had a population of 668 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Gawler, SA?
The postcode for Gawler, SA is 5118.
How far is Gawler from Adelaide?
Gawler is 54 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 44 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Gawler?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Gawler was $48,672 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 Gawler?
There are too few current rental listings in Gawler for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $240, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Gawler?
The median age of residents in Gawler was 57 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Gawler at risk of bushfire?
Gawler has a low recorded bushfire history (24/100). 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 Gawler?
There is 1 school inside the Gawler boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Gawler walkable?
Gawler scores 89/100 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 air quality in Gawler?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Gawler (Elizabeth) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.5 µg/m³ and PM10 of 18.7 µg/m³. That puts Gawler below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Gawler?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Gawler, Edinburgh RAAF (16.9 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.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Gawler?
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 Gawler belong to?
Gawler sits within the Gawler local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Gawler?
The average residential rates bill through Gawler is $2,258 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Gawler?
Across Gawler, 324 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 22.2% 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 Gawler in?
Gawler sits within the federal Division of Spence, currently held by Matt Burnell (Australian Labor Party).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 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.