Goolwa sits 83 km from Adelaide CBD in South Australia, around 1 hour 15 minutes by car. Census data records 2,558 residents with a median age of 67 and a median household income of $41,080 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 8.9% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $250 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,000. Goolwa is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 2 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Goolwa a good suburb?
Goolwa scores a C (43/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on community.
Mixed results
2 schools
Very walkable
Walkability 65/100 · 82.7 km · 73 min drive to Adelaide
Median available
Median $715K
Moderate crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 67/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 67 · 2,558 residents
Liveability Rating
43 / 100 · Ranked #340 in SAEach bar is Goolwa'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 Goolwa?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
43 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataGoolwa's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $715,000, roughly 22% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$715,000
13% below its 5 neighbours (median $825,000)
Based on 71 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 24 days — median across 36 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 20 sales $642K
- 3 bed 28 sales $700K
- 4 bed 13 sales $856K
- 5 bed 6 sales $905K
Units
$445,000
Based on 11 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 30 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Goolwa are currently listed at around $800,000 on average. Based on 13 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$800K
13 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$560K
3 units listed in the last 6 months.
16 of the suburb's 1,239 dwellings (1.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Goolwa rent for around $480 a week on average, based on 5 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$480/wk
5 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
6 rentals advertised against an estimated 330 rented homes (1.8%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Apr–Jun 2026- 3-bed houses
- $500/wk
- 10 bonds
- +37% 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 202599 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 30% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5214.
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$480/week ($25,000 a year) on a $800,000 median
Based on a small sample (5 listings) — indicative only.
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 Goolwa safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Goolwa sits in the moderate band, with 114 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 52% on the prior year.
114 offences
52.0% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20251 crash
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
Two schools serve Goolwa, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 566 students across 2 schools (avg 283)
- • ICSEA 957-972, median 964 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Goolwa Secondary College (285 students)
Primary
Secondary
Walkability
Goolwa is somewhat walkable on foot — at 65/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car. Within the suburb there are 2 supermarkets, 1 park and 5 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Goolwa.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 3.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 2.9 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 1.5 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 4 min
- Span of service
- 13.6 hours
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 Goolwa.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 14%
- Premises covered
- 1,858
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
Alexandrina: 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
The ABS scores 7 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Goolwa is home to about 2,600 residents, with a median age of 67 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $41,000 a year, with unemployment at 7.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
2,558
Median Age
67
Median Household Income
$41,080/yr
Census Median Rent
$250/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,000/mo
Avg Household Size
1.8
Median Personal Income
$25,636/yr
Unemployment Rate
7.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
18.6%
Total Dwellings
1,239
Owner-Occupier Rate
73.4%
Houses
85.3%
Rental Stress
31.6%
Mortgage Stress
29.2%
Work From Home
11.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
29 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 24 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 299 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 71.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 91.1%
- Employment Rate
- 26.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 30.7%
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.
0 residents (0.0%) 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.
11.9% of residents (299) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Adelaide (272).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 2,510 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
4% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (27 of 625).
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 1,362 people work here; 625 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 2.2 jobs for every working resident. At least 45% 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 $2,523 a year through Alexandrina based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 74%
- Residential 8%
- Other and special use 5%
- Infrastructure and transport 5%
- Environmental 3%
- Commercial 2%
- Industrial 1%
- 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 suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Alexandrina
In the year to August 2026, 429 new dwellings were approved across Alexandrina. That mix is 422 houses and 7 units. Approvals are up 24.6% on the same period a year earlier.
Climate & Setting
from Strathalbyn, 29.0 kmDry climate.
- Elevation
- 3 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.6 km
- 2.9 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 466 mm
- 82 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
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.
EV adoption
In postcode 5214, 57 of 9,394 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.0% (186 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5214, 4,730 rooftop-solar systems totalling 25.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 6,460 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 281 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 postcode 5214.
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 Rebekha Sharkie Centre Alliance
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rebekha Sharkie | 55.0% | 45.0% | +3.4 |
| 2022 | Rebekha Sharkie | 51.6% | 48.4% | -4.1 |
| 2019 | Rebekha Sharkie | 47.5% | 52.5% | -0.7 |
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 Lou Nicholson Independent
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Lou Nicholson IND | 55.2% |
| 2022 | David Basham LP | 50.7% |
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 Goolwa?
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 2,558 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.
Featured in
Nearby suburbs
Goolwa Beach SA 5214
Hindmarsh Island SA 5214
Goolwa North SA 5214
Middleton SA 5213
Goolwa South SA 5214
Currency Creek SA 5214
Compare Goolwa 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 Goolwa
Is Goolwa a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Goolwa is moderate (67/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Goolwa?
Goolwa has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Goolwa a good place to live?
Goolwa has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (43/100), 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 Goolwa?
Goolwa, SA had a population of 2,558 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Goolwa, SA?
The postcode for Goolwa, SA is 5214.
How far is Goolwa from Adelaide?
Goolwa is 83 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 73 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Goolwa?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Goolwa was $41,080 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 Goolwa?
The median advertised rent in Goolwa is $480 a week for houses (5 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Goolwa?
The median age of residents in Goolwa was 67 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Goolwa?
There are 2 schools inside the Goolwa boundary: 1 at and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Goolwa walkable?
Goolwa scores 65/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat 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 Goolwa?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Goolwa, Strathalbyn (29 km away), 466 mm of rain a year over 82 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Goolwa?
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 Goolwa belong to?
Goolwa sits within the Alexandrina local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Goolwa?
The average residential rates bill through Alexandrina is $2,523 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Goolwa?
Across Alexandrina, 429 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 24.6% 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 Goolwa in?
Goolwa sits within the federal Division of Mayo, currently held by Rebekha Sharkie (Centre Alliance).
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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
- 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.