Goolwa South sits 89 km from Adelaide CBD in South Australia, around 1 hour 25 minutes by car. Census data records 1,041 residents with a median age of 62 and a median household income of $49,972 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 7.2% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $280 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,134. The area shows high coastal erosion risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is low.
Is Goolwa South a good suburb?
Goolwa South scores a C (41/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit and community.
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 88.7 km · 84 min drive to Adelaide
Median available
Median $690K
Moderate crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 40/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 62 · 1,041 residents
Liveability Rating
41 / 100 · Ranked #367 in SAEach bar is Goolwa South'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 South?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
41 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataGoolwa South's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $690,000, about 3% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$690,000
16% below its 3 neighbours (median $825,000)
Based on 80 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 16 days — median across 24 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 12 sales $518K
- 3 bed 41 sales $675K
- 4 bed 21 sales $865K
Land
$940,000
Based on only 4 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Goolwa South are currently listed at around $850,000 on average. Based on 9 houses listed in the past six months.
$850K
9 houses listed in the last 6 months.
10 of the suburb's 500 dwellings (2.0%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Goolwa South rent for around $540 a week on average, based on 11 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$540/wk
11 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
11 rentals advertised against an estimated 140 rented homes (7.9%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Apr–Jun 2026- All rentals
- $460/wk
- 10 bonds
- +15% since 2022
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2022 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$540/week ($28,000 a year) on a $850,000 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 Goolwa South safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Goolwa South sits in the moderate band, with 22 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 33% on the prior year.
22 offences
33.3% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–2025No crash in Goolwa South killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.
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.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2024Data Quality
Schools
Walkability
Goolwa South 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 Goolwa South.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 19%
- Premises covered
- 1,105
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 4 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Goolwa South is home to about 1,000 residents, with a median age of 62 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $50,000 a year, with unemployment at 7.5%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,041
Median Age
62
Median Household Income
$49,972/yr
Census Median Rent
$280/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,134/mo
Avg Household Size
1.9
Median Personal Income
$28,912/yr
Unemployment Rate
7.5%
Unoccupied Dwellings
111.2%
Total Dwellings
500
Owner-Occupier Rate
72.0%
Houses
89.4%
Rental Stress
29.1%
Mortgage Stress
27.2%
Work From Home
13.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 77.0%
- English Spoken at Home
- 92.6%
- Employment Rate
- 36.4%
- Completed Year 12
- 36.9%
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.
16.8% of residents (170) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Adelaide (159).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,012 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
2% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (8 of 351).
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.
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
- Environmental 86%
- Residential 12%
- Zones under 1% 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: 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, 31.4 kmDry climate.
- Elevation
- 8 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 536 m
- 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 2026-10-27 — 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 South?
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 1,041 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.
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Common questions about Goolwa South
Is Goolwa South a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Goolwa South is moderate (40/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Goolwa South?
Goolwa South has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Goolwa South a good place to live?
Goolwa South has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (41/100), 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 South?
Goolwa South, SA had a population of 1,041 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Goolwa South, SA?
The postcode for Goolwa South, SA is 5214.
How far is Goolwa South from Adelaide?
Goolwa South is 89 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 84 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Goolwa South?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Goolwa South was $49,972 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 South?
The median advertised rent in Goolwa South is $540 a week for houses (11 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Goolwa South?
The median age of residents in Goolwa South was 62 at the 2021 ABS Census.
What is the weather like in Goolwa South?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Goolwa South, Strathalbyn (31.4 km away), 466 mm of rain a year over 82 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Goolwa South?
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 South belong to?
Goolwa South 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 South?
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 South?
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 South in?
Goolwa South 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
- 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.