Located in South Australia, Mallala sits 60 km from Adelaide CBD, around 48 minutes by car. The town has 1,042 residents, a median age of 37, and a median household income of $79,924 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 16.6% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $278 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,192. The area shows high bushfire risk and high crime risk. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Mallala a good town?
Mallala scores a D (17/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on safety and community.
Mixed results
1 school
Some car dependence
Walkability 45/100 · 60 km · 48 min drive to Adelaide
Median available
Median $690K
High bushfire risk
Fire 78/100 · Crime 63/100 · Flood 43/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 37 · 1,042 residents
Liveability Rating
17 / 100 · Ranked #514 in SAEach bar is Mallala'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 Mallala?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
17 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataThe median house sale price in Mallala sits at $690,000, broadly flat year-on-year.
$690,000
Based on 26 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 18 days — median across 12 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 20 sales $653K
- 4 bed 6 sales $762K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Mallala are currently listed at around $642,000 on average. Based on 4 houses listed in the past six months.
$642K
4 houses listed in the last 6 months.
4 of the suburb's 367 dwellings (1.1%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Is Mallala safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Mallala sits in the moderate band, with 42 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 45% on the prior year.
42 offences
44.8% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20255 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town 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 Mallala, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 116 students in one school (avg 116)
Primary
Walkability
Mallala is car-dependent on foot — at 45/100, most errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Mallala.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 402
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
Adelaide Plains: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Mallala is home to about 1,000 residents, with a median age of 37, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $80,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.9%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,042
Median Age
37
Median Household Income
$79,924/yr
Census Median Rent
$278/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,192/mo
Avg Household Size
2.5
Median Personal Income
$36,608/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.9%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.9%
Total Dwellings
367
Owner-Occupier Rate
75.8%
Houses
86.6%
Rental Stress
18.1%
Mortgage Stress
17.9%
Work From Home
4.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 75.2%
- English Spoken at Home
- 79.4%
- Employment Rate
- 60%
- Completed Year 12
- 26.4%
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.
79 residents (7.6%) 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.
11.1% of residents (109) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Adelaide (109).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 979 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
2% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (12 of 507).
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 $2,698 a year through Adelaide Plains based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 97%
- Residential 1%
- 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 town around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Adelaide Plains
In the year to August 2026, 106 new dwellings were approved across Adelaide Plains. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are down 20.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Climate & Setting
from Edinburgh RAAF, 32.1 kmDry climate — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 46 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 18.8 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 town 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 5502, 8 of 1,718 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.3% (22 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.7%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5502, 515 rooftop-solar systems totalling 3.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 660 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 17 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
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 Tom Venning Liberal
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tom Venning | 45.4% | 54.6% | +5.4 |
| 2022 | Rowan Ramsey | 39.9% | 60.1% | -3.2 |
| 2019 | Rowan Ramsey | 36.7% | 63.3% | +5.6 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by David Paton Pauline Hanson's One Nation
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | David Paton ON | 57.0% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2024, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of South Australia.
Looking at a specific address in Mallala?
Every figure above is a town 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 1,042 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 Mallala 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 Mallala
Is Mallala a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Mallala is moderate (63/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Mallala?
Mallala has a high recorded bushfire history (78/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (43/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Mallala a good place to live?
Mallala has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (17/100), 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 Mallala?
Mallala, SA had a population of 1,042 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Mallala, SA?
The postcode for Mallala, SA is 5502.
How far is Mallala from Adelaide?
Mallala is 60 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 48 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Mallala?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Mallala was $79,924 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 Mallala?
There are too few current rental listings in Mallala for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $278, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Mallala?
The median age of residents in Mallala was 37 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Mallala at risk of bushfire?
Mallala has a high recorded bushfire history (78/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the town 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 Mallala?
There is 1 school inside the Mallala boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Mallala walkable?
Mallala scores 45/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it car-dependent. 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 Mallala?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Mallala, Edinburgh RAAF (32.1 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 Mallala?
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 Mallala belong to?
Mallala sits within the Adelaide Plains local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Mallala?
The average residential rates bill through Adelaide Plains is $2,698 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Mallala?
Across Adelaide Plains, 106 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 20.7% 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 Mallala in?
Mallala sits within the federal Division of Grey, currently held by Tom Venning (Liberal).
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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.