Novar Gardens is a suburb in South Australia, 10 km from Adelaide CBD, around 17 minutes by car. Population is 2,508; the median age is 45 and the median household income is $76,336 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $165 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,060. Novar Gardens is characterised by high aircraft noise risk and high crime risk. All 2 schools within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Novar Gardens a good suburb?
Novar Gardens scores a A (69/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community, weaker on prices and safety.
Mixed results
2 schools · 2 above peer schools
Walkable and central
Walkability 72/100 · 9.8 km · 17 min drive to Adelaide
Above the state median
Median $1.32M · Less affordable than 87% of SA
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 79/100 · Flood 22/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 45 · 2,508 residents
Liveability Rating
69 / 100 · Ranked #93 in SAEach bar is Novar Gardens'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 Novar Gardens?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
69 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataNovar Gardens's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.32 million, roughly 15% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$1,320,000
In line with its 4 neighbours (median $1,350,000)
Based on 51 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 16 days — median across 18 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 28 sales $1.17M
- 4 bed 13 sales $1.42M
- 5 bed 6 sales $1.62M
Land
$1,210,000
Based on only 3 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Novar Gardens rent for around $740 a week on average, based on 4 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$740/wk
4 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
5 rentals advertised against an estimated 254 rented homes (2.0%) in the last 6 months.
Is Novar Gardens safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Novar Gardens sits in the high band, with 170 incidents recorded in 2026 — down about 7% on the prior year.
170 offences
7.1% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20252 crashes
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.
Aircraft Noise
ANEF Contour Details
Significant impact — conditional building
Moderate impact — noise insulation required
Noticeable aircraft noise
Schools
Two schools serve Novar Gardens, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Immanuel College and Immanuel Primary School lead the pack.
- • 1,759 students across 2 schools (avg 880)
- • ICSEA 1117-1120, median 1118 (well above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Immanuel College (1,184 students)
Primary
Secondary
Universities nearby
- 5.1 kmTonsleyFlinders University · 63 courses
- 7.3 kmBedford ParkFlinders University · 399 courses
- 7.6 kmAdelaide University, Adelaide City CampusAdelaide University · 472 courses
2.4% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Novar Gardens is very walkable on foot — at 72/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Novar Gardens.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 51.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 34.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 22.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 19.1 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 Novar Gardens.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 18%
- Premises covered
- 1,076
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
West Torrens: 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 6 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.
Novar Gardens is home to about 2,500 residents, with a median age of 45, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $76,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
2,508
Median Age
45
Median Household Income
$76,336/yr
Census Median Rent
$165/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,060/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$32,760/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.2%
Total Dwellings
937
Owner-Occupier Rate
72.9%
Houses
79.5%
Rental Stress
11.2%
Mortgage Stress
32.4%
Work From Home
16.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
172 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 0 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 249 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 74.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 78.9%
- Employment Rate
- 49.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 43.4%
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.
76 residents (3.0%) 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.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 2,403 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
22% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (226 of 1,048).
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 480 people work here; 1,048 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.5 jobs per working resident. At least 46% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
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 $1,532 a year through West Torrens based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 71%
- Parks and recreation 28%
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: West Torrens
In the year to August 2026, 578 new dwellings were approved across West Torrens. That mix is 231 houses and 347 units. Approvals are up 102.8% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 17.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 1.12 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0.
From the Adelaide CBD monitoring station, 7.6 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Adelaide Airport M.o., 1.9 kmDry climate — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 11 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.0 km
- Annual rainfall
- 394 mm
- 71 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 28.1°C
- 16 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 7.8°C
- 0 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
6 facilities within 5 km- 1.1 kmTimber Resawing and DressingTop reported: Copper & compounds · Arsenic & compounds · Chromium (VI) compounds
- 2.0 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Total Phosphorus · Ammonia (total)
- 3.1 kmBiscuit Manufacturing (Factory based)Top reported: Ammonia (total) · Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide
- 3.5 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · n-Hexane · Cyclohexane
- 4.7 kmOther Petroleum and Coal Product ManufacturingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 5040, 25 of 1,730 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 4.5% (77 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5040, 620 rooftop-solar systems totalling 4.0 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,003 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 41 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
3 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb.
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 Mark Butler Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mark Butler | 66.3% | 33.6% | +7.4 |
| 2022 | Mark Butler | 59.0% | 41.0% | -2.4 |
| 2019 | Mark Butler | 56.5% | 43.5% | +1.9 |
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 Toby Priest Australian Labor Party
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Toby Priest ALP | 50.7% |
| 2022 | Stephen Patterson LP | 54.5% |
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 Novar Gardens?
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 2,508 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.
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Adelaide There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Adelaide suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Compare Novar Gardens 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 Novar Gardens
Is Novar Gardens a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Novar Gardens is high (79/100, 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 Novar Gardens?
Novar Gardens has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a low share of it (22/100). Part of it sits inside an aircraft noise contour. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Novar Gardens a good place to live?
Novar Gardens has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (69/100), 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 Novar Gardens?
Novar Gardens, SA had a population of 2,508 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Novar Gardens, SA?
The postcode for Novar Gardens, SA is 5040.
How far is Novar Gardens from Adelaide?
Novar Gardens is 10 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 17 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Novar Gardens?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Novar Gardens was $76,336 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 Novar Gardens?
The median advertised rent in Novar Gardens is $740 a week for houses (4 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Novar Gardens?
The median age of residents in Novar Gardens was 45 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Novar Gardens?
There are 2 schools inside the Novar Gardens boundary: 2 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Novar Gardens walkable?
Novar Gardens scores 72/100 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 Novar Gardens?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Novar Gardens (Adelaide CBD) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.8 µg/m³. That puts Novar Gardens 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 Novar Gardens?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Novar Gardens, Adelaide Airport M.o. (1.9 km away), summer days average 28.1°C, winter nights 7.8°C, 394 mm of rain a year over 71 rainy days, and 16 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Novar Gardens?
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 Novar Gardens belong to?
Novar Gardens sits within the West Torrens local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Novar Gardens?
The average residential rates bill through West Torrens is $1,532 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Novar Gardens?
Across West Torrens, 578 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 102.8% 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 Novar Gardens in?
Novar Gardens sits within the federal Division of Hindmarsh, currently held by Mark Butler (Australian Labor Party).
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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
- 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.