Stokes Bay SA 5223

Stokes Bay is a rural locality in South Australia, 232 km from Adelaide CBD, around 4 hours by car. Population is 52; the median age is 49 and the median household income is $58,500 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The locality grew 4.0% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $305 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $350. Stokes Bay is characterised by high bushfire risk. Walkability is low.

This locality is too small to rate.

The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 52. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.

How do you rate the liveability in Stokes Bay?

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Rental Market

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

123 Acceptable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 24% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5223.

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 Stokes Bay safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Stokes Bay sits in the low band, with 1 incidents recorded in 2025.

1 offences

no change since 2024
Theft 1 (100.0%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

No crash in Stokes Bay killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality 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

100
monitoring points
within 5 km
70
actively eroding
> 0.1 m/yr retreat
-0.40
worst rate (m/yr)
Significant
3.4 km
nearest coastline
monitoring point

Shoreline Change Summary

1988–2024
Stable or accreting 67 (67%)
Moderate erosion (0.1–0.3 m/yr) 31 (31%)
Significant erosion (> 0.3 m/yr) 2 (2%)

Nearest Eroding Coastline

Distance
3.4 km
Rate
-0.11 m/yr
Net Movement
-13.9 m
Certainty
likely rocky coastline

Data Quality

High certainty: 0 of 100 points (0%)

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Stokes Bay is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

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 Stokes Bay.

15
connectivity score / 100
Bottom 16% in SA
Most common
Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
25
Technology mix
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 100%

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

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
1 in locality
Parks & Reserves
4 in locality
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
1 in locality
Waterways
13 in locality
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Kangaroo Island: council population

The whole council area, not just Stokes Bay · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
5,212
+0.8% in a year
Change
+40
people since 2024
Density
1.2
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
-1
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+22
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+19
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
8/10
8/10 within SA
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
8/10
8/10 within SA
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
9/10
9/10 within SA
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Stokes Bay is home to 52 residents, with a median age of 49, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $58,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

52

4.0% since 2016

Median Age

49

16.9% since 2016

Median Household Income

$58,500/yr

32.4% since 2016
Bottom 25% in SA

Census Median Rent

$305/wk

Census Median Mortgage

$350/mo

61.3% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.3

no change since 2016

Median Personal Income

$23,400/yr

12.1% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

0.0%

Unoccupied Dwellings

145.0%

8.7% since 2016

Total Dwellings

20

17.6% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

75.0%

25.0% since 2016

Houses

90.0%

15.0% since 2016

Rental Stress

27.1%

Mortgage Stress

7.2%

70.6% since 2016

Work From Home

39.1%

147.5% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 18 (90.0%)
Flats / Apartments 2 (10.0%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 14 (58.3%)
Renting 6 (25.0%)
Mortgage 4 (16.7%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
96.2%
English Spoken at Home
100.0%
Employment Rate
62.2%
5.6% since 2016
Completed Year 12
57.7%

Occupations

Managers 12 (38.7%)
Labourers 7 (22.6%)
Technicians & Trades 5 (16.1%)
Professionals 3 (9.7%)
Community & Personal Service 3 (9.7%)

Religion

No Religion 31 (59.6%)
Christianity 23 (44.2%)

Age Distribution

5-14 12 (23.1%)
15-19 4 (7.7%)
35-44 12 (23.1%)
45-54 3 (5.8%)
55-64 6 (11.5%)
65-74 16 (30.8%)
75-84 4 (7.7%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 8 (66.7%)
Couple Families 4 (33.3%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 14 (60.9%)
Worked from Home 9 (39.1%)

Education

Advanced Diploma / Diploma 11 (21.2%)
Certificate III & IV 9 (17.3%)
Bachelor Degree 3 (5.8%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 3 (13.6%)
2 cars 6 (27.3%)
3 cars 3 (13.6%)

Council Rates

Kangaroo Island
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,908 a year through Kangaroo Island based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,908/yr
About the SA average ($1,863) · median of 68 councils
Valuation basis
Capital Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Stokes Bay's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 86%
  • Environmental 14%

Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Kangaroo Island

The whole council area, not just Stokes Bay · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 48 new dwellings were approved across Kangaroo Island. That mix is 46 houses and 2 units. Approvals are down 12.5% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
48dwellings
-12.5% YoY
Houses
46
detached dwellings
Units
2
townhouses + apartments

Climate & Setting

from Kingscote, 41.7 km

Dry climate.

Elevation
133 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
3.4 km
Annual rainfall
412 mm
62 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
—
Winter min (Jul)
—

Elevation is the ground at the locality 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

0.4%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.2 points this year

In postcode 5223, 16 of 4,245 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 0.9% (40 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.3%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.08%
2023
0.07%
2024
0.22%
2025
0.38%

Rooftop solar

54
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 7.0 kW each

In postcode 5223, 1,101 rooftop-solar systems totalling 7.7 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,056 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 86 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
41
2020
71
2021
72
2022
81
2023
57
2024
62
2025
74
2026
35

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.

Verify eligibility with RevenueSA

Federal Electorate

Division of Mayo

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 locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Mawson District

Currently held by Jenni Mitton Australian Labor Party

Next state election: 16 March 2030.

Year Winner Won with
2026 Jenni Mitton ALP 56.6%
2022 Leon Bignell ALP 63.8%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2024, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of South Australia.

Looking at a specific address in Stokes Bay?

Every figure above is a locality 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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Stokes Bay to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.

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Common questions about Stokes Bay

Is Stokes Bay a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Stokes Bay is low (32/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Stokes Bay?

Stokes Bay has a high recorded bushfire history (90/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Stokes Bay?

Stokes Bay, SA had a population of 52 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Stokes Bay, SA?

The postcode for Stokes Bay, SA is 5223.

How far is Stokes Bay from Adelaide?

Stokes Bay is 232 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 242 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Stokes Bay?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Stokes Bay was $58,500 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 Stokes Bay?

There are too few current rental listings in Stokes Bay for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $305, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Stokes Bay?

The median age of residents in Stokes Bay was 49 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Stokes Bay at risk of bushfire?

Stokes Bay has a high recorded bushfire history (90/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality 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.

What is the weather like in Stokes Bay?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Stokes Bay, Kingscote (41.7 km away), 412 mm of rain a year over 62 rainy days over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Stokes Bay?

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 Stokes Bay belong to?

Stokes Bay sits within the Kangaroo Island local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Stokes Bay?

The average residential rates bill through Kangaroo Island is $1,908 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Stokes Bay?

Across Kangaroo Island, 48 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 12.5% 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 Stokes Bay in?

Stokes Bay sits within the federal Division of Mayo, currently held by Rebekha Sharkie (Centre Alliance).

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Data freshness

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.

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