Ward Hill SA 5522

Ward Hill is a rural locality in South Australia, 183 km from Adelaide CBD, around 2 hours 20 minutes by car. Population is 52; the median age is 53 and the median household income is $80,184 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $175 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $960. Ward Hill is characterised by high coastal erosion risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 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.

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Rental Market

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

140 Acceptable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 21% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5522.

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.

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

No crash in Ward Hill 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
48
actively eroding
> 0.1 m/yr retreat
-3.97
worst rate (m/yr)
Significant
3.5 km
nearest coastline
monitoring point

Shoreline Change Summary

1988–2025
Stable or accreting 67 (67%)
Moderate erosion (0.1–0.3 m/yr) 18 (18%)
Significant erosion (> 0.3 m/yr) 15 (15%)

Nearest Eroding Coastline

Distance
3.5 km
Rate
-3.65 m/yr
Net Movement
-202.2 m
Certainty
baseline outlier

Data Quality

High certainty: 68 of 100 points (68%)

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Ward Hill 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 Ward Hill.

29
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
19
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 95%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 5%

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

No amenities mapped in this locality boundary.

Barunga West: council population

The whole council area, not just Ward Hill · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
2,688
+0.2% in a year
Change
+5
people since 2024
Density
1.7
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
-36
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+36
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+5
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
4/10
4/10 within SA
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
5/10
6/10 within SA
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
5/10
5/10 within SA
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Ward Hill is home to 52 residents, with a median age of 53 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $80,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

52

no change since 2016

Median Age

53

no change since 2016

Median Household Income

$80,184/yr

71.5% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$175/wk

9.4% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$960/mo

Avg Household Size

2.5

13.6% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$34,736/yr

20.1% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

0.0%

Unoccupied Dwellings

12.5%

68.8% since 2016

Total Dwellings

24

20.0% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

83.3%

34.6% since 2016

Houses

66.7%

29.8% since 2016

Rental Stress

11.3%

36.5% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

14.4%

Work From Home

31.6%

34.6% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 16 (66.7%)
Flats / Apartments 8 (33.3%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 12 (66.7%)
Mortgage 3 (16.7%)
Renting 3 (16.7%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
92.3%
English Spoken at Home
100.0%
Employment Rate
55.6%
13.9% since 2016
Completed Year 12
26.9%

Occupations

Managers 9 (34.6%)
Clerical & Administrative 6 (23.1%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 5 (19.2%)
Technicians & Trades 3 (11.5%)
Labourers 3 (11.5%)

Religion

Christianity 35 (67.3%)
No Religion 13 (25.0%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 7 (13.5%)

Age Distribution

0-4 3 (5.8%)
5-14 6 (11.5%)
15-19 3 (5.8%)
20-24 3 (5.8%)
25-34 5 (9.6%)
35-44 3 (5.8%)
45-54 8 (15.4%)
55-64 13 (25.0%)
65-74 11 (21.2%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 6 (54.5%)
Lone Person 5 (45.5%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 7 (36.8%)
Walked Only 6 (31.6%)
Worked from Home 6 (31.6%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 10 (19.2%)
Bachelor Degree 8 (15.4%)

Cars per Dwelling

2 cars 3 (12.5%)
3 cars 9 (37.5%)
4+ cars 3 (12.5%)

Council Rates

Barunga West
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,540 a year through Barunga West based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,540/yr
17% below the SA average of $1,863 · median of 68 councils
Valuation basis
Capital Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Ward Hill's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 85%
  • Environmental 15%

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: Barunga West

The whole council area, not just Ward Hill · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 29 new dwellings were approved across Barunga West. That mix is 23 houses and 6 units. Approvals are up 233.3% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
29dwellings
+233.3% YoY
Houses
23
detached dwellings
Units
6
townhouses + apartments

Setting

Elevation
24 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
3.5 km

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

0.0%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021

In postcode 5522, 0 of 1,536 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.6% (24 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.6%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.00%
2024
0.00%
2025
0.00%

Rooftop solar

63
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 5.5 kW each

In postcode 5522, 777 rooftop-solar systems totalling 4.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,228 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 39 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
34
2020
50
2021
30
2022
36
2023
42
2024
30
2025
32
2026
27

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 Grey

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 locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Narungga District

Currently held by Chantelle Thomas Pauline Hanson's One Nation

Next state election: 16 March 2030.

Year Winner Won with
2026 Chantelle Thomas ON 50.1%
2022 Fraser Ellis IND 58.3%

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 Ward Hill?

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 Ward Hill to another suburb

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Common questions about Ward Hill

What natural hazards affect Ward Hill?

Ward Hill has no recorded bushfire history. These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Ward Hill?

Ward Hill, SA had a population of 52 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Ward Hill, SA?

The postcode for Ward Hill, SA is 5522.

How far is Ward Hill from Adelaide?

Ward Hill is 183 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 138 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Ward Hill?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Ward Hill was $80,184 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 Ward Hill?

There are too few current rental listings in Ward Hill for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $175, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Ward Hill?

The median age of residents in Ward Hill was 53 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Ward Hill?

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 Ward Hill belong to?

Ward Hill sits within the Barunga West local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Ward Hill?

The average residential rates bill through Barunga West is $1,540 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Ward Hill?

Across Barunga West, 29 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 233.3% 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 Ward Hill in?

Ward Hill sits within the federal Division of Grey, currently held by Tom Venning (Liberal).

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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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