Whyalla Playford SA 5600

Located in South Australia, Whyalla Playford sits 385 km from Adelaide CBD, around 4 hours 15 minutes by car. The suburb has 2,540 residents, a median age of 44, and a median household income of $74,308 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the lower-middle tier nationally. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $200 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,280. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.

Is Whyalla Playford a good suburb?

Whyalla Playford scores a C (42/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on safety.

Schools

Mixed results

1 school

Transit

Very walkable

Walkability 69/100 · 384.7 km · 255 min drive to Adelaide

Prices

Median available

Median $378K

Safety

High crime risk

Fire 0/100 · Crime 75/100 · Flood 51/100

Community

Below-average income

SEIFA decile 3/10 · median age 44 · 2,540 residents

C

Liveability Rating

42 / 100 · Ranked #351 in SA

Each bar is Whyalla Playford'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.

Schools quality no data
too few schools to rate
Safety
54
Bushfire None · Crime High · Flood Moderate
Socio-economic
36
Disadvantaged
Walkability
56
Walkable
CBD access
5
384.7 km · 255 min drive to Adelaide
How it's calculated: Safety rank 54 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 36 × 25% + Walkability rank 56 × 15% + CBD access rank 5 × 10% = 42 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Whyalla Playford?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

42 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

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What applies here? (optional)

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Median House Price

Public listings data

Whyalla Playford's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $378,000, roughly 18% above where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$377,500

last 5 quarters
↑ +17.6% year-on-year

Based on 68 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 47 days — median across 17 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 2 bed 13 sales $276K
  • 3 bed 39 sales $390K
  • 4 bed 9 sales $467K

Units

$211,250

Based on only 6 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Currently for Sale

Last 6 months

Houses in Whyalla Playford are currently listed at around $442,000 on average. Based on 8 houses listed in the past six months.

$442K

↑ +16.6% vs previous 6 months from $379K
Since 2022: $325K → $368K (+13%)

8 houses listed in the last 6 months.

10 of the suburb's 1,070 dwellings (0.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.

Rental Market

Advertised rents · last 6 months

Houses in Whyalla Playford rent for around $425 a week on average, based on 13 houses listed for rent in the past six months.

Houses

$425/wk

last 3 months
↑ +6.2% vs previous 6 months from $400/wk
Since 2021: $305/wk → $402/wk (+32%)

13 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.

Units

$310/wk

5 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.

18 rentals advertised against an estimated 248 rented homes (7.3%) in the last 6 months.

Rent agreed on new leases

Apr–Jun 2026
All rentals
$310/wk
20 bonds
+22% since 2021

Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

153 Affordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 20% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5600.

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
House
5.0% above the typical range
Top 4% in SA

$425/week ($22,000 a year) on a $442,000 median

Not enough unit sales and rentals in the window to calculate a yield.

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 Whyalla Playford safe? Crime statistics

2026

Crime in Whyalla Playford sits in the high band, with 142 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 13% on the prior year.

142 offences

13.4% since 2025
Assault 49 (34.5%)
Theft 40 (28.2%)
Property Damage 29 (20.4%)
Break & Enter 24 (16.9%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

4 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.

Schools

One school serves Whyalla Playford, but none have published comparable ratings yet.

—
No rated schools
1 school in this suburb
1 unrated
  • • 881 students in one school (avg 881)

Combined

Catholic · R-12 · 881 students
ICSEA 979 (higher than 37% of Australian schools) · 8% top-SEA students

Walkability

Whyalla Playford is somewhat walkable on foot — at 69/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.

69
out of 100
Somewhat Walkable
Top 13% in SA
Public Transport within 1 km 72
Schools within 1.5 km 100
Parks within 800 m 80
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 100
Pharmacies within 1 km 60
Childcare within 1 km 60
Hospitals within 5 km 60

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Whyalla Playford.

65
out of 100
Bottom 25% in SA
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
25.0 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
26.6 arrivals/hr
Saturday
9.2 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
0 min
Span of service
10.4 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 Whyalla Playford.

54
connectivity score / 100
Top 25% in SA
Most common
Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
16%
Premises covered
1,457
Technology mix
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 84%
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 16%

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
2 in suburb
Parks & Reserves
5 in suburb
Sport & Recreation
1 in suburb
Beaches
None
Waterways
None
Childcare
1 in suburb
GPs
1 in suburb
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
1 in suburb
EV Chargers
1 in suburb
Pubs & Bars
1 in suburb
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
3 in suburb

Whyalla: council population

The whole council area, not just Whyalla Playford · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
21,720
-0.7% in a year
Change
-155
people since 2024
Density
20
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+20
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
-237
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+62
arrivals minus departures

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

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
3/10
4/10 within SA
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
3/10
3/10 within SA
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
3/10
3/10 within SA
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 8 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.

Whyalla Playford is home to about 2,500 residents, with a median age of 44, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $74,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.6%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

2,540

0.8% since 2016

Median Age

44

no change since 2016

Median Household Income

$74,308/yr

6.5% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$200/wk

11.1% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,280/mo

10.5% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.2

4.3% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$40,092/yr

25.0% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

4.6%

47.1% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

15.0%

11.8% since 2016

Total Dwellings

1,070

1.4% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

76.8%

0.1% since 2016

Houses

85.9%

0.3% since 2016

Rental Stress

14.0%

4.5% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

20.7%

15.9% since 2016

Work From Home

2.5%

47.1% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 919 (85.9%)
Townhouses 100 (9.3%)
Flats / Apartments 51 (4.8%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 413 (39.6%)
Mortgage 388 (37.2%)
Renting 242 (23.2%)
Of those rentals, social housing 45 (18.6%)

45 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 0 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 242 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.

Demographics

Born in Australia
79.8%
English Spoken at Home
89.8%
Employment Rate
58.1%
6.2% since 2016
Completed Year 12
36.9%

Occupations

Technicians & Trades 263 (21.4%)
Professionals 200 (16.2%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 160 (13.0%)
Community & Personal Service 157 (12.8%)
Clerical & Administrative 127 (10.3%)
Labourers 107 (8.7%)
Managers 103 (8.4%)
Sales 88 (7.1%)

Religion

No Religion 1,257 (49.5%)
Christianity 1,046 (41.2%)
Buddhism 24 (0.9%)
Other Religions 16 (0.6%)
Islam 14 (0.6%)
Sikhism 9 (0.4%)
Hinduism 7 (0.3%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 148 (5.8%)
Scotland 42 (1.7%)
India 24 (0.9%)
Philippines 20 (0.8%)
Germany 17 (0.7%)
New Zealand 16 (0.6%)
South Africa 12 (0.5%)
Netherlands 10 (0.4%)

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.

2016-2021 47 (1.9%)
2011-2015 26 (1.0%)
2001-2010 34 (1.3%)
1991-2000 22 (0.9%)
1981-1990 20 (0.8%)
Before 1981 273 (10.7%)

47 residents (1.9%) 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.

5.4% of residents (130) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Adelaide (95).

Overseas 41 (1.7%)
Adelaide - South 38 (1.6%)
Adelaide - Central and Hills 22 (0.9%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 2,414 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.

Greek 9 (0.4%)
Spanish 9 (0.4%)
Italian 8 (0.3%)
Punjabi 6 (0.2%)
Mandarin 5 (0.2%)
Thai 4 (0.2%)
Croatian 4 (0.2%)
Arabic 3 (0.1%)

Age Distribution

0-4 126 (5.0%)
5-14 291 (11.5%)
15-19 123 (4.8%)
20-24 109 (4.3%)
25-34 340 (13.4%)
35-44 285 (11.2%)
45-54 349 (13.7%)
55-64 384 (15.1%)
65-74 286 (11.3%)
75-84 188 (7.4%)
85+ 64 (2.5%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 340 (47.6%)
Couple Families 266 (37.3%)
One Parent Families 90 (12.6%)
Group Household 15 (2.1%)
Other Families 3 (0.4%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 862 (83.3%)
Car (passenger) 63 (6.1%)
Bus 35 (3.4%)
Walked Only 33 (3.2%)
Worked from Home 26 (2.5%)
Bicycle 16 (1.5%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 592 (23.3%)
Bachelor Degree 193 (7.6%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 139 (5.5%)
Postgraduate Degree 47 (1.9%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 41 (1.6%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 58 (5.5%)
1 car 378 (35.7%)
2 cars 374 (35.3%)
3 cars 152 (14.4%)
4+ cars 102 (9.6%)

Council Rates

Whyalla
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,104 a year through Whyalla based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$2,104/yr
13% above the SA average of $1,863 · median of 68 councils
Valuation basis
Capital Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Whyalla Playford's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Residential 70%
  • Industrial 17%
  • Parks and recreation 10%
  • Commercial 2%
  • 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 suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Whyalla

The whole council area, not just Whyalla Playford · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 18 new dwellings were approved across Whyalla. That mix is 16 houses and 2 units.

Trailing 12 months
18dwellings
Houses
16
detached dwellings
Units
2
townhouses + apartments

Air Quality

This station does not measure fine particles (PM2.5).

PM10 averaged 19.1 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 5.

From the Whyalla, Schulz Reserve monitoring station, 2.5 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Whyalla Aero, 4.5 km

Dry climate — very hot summers, mild winters.

Elevation
21 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean
2.2 km
3.3 km to a named beach
Annual rainfall
259 mm
44 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
29.7°C
30 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
5.9°C
4 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

5 facilities within 5 km

EV adoption

0.2%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.1 points this year

In postcode 5600, 11 of 6,219 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.6% (163 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.8%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.00%
2024
0.10%
2025
0.18%

Rooftop solar

71
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.0 kW each

In postcode 5600, 2,085 rooftop-solar systems totalling 12.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,948 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 61 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
78
2020
136
2021
113
2022
69
2023
84
2024
66
2025
61
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

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$1,969
Loan amount
$302,000
Total interest over 30 years
$406,773

2 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 5600.

Deposit
$75,500
Stamp duty
$15,205
Cash needed at settlement
$90,705

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

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

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 suburb's voters across time.

State Electorate

Giles District

Currently held by Eddie Hughes Australian Labor Party

Next state election: 16 March 2030.

Year Winner Won with
2026 Eddie Hughes ALP 58.5%
2022 Eddie Hughes ALP 71.0%

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

Looking at a specific address in Whyalla Playford?

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.

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Common questions about Whyalla Playford

Is Whyalla Playford a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Whyalla Playford is high (75/100, 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 Whyalla Playford?

Whyalla Playford has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (51/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Whyalla Playford a good place to live?

Whyalla Playford has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (42/100), 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 Whyalla Playford?

Whyalla Playford, SA had a population of 2,540 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Whyalla Playford, SA?

The postcode for Whyalla Playford, SA is 5600.

How far is Whyalla Playford from Adelaide?

Whyalla Playford is 385 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 255 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Whyalla Playford?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Whyalla Playford was $74,308 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 Whyalla Playford?

The median advertised rent in Whyalla Playford is $425 a week for houses (13 listings) and $310 a week for units (5 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.

What is the median age in Whyalla Playford?

The median age of residents in Whyalla Playford was 44 at the 2021 ABS Census.

How are the schools in Whyalla Playford?

There is 1 school inside the Whyalla Playford boundary, none of which has enough NAPLAN and ICSEA data for a quality band.

Is Whyalla Playford walkable?

Whyalla Playford scores 69/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat walkable. 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 Whyalla Playford?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Whyalla Playford, Whyalla Aero (4.5 km away), summer days average 29.7°C, winter nights 5.9°C, 259 mm of rain a year over 44 rainy days, and 30 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Whyalla Playford?

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 Whyalla Playford belong to?

Whyalla Playford sits within the Whyalla local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Whyalla Playford?

The average residential rates bill through Whyalla is $2,104 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Whyalla Playford?

Across Whyalla, 18 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Which federal electorate is Whyalla Playford in?

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

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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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