Aberfoyle Park
At 42, Aberfoyle Park is older than the national average by 2.0 years, while its 11,234 residents live in a suburb where 94.5% of dwellings are separate houses. Household income sits at the 62.1st percentile, and crime is 20.7 incidents per 1,000 people. Compared with nearby Happy Valley, Aberfoyle Park is more strongly defined by established family housing, with 3 local schools and a car-led daily pattern: 79.3% drive to work. Overseas migration is the main forecast driver, but the population trajectory is aging and 10-year change is only 0.3%.
Population
11,234
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,765/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
102
Median House
$942K
First quarter 2026
Buyers are choosing a strongly detached market: 94.5% of dwellings are separate houses, 55.1% are three-bedroom homes and 36.5% have four or more bedrooms. Compared with nearby Flagstaff Hill, the suburb is a conventional foothills family market, so buyers should focus on land, condition, renovation scope and school catchments. Only 5.5% of stock is semi-detached, favouring households seeking established houses over compact formats.
For Buyers
Buyers are choosing a strongly detached market: 94.5% of dwellings are separate houses, 55.1% are three-bedroom homes and 36.5% have four or more bedrooms. Compared with nearby Flagstaff Hill, the suburb is a conventional foothills family market, so buyers should focus on land, condition, renovation scope and school catchments. Only 5.5% of stock is semi-detached, favouring households seeking established houses over compact formats.
For Investors
For investors, the case rests on a low-rental-share market with limited vacancy rather than rapid population expansion. Only 14.4% of households rent, weekly rent is $340 and vacancy is 3.7%, so tenant demand may be steadier than in a heavily investor-owned precinct. The trade-off is an established outlook: forecast annual growth is -0.19%, 10-year population change across the wider area is 0.3% and the trajectory is Aging. Overseas migration is the primary growth driver, while 98 development applications in 12 months indicate ongoing property activity. Recent examples include alterations, a garage and a domestic storage shed, rather than a clearly stated wave of new dwellings.
Development Activity
Total DAs
581
Last 12 Months
102
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+29.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Aberfoyle Park
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Aberfoyle Hub Primary School
Thiele Primary School
Aberfoyle Park High School
Demographics
Aberfoyle Park has a mature family profile: median age is 42, which is 2.0 years above the national figure, and average household size is 2.6, or 0.1 higher than national. Couples with children make up 44.6% of families, compared with 39.5% for couples without children, while one-parent families account for 15.2%. University attainment is 33.5%, 3.4 percentage points above the national comparison, supporting professional and administrative employment. English ancestry is recorded for 5,343 people, followed by Scottish at 1,147, German at 991 and Irish at 935. No religion is the largest stated affiliation at 5,700, ahead of Christianity at 4,651. Compared with nearby Happy Valley, the suburb has an older, more settled profile, with 84.8% of residents staying at the same address and overseas-born residents at 22.5%, 0.9 points above national.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
94.5%
Houses
5.5%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is overwhelmingly detached and family-sized. Separate houses account for 94.5% of dwellings, three-bedroom homes 55.1% and four-plus-bedroom homes 36.5%, while semi-detached stock is 5.5%. Tenure is tilted toward owners: 34.1% own outright and 48.4% have a mortgage, versus 14.4% renting. Compared with nearby Flagstaff Hill, this profile points to a conventional southern foothills housing market suited to families and long-term owners, because the stock mix leaves limited exposure to apartments or high-density formats. Mortgage-to-income is 19.8% and rent-to-income is 19.3%, both below 20%, although the purchase price is higher than a year earlier.
Mortgage / mo
$1,517
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$340
Census 2021
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$783
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.7%
Unoccupied
159
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
44.6%
Couples with children
39.5%
Couples, no children
15.2%
Single parent
3,305
Total families
Economy & Employment
Employment is anchored by essential services and public-facing work. Healthcare accounts for 23.4% of industry employment, followed by Education at 14.0%, Construction at 8.6%, Public Administration at 8.0% and Professional/Tech at 7.8%. The labour force totals 5,959, participation is 64.0%, unemployment is 4.6% and 56.5% of workers are full time. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 1,331 people, ahead of Clerical/Admin at 861 and Trades at 803, so the local profile is more service and knowledge oriented than a purely construction-led market. Household income sits at the 62.1st percentile nationally, helping explain why mortgage costs are 19.8% of household income rather than a higher burden. SEIFA places IEO at decile 6, IER at decile 8, IRSD at decile 8 and IRSAD at decile 6, showing that economic and disadvantage measures are not identical.
Unemployment
4.6%
Labour Force
5,959
Unemployed
273
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.5%
Part-time
38.4%
Participation
64.0%
Employed
5,686
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
33.5%
Postgraduate
6.9%
Born Overseas
22.5%
Dwellings
4,158
Transport to Work
Daily life is practical but strongly car dependent. Car drivers account for 79.3% of journeys, far higher than public transport use at 3.5%, walking or cycling at 1.0% and working from home at 12.2%, so access to a vehicle matters more than in a transit-led suburb. Three nearby schools cover two government primary campuses and one government secondary school. Families should check enrolment zones against the exact address, since boundaries can cut across suburb lines. Crime is 20.7 incidents per 1,000 residents, supporting a low-crime profile, while IRSAD sits in decile 6 and IRSD in decile 8. Volunteering is 18.8% and 7.3% of residents need assistance, so local participation and support needs both matter. The 5.84 square kilometre area and density of 1,922.3 people per square kilometre create a suburban setting with services spread across a broad residential footprint.
Drive
79.3%
Public Transport
3.5%
Walk / Cycle
1.0%
Work from Home
12.2%
Population Forecast
-0.19%/yr
(-22 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth looks restrained and mature. The forecast annual trend is -0.19%, while population change across the wider area is 0.3% over 10 years, so expansion is likely to be slower than in higher-growth outer corridors. The trajectory is Aging: the senior share has increased 8.9 percentage points, the young share has fallen 2.6 points and the working share has declined 2.9 points. Overseas migration is the primary driver, but gentrification is scored 0 and classified as Not gentrifying. Rent growth of 19.3% and real income growth of 2.8% point to changing costs, although affordability improved from 45.5% in 2011 to 42.9% in 2021. This combination favours gradual renewal and adaptation of existing homes rather than a boom in new population or high-density construction.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+66
Net Internal / yr
-102
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -102/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
232
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
20.7
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Aberfoyle Park compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in Aberfoyle Park?
Aberfoyle Park has 3 local government schools covering primary and secondary education: Aberfoyle Hub Primary School, Thiele Primary School and Aberfoyle Park High School. School access depends on the exact address, so families should check enrolment zones before purchasing. The suburb has a strong family housing profile, with 55.1% of homes containing 3 bedrooms.
Is Aberfoyle Park safe?
Aberfoyle Park records 232 reported crimes, equal to 20.7 incidents per 1,000 residents, giving it a low-crime profile. Safety can vary by street and incident type, so buyers should still inspect the immediate area at different times. The suburb's IRSAD position is decile 6 and its IRSD position is decile 8, both above the lowest disadvantage bands.
How is Aberfoyle Park's population changing?
Change is slow and increasingly older in character. Population change across the wider area is forecast at 0.3% over 10 years, annual growth is -0.19% and the trajectory is classified as Aging. The senior share has risen 8.9 percentage points while the young share has fallen 2.6 points. Overseas migration remains the primary growth driver.
What development is happening in Aberfoyle Park?
There were 98 development applications in the past 12 months, indicating regular property improvement activity. Recent examples include a building alteration, a garage and a domestic storage shed. This is more consistent with renewal of established housing than a clearly stated large subdivision program, which fits the suburb's 94.5% separate-house share and -0.19% annual growth forecast.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), SA Department for Housing and Urban Development (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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