Freeling
At a median age of 33, Freeling skews 7 years younger than the national figure, a gap that helps explain why 62.4% of dwellings carry a mortgage rather than being owned outright. The town of 2,688 people sits 88.88 km2 north of Adelaide in the Barossa Valley hinterland, with household income at the 61.7th percentile nationally, comfortably above average. Crime registers at 8.6 incidents per 1,000 residents, low relative to most SA towns. The housing stock is almost entirely detached, with 98.2% separate houses, well above the national norm, and 50.5% of homes have four or more bedrooms, signalling family-formation demand rather than downsizer product.
Population
2,688
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,755/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
54
No median sale price is recorded in this dataset for Freeling, but the cost signals still tell a clear story. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,400 and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 18.4%, well below the 30% stress threshold that applies in most capital-city suburbs. Weekly rent is $330. The stock is overwhelmingly separate houses at 98.2%, and 50.5% of those have four or more bedrooms, compared to the national apartment-heavy mix. Only 2.2% of dwellings have zero or one bedroom, so the market caters almost entirely to families rather than singles or downsizers. With 62.4% of residents on a mortgage and just 24.3% owning outright, the buyer base is still actively building equity rather than holding long-term wealth.
For Buyers
No median sale price is recorded in this dataset for Freeling, but the cost signals still tell a clear story. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,400 and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 18.4%, well below the 30% stress threshold that applies in most capital-city suburbs. Weekly rent is $330. The stock is overwhelmingly separate houses at 98.2%, and 50.5% of those have four or more bedrooms, compared to the national apartment-heavy mix. Only 2.2% of dwellings have zero or one bedroom, so the market caters almost entirely to families rather than singles or downsizers. With 62.4% of residents on a mortgage and just 24.3% owning outright, the buyer base is still actively building equity rather than holding long-term wealth.
For Investors
A rental vacancy rate of 3.3% sits slightly above the typical tight-market threshold of 3%, but is still manageable for landlords. Weekly rents of $330 and a rent-to-income ratio of 18.8% keep housing affordable for tenants, which supports stable occupancy. The renter share of 13.4% is low, so the landlord pool competes for a small tenant base. Development activity is healthy at 53 applications in the past 12 months, including multiple single-storey detached dwellings, consistent with ongoing land-release activity. The young median age of 33, which is 7 years below the national figure, signals continued family demand. With no median house price recorded, yield calculations cannot be completed with this dataset alone.
Development Activity
Total DAs
303
Last 12 Months
54
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-5.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Freeling iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Freeling Primary School
R-6 · 241 students
Demographics
The median age of 33 is 7 years below the national figure, making Freeling one of the younger communities in regional SA. Only 10.0% of residents were born overseas, which is 11.6 percentage points below the national average, reflecting a predominantly Australian-born population with English (1,261), German (352) and Scottish (218) as the leading ancestries. The German heritage is notable given the Barossa Valley's colonial settlement history. University qualifications reach just 17.8%, which is 12.3 points below the national rate, so the workforce skews toward trades and service roles rather than professional occupations. Average household size of 2.9 is 0.4 above the national figure, consistent with the large-family housing stock. Residential stability is high, with 81.8% of residents having stayed at the same address for the previous five years.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.2%
Houses
0.9%
Townhouse
0.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Freeling's housing profile is dominated by detached family homes: 98.2% are separate houses, well above the national average, and 50.5% have four or more bedrooms. Three-bedroom homes account for 43.4%, leaving only 6.6% of stock in smaller configurations. With 62.4% of dwellings under mortgage, 24.3% owned outright and just 13.4% rented, owner-occupiers dominate overwhelmingly compared to the national rental share of around 30%. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 18.4% and rent-to-income ratio of 18.8% both sit well below stress thresholds, suggesting housing costs are manageable relative to local incomes. The vacancy rate of 3.3% indicates the market is not severely constrained but still has limited spare stock.
Mortgage / mo
$1,400
Rent / wk
$330
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$790
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.3%
Unoccupied
30
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.4%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.3%
Couples, no children
2,283
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads local employment at 21.5% of workers (163 people), followed by Education at 12.1% (92) and Manufacturing at 10.4% (79). Construction and Public Administration each contribute around 8-9%, reflecting the service and trades profile typical of a regional town that draws commuters from the surrounding Barossa Valley. By occupation, the workforce spreads across Community/Personal (182), Labourers (175), Professionals (173) and Clerical/Admin (171), a notably flat distribution compared to capital cities where professionals dominate. The unemployment rate is 3.4%, below the national average, and the full-time employment rate of 64.1% is solid. The volunteering rate of 17.4% is above average, indicating a connected local community. Household income sits at the 61.7th percentile nationally.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.1%
Part-time
32.5%
Participation
60.3%
Employed
1,184
Occupations
Top Industries
University
17.8%
Postgraduate
2.2%
Born Overseas
10.0%
Dwellings
893
Transport to Work
Car dependency is near-total: 91.9% of residents drive to work and only 0.3% use public transport, lower than almost any urban benchmark, reflecting the town's location in regional SA without a rail connection to Adelaide. Walking and cycling accounts for 3.0% of commutes. No schools are recorded in the dataset for Freeling's boundary. Crime registers at 8.6 incidents per 1,000 residents, low for a regional SA town. Rent-to-income at 18.8% and mortgage-to-income at 18.4% both sit below the 30% stress threshold, making housing affordable relative to local incomes. The need-assistance rate of 7.1% (185 residents) is moderate, and the volunteering rate of 17.4% is above the national average, both consistent with a functioning regional community.
Drive
91.9%
Public Transport
0.3%
Walk / Cycle
3.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
23
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
8.6
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Freeling compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Freeling a good suburb to live in?
Freeling offers affordable housing with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 18.4%, well below the 30% stress threshold, and a low crime rate of 8.6 incidents per 1,000 residents. The median age is 33, 7 years below the national figure, giving it a family-oriented character. The main trade-off is near-total car dependency, with only 0.3% of residents using public transport.
What is the median house price in Freeling?
No median sale price is recorded for Freeling in this dataset. However, weekly rent averages $330 and monthly mortgage repayments average $1,400, with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 18.4%, indicating housing costs are well below stress levels compared to most SA suburbs.
What schools are in Freeling?
No schools are recorded inside the Freeling boundary in this dataset. University qualifications among residents stand at 17.8%, which is 12.3 percentage points below the national rate, reflecting a workforce concentrated in trades and service industries rather than professional roles.
Is Freeling safe?
Freeling recorded 23 total crime incidents, giving a crime rate of 8.6 per 1,000 residents. That rate is low relative to most regional SA towns. The volunteering rate of 17.4% is above average, and 81.8% of residents have stayed at the same address for at least 5 years, indicating a stable community.
Is Freeling good for property investment?
The rental vacancy rate of 3.3% is near equilibrium and weekly rents of $330 keep affordability attractive for tenants. With 53 development applications in the past 12 months including new detached dwellings, supply is active. The renter share of 13.4% is low compared to the national average of around 30%, so the landlord pool competes for a limited tenant base.
How is Freeling's population changing?
No formal population forecast is available in this dataset. The current population is 2,688 with a median age of 33, which is 7 years below the national figure. A 62.4% mortgage rate and 53 development applications in 12 months suggest active growth, and the low turnover rate of 18.2% indicates a stable resident base.
How much development is happening in Freeling?
There were 53 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, including multiple new single-storey detached dwellings assessed as Performance Assessed applications. This level of activity is consistent with ongoing land release in a family-oriented regional town where 50.5% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms.
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), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), 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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