Golden Grove
At 10,299 residents, Golden Grove combines a median age of 44 with a strongly detached housing base: 85.2% of homes are separate houses and 40.8% have four or more bedrooms. The suburb is older than the national median by 4 years and is more mortgage-led than renting-led, with 41.8% paying a mortgage versus 18.5% renting. Compared with nearby Greenwith and Wynn Vale, Golden Grove reads as an established, family-oriented part of the north-east, now shaped more by aging households than gentrification.
Population
10,299
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,669/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
77
Median House
$1.2M
First quarter 2026
Golden Grove suits buyers seeking conventional family housing, but the entry price is substantial. The 85.2% separate-house share is far above the 0.1% apartment share, and the main stock is split between 3-bedroom homes at 43.0% and 4-plus-bedroom homes at 40.8%. Mortgage tenure is higher than outright ownership, at 41.8% versus 33.7%, although mortgage costs equal 23.3% of household income. That combination points to established owner-occupier demand, with affordability stable at 40.3% in both 2011 and 2021.
For Buyers
Golden Grove suits buyers seeking conventional family housing, but the entry price is substantial. The 85.2% separate-house share is far above the 0.1% apartment share, and the main stock is split between 3-bedroom homes at 43.0% and 4-plus-bedroom homes at 40.8%. Mortgage tenure is higher than outright ownership, at 41.8% versus 33.7%, although mortgage costs equal 23.3% of household income. That combination points to established owner-occupier demand, with affordability stable at 40.3% in both 2011 and 2021.
For Investors
Investor conditions are defined by established housing stock rather than a large renter base. Renting accounts for 18.5%, below the 41.8% mortgage share and 33.7% outright ownership, while weekly rent is $320 and vacancy is 3.4%. That tenure mix means owner-occupier demand remains more important than tenant demand because 85.2% of dwellings are separate houses. Overseas migration is the primary forecast driver, and 79 development applications were recorded in 12 months. Recent examples include carports, dwelling additions, pools and verandahs, so investors should distinguish renovation activity from new dwelling supply.
Development Activity
Total DAs
458
Last 12 Months
77
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-31.9%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Golden Grove
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Golden Grove Primary School
Golden Grove High School
Demographics
Golden Grove's median age is 44, which is 4 years above the national figure, and its forecast trajectory is aging. The overseas-born share is 24.7%, or 3.1 percentage points above the national comparison, while university attendance or attainment is 30.4%, only 0.3 points above the national level. English ancestry is the largest recorded group at 4,848 people, followed by Scottish at 947 and Irish at 760. No religion accounts for 4,815 people, compared with 4,676 identifying with Christianity. Average household size is 2.5, matching the national comparison, and 83.1% of residents stayed at the same address over the relevant period. Detached family housing and a 44 median age help explain the suburb's settled profile compared with newer growth areas.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
85.2%
Houses
14.7%
Townhouse
0.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Golden Grove has a predominantly detached, larger-home market. Separate houses account for 85.2% of dwellings, compared with 0.1% apartments and 14.7% semi-detached homes. Three-bedroom properties make up 43.0% of stock and 4-plus-bedroom homes 40.8%, so the housing pattern is more family-sized than compact. Tenure is split between 33.7% owned outright, 41.8% mortgaged and 18.5% rented, with 5.9% recorded in other categories. Against weekly household income of $1,669, that price-to-income relationship is demanding, even though mortgage costs are 23.3% of income and affordability is stable compared with 2011.
Mortgage / mo
$1,686
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$320
Census 2021
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$792
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.4%
Unoccupied
137
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
44.8%
Couples with children
39.6%
Couples, no children
14.7%
Single parent
2,974
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is Golden Grove's largest industry at 18.7% and 634 workers, followed by education at 13.5% and 458, public administration at 12.0% and 408, construction at 8.0% and 271, and professional or technical services at 7.9% and 267. The occupation mix is led by professionals at 1,101 people, clerical and administrative workers at 858, managers at 722, community and personal service workers at 661, and trades at 638. Unemployment is 4.0%, participation is 62.9% and full-time employment is 59.5%. SEIFA results sit around the middle to upper-middle range: IEO and IRSAD are decile 6, while IER and IRSD are decile 7. The higher resource decile compared with the decile 6 education and occupation measures fits a suburb with established home ownership but moderate household income at the 58th percentile.
Unemployment
4.0%
Labour Force
5,409
Unemployed
214
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.5%
Part-time
35.4%
Participation
62.9%
Employed
5,195
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
30.4%
Postgraduate
6.3%
Born Overseas
24.7%
Dwellings
3,921
Transport to Work
Golden Grove is strongly car-oriented, with 77.0% of commuters driving compared with 6.4% using public transport and 1.1% walking or cycling. Working from home accounts for 11.1%, so daily access is likely to be easier for households with a vehicle than for those relying on transit. Families have access to 2 local government schools spanning primary and secondary education, although enrolment zones should be checked against the exact address. Recorded crime totalled 441 incidents, equivalent to 42.8 incidents per 1,000 residents. The IRSAD score is decile 6 and IRSD is decile 7, both above the midpoint of the decile scale, while the median age of 44 reinforces the suburb's established character. Compared with higher-density areas, the detached layout provides more conventional family housing but less walking and public-transport reliance.
Drive
77.0%
Public Transport
6.4%
Walk / Cycle
1.1%
Work from Home
11.1%
Population Forecast
+0.57%/yr
(+59 people/yr)
EstablishedGolden Grove is classified as an established area, with an annual forecast trend of 0.57% and population change across the wider area of 10.4% over 10 years. The longer-term change should be considered alongside the current annual trend, which points to measured rather than rapid expansion. Overseas migration is the primary driver, while the shift trajectory is Aging: the senior share has risen 8.8 percentage points, the young share has fallen 2.6 points and the working share has declined 4.1 points. Affordability is labelled Stable at 40.3% in both 2011 and 2021. Gentrification is not evident, with a score of 0 and a stage of Not gentrifying. Compared with a new-development growth story, Golden Grove's momentum is more likely to come from migration and household change than wholesale neighbourhood renewal.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+72
Net Internal / yr
-49
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
441
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
42.8
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Golden Grove compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Golden Grove a good suburb to live in?
Golden Grove suits households wanting established, detached housing, with 85.2% of dwellings being separate houses and 40.8% containing 4 or more bedrooms. The trade-off is car dependence: 77.0% drive to work, compared with 6.4% using public transport.
What schools are in Golden Grove?
Golden Grove has 2 government schools covering primary and secondary education: Golden Grove Primary School and Golden Grove High School. Families should check the enrolment zone for the exact address because school boundaries can differ from suburb boundaries.
Is Golden Grove safe?
There were 441 recorded crime incidents, equal to a rate of 42.8 incidents per 1,000 residents. That provides a useful local baseline, but conditions can vary by street and offence type, so buyers and renters should review current incidents near a specific property.
How is Golden Grove's population changing?
The annual forecast trend is 0.57%, while population change across the wider area is 10.4% over 10 years. Overseas migration is the primary driver, but the trajectory is Aging, with the senior share up 8.8 percentage points and the young share down 2.6 points.
What development is occurring in Golden Grove?
There were 79 development applications in the 12 months covered. Examples include a carport, dwelling alterations and additions, a swimming pool with safety barrier, and a verandah. The mix suggests ongoing property improvement, so buyers should check each application's status and dwelling impact.
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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