Kersbrook
With only 1,116 residents spread across 77.64 square kilometres, Kersbrook is one of South Australia's most sparsely settled peri-urban localities, registering just 14.4 people per km2. Every dwelling here is a separate house, 100% detached, compared to the national mix where apartments and semi-detached properties account for a substantial share. At 40.0% outright ownership, the resident base skews toward established, asset-secure households, while the low 7.3% renter share signals a community built around long-term residency rather than transient tenancy.
Local council: Adelaide Hills
Population
1,116
Median Age
46.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,992/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
33
Median House
$825K
First quarter 2026
Every dwelling on record is a separate house, 100% detached, with no apartments or semi-detached stock, so buyers are always competing for standalone properties on rural-residential lots. The bedroom profile leans large: 46.6% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms and 46.1% have 3, leaving just 7.3% with 2 bedrooms. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.1%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. That affordability buffer is meaningful at this price point and stems from household incomes in the 74.7th percentile nationally. Outright owners at 40.0% outnumber the national average, pointing to a settled ownership base rather than first-home buyer churn.
For Buyers
Every dwelling on record is a separate house, 100% detached, with no apartments or semi-detached stock, so buyers are always competing for standalone properties on rural-residential lots. The bedroom profile leans large: 46.6% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms and 46.1% have 3, leaving just 7.3% with 2 bedrooms. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.1%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. That affordability buffer is meaningful at this price point and stems from household incomes in the 74.7th percentile nationally. Outright owners at 40.0% outnumber the national average, pointing to a settled ownership base rather than first-home buyer churn.
For Investors
Kersbrook presents a low-yield, low-volume rental market. That implies a gross yield below 2%, which is characteristic of rural-residential markets where capital value is driven by land area rather than rental demand. The vacancy rate of 5.8% is elevated compared to tighter metropolitan markets, reinforcing that tenant demand is thin. Development activity of 17 applications in the past 12 months spans new dwellings, carports and pool installations, consistent with incremental improvement of existing properties rather than speculative new supply. Investors considering Kersbrook would be making a capital-growth bet on Adelaide Hills lifestyle demand rather than an income play.
Development Activity
Total DAs
138
Last 12 Months
33
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+153.8%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Kersbrook
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Kersbrook Primary School
Demographics
The median age of 46 is 6.0 years above the national figure, indicating a notably mature resident base, consistent with the aging-resident-base identity signal from the data. English ancestry dominates at 581 residents, followed by Scottish (116), German (92) and Irish (78), making this one of the more Anglo-Celtic communities in the state, with overseas-born residents at 16.9%, which is 4.7 percentage points below the national average. Average household size of 2.7 is marginally above the national figure, and 32.1% of families are couples without children, typical of a suburb where older residents have moved past the child-raising stage. University qualifications reach 21.7%, which is 8.4 percentage points below the national rate, reflecting a workforce concentrated in trade, healthcare and public administration rather than knowledge-sector professions.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
100.0%
Houses
0.0%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
The housing stock is exclusively detached houses, with 100% of dwellings recorded as separate houses, compared to the national average where apartments and semi-detached properties account for a substantial share. Tenure skews toward ownership: 40.0% own outright and 52.7% hold a mortgage, leaving renters at just 7.3%, well below national norms. The bedroom split is weighted toward family-sized homes, with 4-plus bedroom properties at 46.6% and 3-bedroom at 46.1%. Monthly mortgage costs of $1,733 sit at a manageable 20.1% of household income, below the standard stress benchmark.
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$300
Census 2021
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$876
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.8%
Unoccupied
25
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
15.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.1%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
45.3%
Couples with children
45.9%
Couples, no children
9.1%
Single parent
342
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the leading employer at 17.5% of local workers (70 people), followed by Construction at 15.7% (63 workers), Public Administration at 11.2% (45 workers), Education at 10.5% (42 workers) and Manufacturing at 8.2% (33 workers). By occupation, Professionals lead at 116 workers, then Managers at 94, Clerical/Admin at 77, Community/Personal services at 68 and Labourers at 64, a spread that reflects the mixed public-sector and trade character of the workforce. The unemployment rate of 3.6% is low, and the full-time employment rate of 64.9% indicates most employed residents work standard hours. Household income in the 74.7th percentile nationally is solid for a rural locality, and the mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.1% confirms that residents generally earn enough to service their property costs without strain.
Unemployment
3.4%
Labour Force
624
Unemployed
21
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.2%
Part-time
32.5%
Participation
68.0%
Employed
603
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
21.7%
Postgraduate
5.2%
Born Overseas
16.9%
Dwellings
404
Transport to Work
Car dependency in Kersbrook is extreme: 92.2% of residents drive to work, compared to the national average where alternative modes capture a much larger share, and only 1.6% use public transport. This reflects the 77.64 km2 spread of the suburb, where distances between dwellings and services make private vehicles the only practical option for most trips. The crime rate of 16.1 incidents per 1,000 residents is low in absolute terms, with only 18 total recorded offences, consistent with the low-crime-rate identity tag. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary, so families would travel to nearby centres for education. Volunteering stands at 24.5% of residents, notably high, pointing to an engaged local community. Rent-to-income at 15.1% is well below the 30% stress threshold, meaning those who do rent face minimal housing cost pressure.
Drive
80.9%
Public Transport
1.4%
Walk / Cycle
1.4%
Work from Home
12.3%
Growth Outlook
Forecast data is not available in the brief for Kersbrook, so long-run growth projections cannot be cited. What the current snapshot shows is a community with high residential stability: 84.6% of residents stayed in the same address over the reference period, against a turnover rate of only 15.4%. That level of stability is significantly lower churn than most metropolitan suburbs, suggesting incumbent owners are not selling. The 17 development applications lodged in the past 12 months show ongoing improvement activity, including new detached dwelling constructions and ancillary structures. Given the 100% detached housing base and the exclusive rural-residential land pattern, Kersbrook's growth dynamics are driven by Adelaide Hills lifestyle demand rather than population density or infrastructure investment.
Population trend: Adelaide Hills council area
Kersbrook sits in the Adelaide Hills council area. These are the council area's residents, not Kersbrook's.
Residents 2025
42,875
Growth, 5 yr average
+0.9%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+1.0%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
18
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
16.1
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Kersbrook compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kersbrook a good suburb to live in?
Kersbrook suits buyers who prioritise acreage, privacy and low density over urban convenience. With 1,116 residents across 77.64 km2, density is only 14.4 people per km2. The crime rate is low at 16.1 per 1,000 residents, volunteering runs at 24.5%, and mortgage-to-income sits at 20.1%, all well below stress levels. Car dependency at 92.2% is the main practical trade-off.
What schools are in Kersbrook?
No schools are recorded within the Kersbrook suburb boundary in this dataset. Families travel to neighbouring Adelaide Hills towns for primary and secondary education. University qualifications among residents stand at 21.7%, which is 8.4 percentage points below the national rate.
Is Kersbrook safe?
Kersbrook recorded only 18 total crimes in the reference period, giving a rate of 16.1 incidents per 1,000 residents. That is a low figure in absolute terms and consistent with the sparse population of 1,116 across a large rural-residential area of 77.64 km2.
How is Kersbrook's population changing?
Population-level forecast data is not available for Kersbrook, but residential stability is high: 84.6% of residents stayed at the same address over the reference period, with only 15.4% turnover. The current population is 1,116. The median age of 46 is 6.0 years above the national figure, pointing to an aging, settled resident base.
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).
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