Morphett Vale
At 24,002 residents packed into 12.76 sqkm, Morphett Vale is one of Adelaide's largest single suburbs by head count, denser at 1,881 people per sqkm than regional SA peer Mount Gambier (955/sqkm) yet built almost entirely from 1970s-90s detached stock with 84.9% separate houses and just 0.3% apartments. Household income sits in the 25th national percentile at $1,199 weekly, and all four SEIFA indices land in decile 2 (bottom 20% nationally), placing Morphett Vale firmly in Adelaide's southern mortgage belt, materially below Western Sydney peer Quakers Hill's IRSAD decile 8 and closer in profile to Brisbane's Caboolture. The headline price moved 11.6% in one year from $703,500 to $785,100 (1Q 2025 to 1Q 2026), faster than Adelaide's broader 8-9% pace, with English (10,978), Scottish (2,225) and Irish (1,908) ancestries dominating a notably Anglo population that runs counter to the migrant-heavy mortgage belts of Sydney and Melbourne.
Population
24,002
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,199/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
259
Median House
$785K
Median 1Q 2026
The median house price of $785,100 (1Q 2026) is 11.6% above the $703,500 print a year earlier, with the latest quarter also marking the peak so buyers are entering at the top of the current cycle. Stock skews family-oriented: 65.4% three-bedroom and 17.7% four-plus, with semi-detached at 14.7% giving entry buyers a cheaper alternative to standalone houses. Average mortgage repayments of $1,300 a month consume 25.0% of household income, below the 30% stress flag and well clear of metro Sydney peer Quakers Hill's $2,300/month. The mortgage-belt tenure mix of 42.5% with a loan against 28.5% outright reflects a suburb still working through its housing debt, and household income at the 25th national percentile means typical loan serviceability is materially tighter here than in Adelaide's eastern or northern foothills.
For Buyers
The median house price of $785,100 (1Q 2026) is 11.6% above the $703,500 print a year earlier, with the latest quarter also marking the peak so buyers are entering at the top of the current cycle. Stock skews family-oriented: 65.4% three-bedroom and 17.7% four-plus, with semi-detached at 14.7% giving entry buyers a cheaper alternative to standalone houses. Average mortgage repayments of $1,300 a month consume 25.0% of household income, below the 30% stress flag and well clear of metro Sydney peer Quakers Hill's $2,300/month. The mortgage-belt tenure mix of 42.5% with a loan against 28.5% outright reflects a suburb still working through its housing debt, and household income at the 25th national percentile means typical loan serviceability is materially tighter here than in Adelaide's eastern or northern foothills.
For Investors
The yield case is the stronger half of the pitch. Weekly rent of $295 against the $785,100 median produces a gross yield near 2.0%, comparable to Sydney peer Quakers Hill (2.1%) but on a base price 29% lower. Renters at 29.0% form a meaningful tenant pool roughly matching the 28.5% outright-owner share. The 5.2% vacancy rate is looser than the 2-3% tight-market threshold, signalling landlords compete for tenants rather than the reverse, similar to Caboolture rather than central Adelaide. Rent has grown 34.1% over the decade against just 6.5% real income growth, so affordability has tightened despite the 'stable' affordability label. Supply pressure is real: 222 development applications lodged in 12 months for a suburb growing only 0.62% annually, much higher activity than peer Mount Gambier's 185.
Development Activity
Total DAs
1,324
Last 12 Months
259
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+16.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Morphett Vale iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Woodcroft College
R-12 · 1534 students
Sunrise Christian School Morphett Vale
R-6 · 151 students
Southern Vales Christian College
R-12 · 503 students
Prescott College Southern
R-12 · 707 students
Antonio Catholic School
R-6 · 277 students
Demographics
Morphett Vale is one of Adelaide's most Anglo mortgage belts: 21.5% overseas-born sits 0.1 percentage points below the national rate, contrasting sharply with NSW peer Quakers Hill (45.3% overseas-born) or Caboolture's faster-changing migrant base. English (10,978), Scottish (2,225), Irish (1,908) and German (1,592) ancestries dominate, with the German share reflecting 19th-century SA settlement patterns. Median age 40 matches the national figure exactly, but the senior share has risen 3.8 percentage points over the decade against a 2.6pp drop in working-age residents, marking a clear aging trajectory. University attainment of 17.4% runs 12.7 percentage points below national, weaker than Quakers Hill's 47.3% by 30 points, with the largest non-English languages being Arabic (101), Urdu (74) and Mandarin (53), each modest pools rather than concentrated communities.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
84.9%
Houses
14.7%
Townhouse
0.3%
Apartment
Tenure
The tenure split of 28.5% outright, 42.5% mortgaged, and 29.0% renting is textbook mortgage belt: more loan-holders than outright owners, and a renter share roughly matching outright ownership. Dwelling stock is overwhelmingly low-density with 84.9% separate houses, 14.7% semi-detached and effectively no apartment stock at 0.3%, materially more detached-heavy than Mount Gambier's 76.9% or Quakers Hill's 71.6%. Three-bedroom homes account for 65.4% of stock and four-plus another 17.7%, leaving only 15.2% as two-bedroom, a structurally family-house-dominant suburb. Price growth from $703,500 to $785,100 (11.6% one-year CAGR) has lifted the median against a household income that sits in the 25th percentile, narrowing affordability. Mortgage repayments at $1,300 monthly consume 25.0% of household income while rent eats 24.6%, both below stress thresholds but tighter than Mount Gambier's 20.9% mortgage burden.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,300
Rent / wk
$295
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$639
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.2%
Unoccupied
542
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
28.9%
Couples, no children
18,217
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare anchors 24.5% of jobs (1,582 workers), nearly double the 13% national norm and similar to peer Mount Gambier's 23.1%, driven by proximity to Flinders Medical Centre and Noarlunga Hospital in the south Adelaide health corridor. Construction adds 10.9% (701), Retail 8.8% (566) and Education 8.7% (563), with public-sector-adjacent roles (Healthcare plus Education plus Public Admin at 7.1%) accounting for 40.3% of employment, a thicker public-sector share than Mount Gambier's 35.8%. The occupation mix tilts toward Community/Personal services (1,783), Clerical/Admin (1,415) and Labourers (1,311), with Professionals only the fourth-largest cluster at 1,272, a working-class profile that explains the 17.4% university rate. SEIFA decile 2 across all four indices (IEO 884, IER 938, IRSD 931, IRSAD 892) places Morphett Vale in the bottom 20% nationally, with unemployment at 7.1% running well above the 4.5% national rate.
Unemployment
5.6%
Labour Force
7,512
Unemployed
422
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.0%
Part-time
33.9%
Participation
53.0%
Employed
9,872
Occupations
Top Industries
University
17.4%
Postgraduate
2.8%
Born Overseas
21.5%
Dwellings
9,898
Transport to Work
Ten schools sit inside the suburb, spanning a 124-point ICSEA range from 947 to 1,071, a wider divide than Quakers Hill's 95-point spread. Woodcroft College (Independent combined, ICSEA 1,071, 1,534 students) is the largest and highest-ranked, followed by Sunrise Christian School (1,068) and Southern Vales Christian College (1,038, 503 students), with three independent and one Catholic option (Antonio Catholic, ICSEA 1,008, 277 students) above the 1,000 national baseline. Government primaries Pimpala (981), Flaxmill (950), Morphett Vale Primary (950) and Coorara (947) sit below the baseline, mirroring the decile-2 SEIFA backdrop. Transport is overwhelmingly car-dependent at 89.0% driving against just 3.9% public transport despite the Seaford rail line passing nearby, reflecting dispersed suburban workplaces rather than CBD commuting. Crime at 62.0 per 1,000 residents sits below Mount Gambier's 71.8 and well under inland-VIC Mildura's 195.
Drive
89.0%
Public Transport
3.9%
Walk / Cycle
1.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.62%/yr
(+66 people/yr)
EstablishedPopulation is forecast to grow 0.62% annually (+66 persons/year), among the slower paces in metro Adelaide and below Mount Gambier's 0.68% regional rate. The migration mechanics matter: net overseas at +48/year and net internal at zero, so growth depends almost entirely on international arrivals into a suburb where 21.5% overseas-born already sits near national. Population is up 10.8% over the decade, slower than Quakers Hill's 11.5% and well behind Caboolture's growth-corridor pace. The gentrification score of 19 places Morphett Vale in 'not gentrifying' territory, below the 30 'early signs' threshold and contrasting with peer Mount Gambier's score of 4 in similar territory. The aging signal is unambiguous: senior share up 3.8 percentage points, working-age down 2.6pp, young share down 0.4pp, with rent up 34.1% against just 6.5% real income growth squeezing the tenant base.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+48
Net Internal / yr
0
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +13% since 2011, Accelerating: 2% → 11%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
1,488
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
62.0
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Morphett Vale compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Morphett Vale a good suburb to live in?
Morphett Vale suits family buyers wanting affordable detached housing on Adelaide's south corridor. The $785,100 median is 29% below NSW peer Quakers Hill, mortgage-to-income runs 25.0% (below the 30% stress line), 10 in-suburb schools serve the 24,002-population catchment, and crime at 62.0 per 1,000 is below Mount Gambier's 71.8. Trade-offs: 89.0% car dependency and all four SEIFA indices in decile 2 mean the suburb sits in the bottom 20% nationally.
What is the median house price in Morphett Vale?
The median house price in Morphett Vale is $785,100 (1Q 2026), up 11.6% from $703,500 a year earlier, with the latest quarter also marking the recent peak. That places the suburb 29% below Sydney peer Quakers Hill's $1,100,000 and reflects Adelaide's broader 8-9% south-corridor growth pace. Mortgage repayments average $1,300 a month, consuming 25.0% of household income, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Morphett Vale?
Morphett Vale has 10 in-suburb schools across Independent, Catholic and government sectors. Woodcroft College (Independent combined, ICSEA 1,071, 1,534 students) is the largest and highest-ranked, followed by Sunrise Christian (1,068) and Southern Vales Christian (1,038, 503 students). Antonio Catholic (1,008) leads the Catholic option. Government primaries Pimpala (981), Flaxmill (950) and Morphett Vale Primary (950) sit below the 1,000 ICSEA baseline, a 124-point divide top to bottom.
Is Morphett Vale safe?
Crime in Morphett Vale runs at 62.0 incidents per 1,000 residents (1,488 total recorded), below Mount Gambier's 71.8 and roughly a third of inland-VIC Mildura's 195. SA Police category-level breakdowns aren't published at the suburb tier for direct comparison with VIC or NSW BOCSAR data. The headline rate places Morphett Vale among the safer outer-Adelaide suburbs despite SEIFA IRSAD decile 2 (bottom 20% nationally).
Is Morphett Vale good for property investment?
The investment case is yield-led but supply-loose. Weekly rent of $295 against the $785,100 median produces a gross yield near 2.0%, comparable to Quakers Hill's 2.1% but on a 29% lower entry price. The 5.2% vacancy rate exceeds the 2-3% tight-market threshold, so landlords compete for tenants. Rent has grown 34.1% over a decade against 6.5% real income growth. With 222 DAs lodged in 12 months and just 0.62% growth, supply is running ahead of demand.
How is Morphett Vale's population changing?
Morphett Vale is forecast to grow 0.62% annually (+66 residents/year), slower than Mount Gambier's 0.68% and well below Quakers Hill's 0.96%. Net overseas migration (+48/year) drives all the growth, with net internal at zero. Population is up 10.8% over the decade, and the gentrification score of 19 places the suburb firmly in 'not gentrifying' territory. Aging is pronounced: senior share rose 3.8 percentage points while working-age fell 2.6pp.
How active is development in Morphett Vale?
Morphett Vale lodged 222 development applications in the past 12 months, a high count for a suburb of 24,002 growing only 0.62% annually, and notably higher than Mount Gambier's 185. Recent samples skew toward verandahs, alterations and tree removals rather than large subdivisions or apartments, consistent with the 84.9% detached and 0.3% apartment stock. The pipeline points to incremental upgrades on existing 1970s-90s detached lots rather than densification.
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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