Mount Gambier
South Australia's largest regional city sits 450km south-east of Adelaide on the limestone coast, with 25,591 residents at a relatively compact 955 people per sqkm, denser than coastal VIC peer Warrnambool (482/sqkm) thanks to a tighter built footprint of 26.8 sqkm. Healthcare anchors 23.1% of employment (1,545 workers), nearly double the 13% national norm and similar to Warrnambool's 26.2%, reflecting Mount Gambier Hospital's regional catchment across the SA south-east and western VIC. SEIFA tells the harder story: IEO decile 1 (bottom 10% nationally for education) and IRSAD decile 2 sit well below Warrnambool's mid-pack decile 4-5 readings, with university attainment at 19.6% running 10.5 percentage points below national. The economy leans on the limestone-coast trifecta of dairy processing, softwood plantation forestry, and tourism around Blue Lake and the Coonawarra wine region.
Population
25,591
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,197/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
214
SA price data is a structural gap (no PSI-equivalent feed publishes regional medians cleanly), so headline price comparisons against Warrnambool's $600,000 or Mildura's $426k aren't possible here. What is firm: average mortgage repayments of $1,083 per month run 23% below Warrnambool's $1,408, and mortgage-to-income at 20.9% is well clear of the 30% stress line, leaving genuine borrowing headroom. Stock is overwhelmingly low-density with 76.9% separate houses, 14.1% semi-detached, and just 8.9% apartments, and 54.8% of dwellings carry three bedrooms with 22.0% at four-plus, a family-house composition typical of regional SA. Tenure splits 32.1% outright, 33.8% mortgaged, and 34.2% renting, an unusually even three-way split compared with the mortgage-belt skew of metro Adelaide.
For Buyers
SA price data is a structural gap (no PSI-equivalent feed publishes regional medians cleanly), so headline price comparisons against Warrnambool's $600,000 or Mildura's $426k aren't possible here. What is firm: average mortgage repayments of $1,083 per month run 23% below Warrnambool's $1,408, and mortgage-to-income at 20.9% is well clear of the 30% stress line, leaving genuine borrowing headroom. Stock is overwhelmingly low-density with 76.9% separate houses, 14.1% semi-detached, and just 8.9% apartments, and 54.8% of dwellings carry three bedrooms with 22.0% at four-plus, a family-house composition typical of regional SA. Tenure splits 32.1% outright, 33.8% mortgaged, and 34.2% renting, an unusually even three-way split compared with the mortgage-belt skew of metro Adelaide.
For Investors
The investor pitch is yield-driven but supply-loose. Median rent of $220 weekly is materially below Warrnambool's $290, and the vacancy rate at 9.9% is among the loosest of any Australian regional city above 20,000 people, exceeding Warrnambool's 8.2% and triple the 2-3% threshold that defines a tight market. Rent has grown 33.3% over the decade against 11.3% real income growth, so affordability has tightened despite the 'stable' label, and the renter cohort at 34.2% is a meaningful pool. Demand fundamentals are modest: net overseas migration of +69/year and net internal of just +5/year mean growth depends on healthcare-led skilled recruitment from abroad, not Adelaide expats. With 185 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, supply is keeping pace with the 0.68% forecast growth rate.
Development Activity
Total DAs
1,155
Last 12 Months
214
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+3.4%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Mount Gambier iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Tenison Woods College
R-12 · 1552 students
St Martins Lutheran College
R-12 · 810 students
Reidy Park Primary School
R-6 · 474 students
Grant High School
U, 7-12 · 978 students
McDonald Park School
U, R-6 · 379 students
Demographics
Mount Gambier is one of Australia's most Anglo regional cities: 12.2% overseas-born sits 9.4 percentage points below the national rate, and English (10,524), Scottish (2,615), Irish (2,238) and German (2,035) ancestries dominate. The German share reflects 19th-century settlement patterns across the SA south-east and is materially higher than Warrnambool's German cohort. Median age 41 runs 1.0 year above national, with the senior share up 5.8 percentage points over the decade and the young-adult share down 2.5pp, a clear aging trajectory. University attainment at 19.6% is 10.5pp below national and notably weaker than Warrnambool's 28.6% or Dubbo's 27.6%, with no university campus in town, only TAFE SA. The largest non-English language is Italian (70 speakers), then Mandarin (42) and Punjabi (25), the Punjabi cohort signalling recent healthcare-led migration from South Asia.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
76.9%
Houses
14.1%
Townhouse
8.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Without a clean SA price-index series, the housing analysis leans on tenure and stock composition. Mount Gambier's split of 32.1% owned outright, 33.8% mortgaged, and 34.2% renting is one of the most evenly balanced tenure profiles in regional Australia, contrasting with Warrnambool's owner-heavy 38.1% outright share or younger mortgage-belt suburbs where mortgaged tenure exceeds 50%. Dwelling stock is overwhelmingly low-density: 76.9% separate houses, 14.1% semi-detached, only 8.9% apartments, with 54.8% three-bedroom and 22.0% four-plus configurations. Mortgage repayments of $1,083 monthly are 23% below Warrnambool's $1,408 and roughly half of metro Sydney's level, supporting a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.9% that is well below stress thresholds. The 9.9% vacancy rate signals supply is loose, not tight.
Mortgage / mo
$1,083
Rent / wk
$220
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$691
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.9%
Unoccupied
1,156
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
31.0%
Couples, no children
18,654
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare anchors 23.1% of jobs (1,545 workers), driven by Mount Gambier Hospital's regional catchment, with Education adding 12.7% (853 workers) across the school network and TAFE SA. Combined, public-sector adjacent roles account for 35.8% of employment, a slimmer public-sector share than Warrnambool's 39.5% or Dubbo's 47.3%, leaving more exposure to private-sector cycles. Manufacturing at 8.8% (587 workers) is the structural distinction: Kimberly-Clark's tissue mill and dairy processors anchor the limestone-coast industrial base, while softwood plantation forestry feeds Carter Holt Harvey at adjacent Mount Gambier sites. Retail (8.6%) and Construction (8.3%) round out the top five. SEIFA paints the disadvantage clearly: IEO decile 1, IRSAD decile 2, IRSD decile 2, with only IER decile 3 lifting on the income side. Unemployment at 5.1% sits above the 4.5% national rate, and personal weekly income of $691 runs roughly 22% below national.
Unemployment
4.2%
Labour Force
8,473
Unemployed
358
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.8%
Part-time
34.1%
Participation
54.8%
Employed
10,933
Occupations
Top Industries
University
19.6%
Postgraduate
3.3%
Born Overseas
12.2%
Dwellings
10,511
Transport to Work
Car dependency runs 89.4%, near-identical to Dubbo's 88.4% and above Warrnambool's 85.7%, with public transport at 0.4% reflecting a regional centre 450km from Adelaide and limited local bus coverage. Walking and cycling at 3.3% is below Warrnambool's coastal 6.1%, despite the Blue Lake and Cave Gardens trail networks. The 9-school stack spans a 149-point ICSEA range: Tenison Woods College (Catholic combined, ICSEA 1,031, 1,552 students) and St Martins Lutheran (Independent combined, ICSEA 1,028, 810 students) lead the non-government cohort, while Grant High (government secondary, ICSEA 954, 978 students) and Mount Gambier High (ICSEA 946, 778 students) anchor the public catchment. Lower-ICSEA primaries Melaleuca Park (882) and Mount Gambier North (888) sit at the bottom, a wider divide than Warrnambool's 121-point gap. Crime at 71.8 per 1,000 residents is meaningfully below Warrnambool's 99.6 and roughly a third of inland-VIC Mildura's 195.
Drive
89.4%
Public Transport
0.4%
Walk / Cycle
3.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.68%/yr
(+104 people/yr)
EstablishedForecast growth runs 0.68% annually (+104 persons/year), tracking below Warrnambool's 0.98% and well under Dubbo's 1.87%, the slowest pace among the Anglo regional-city peer set. The migration mechanics are decisive: overseas migration contributes +69/year while internal migration is just +5/year, so growth depends almost entirely on international skilled-worker arrivals, mostly into healthcare. Population has climbed 7.8% over the decade, roughly half Dubbo's 14.7% pace, and the gentrification score of 4 places Mount Gambier firmly in the 'not gentrifying' bucket, contrasting with Warrnambool's 'early signs' rating of 33 and Dubbo's 'advanced' 76. Real income growth of 11.3% over the decade has lagged the 33.3% rent surge, so wage gains haven't kept pace with rental costs, and the senior share rising 5.8pp signals an aging-in-place dynamic rather than young-professional inflow.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+69
Net Internal / yr
+5
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +11% since 2011
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
1,838
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
71.8
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Mount Gambier compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mount Gambier a good suburb to live in?
Mount Gambier suits buyers wanting affordable regional living with strong healthcare and education employment. Mortgage-to-income runs 20.9% (well below the 30% stress line), 9 schools serve the 25,591-population catchment, and crime at 71.8 per 1,000 is below Warrnambool's 99.6. The 9.9% vacancy rate gives renters genuine choice. Trade-offs: 89.4% car dependency and SEIFA decile 1-2 readings mean the city skews lower-income.
What is the median house price in Mount Gambier?
South Australia's regional price data lacks a clean comparable feed equivalent to NSW PSI or VIC valuations, so a quarter-by-quarter median for Mount Gambier isn't reliably published. What is firm: average mortgage repayments of $1,083/month are 23% below Warrnambool's $1,408, and the 32.1% outright owner share suggests a long-tenured, lower-priced stock relative to coastal VIC peers.
What schools are in Mount Gambier?
Mount Gambier has 9 schools spanning Catholic, Independent, and government sectors. Tenison Woods College (Catholic combined, ICSEA 1,031, 1,552 students) is the largest, followed by St Martins Lutheran College (Independent, 810 students) and Grant High (government secondary, 978 students). Mount Gambier High serves 778 students at ICSEA 946. ICSEA spans 149 points from 1,031 down to 882, a wider divide than Warrnambool's 121-point gap.
Is Mount Gambier safe?
Crime in Mount Gambier runs at 71.8 incidents per 1,000 residents (1,838 total recorded), meaningfully below Warrnambool's 99.6 and roughly a third of inland-VIC Mildura's 195. SA Police category-level breakdowns aren't published at the suburb tier the way VIC publishes for Warrnambool, so offence-mix detail isn't comparable. The headline rate places Mount Gambier among the safer larger SA regional centres.
Is Mount Gambier good for property investment?
The investment case is yield-led but supply-loose. Median rent of $220/week is below Warrnambool's $290, and vacancy at 9.9% exceeds Warrnambool's 8.2% and triples the 2-3% tight-market threshold, so landlords compete for tenants. Rent grew 33.3% over the decade against 11.3% real income growth. With 185 DAs lodged in 12 months and modest +0.68% growth, supply is keeping pace with demand.
How is Mount Gambier's population changing?
Mount Gambier grew 7.8% over the decade, roughly half Dubbo's 14.7% pace, and is forecast to add 104 residents annually (0.68% growth). Net overseas migration (+69/year) does most of the work versus internal (+5/year), so growth depends on international healthcare recruitment. Aging is pronounced: senior share rose 5.8 percentage points while young-adult share fell 2.5pp, and the gentrification score of 4 places the city firmly in 'not gentrifying'.
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.
Explore Mount Gambier on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map