Sellicks Beach
A 22.1% vacancy rate tells the first story about Sellicks Beach: nearly one in four dwellings sits unoccupied, a figure that reflects holiday or part-time use rather than deprivation. Population sits at 2,705 across 6.2 km2, producing a density of 436 people per km2, well below metropolitan averages. At 97.5% separate houses, the suburb is among the most detached-dominant in the state, with almost no apartment stock to dilute land value.
Local council: Onkaparinga
Population
2,705
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,424/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
35
Median House
$970K
First quarter 2026
Separate houses account for 97.5% of dwellings, so buyers face almost no apartments or semi-detached alternatives. Three-bedroom homes are the modal type at 49.9%, with 4-plus bedroom homes a strong 35.3%. Outright owners are 29.8% of households and mortgage holders 52.3%, indicating many properties carry active debt, consistent with a buyer cohort that moved up from the metropolitan market rather than down-sizing debt-free.
For Buyers
Separate houses account for 97.5% of dwellings, so buyers face almost no apartments or semi-detached alternatives. Three-bedroom homes are the modal type at 49.9%, with 4-plus bedroom homes a strong 35.3%. Outright owners are 29.8% of households and mortgage holders 52.3%, indicating many properties carry active debt, consistent with a buyer cohort that moved up from the metropolitan market rather than down-sizing debt-free.
For Investors
The 22.1% vacancy rate is the key risk: it is roughly double a healthy threshold of 10% and signals that a large share of dwellings are not in permanent rental use, limiting tenant demand. Only 17.9% of households rent, so the pool of prospective tenants is structurally shallow compared to metropolitan suburbs. Development activity reached 27 applications in the past 12 months, including ancillary accommodation and performance-assessed works, indicating modest but steady building activity. Price growth of 19.8% over the year to 1Q 2026 supports a capital-growth thesis more than a yield story.
Development Activity
Total DAs
188
Last 12 Months
35
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+59.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 41 is one year above the national figure, consistent with the coastal lifestyle-driven migration pattern that draws established households rather than young families. Overseas-born residents make up 22.0%, which is 0.4 percentage points above the national average, a modest international mix. Ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic: English (1,385), Irish (265) and Scottish (244) are the top three groups. University qualifications reach 20.8%, which is 9.3 points below the national figure, reflecting a trade and services workforce rather than a professional-class enclave. Average household size of 2.4 is 0.1 below national, with 30.3% of families being couples without children, pointing to a semi-retired or post-child-rearing demographic segment.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
97.5%
Houses
1.7%
Townhouse
0.9%
Apartment
Tenure
The 22.1% vacancy rate separates Sellicks Beach from permanent-residential suburbs and depresses effective yield for landlords. Tenure splits across 29.8% outright owners, 52.3% mortgage holders and 17.9% renters. The 52.3% mortgage share is higher than many comparable coastal towns, suggesting recent buyer activity rather than long-held stock. Housing is 97.5% separate houses, with semi-detached at just 1.7% and apartments at 0.9%, meaning land value dominates total property value. Three-bedroom homes represent 49.9% of the stock, and 4-plus bedroom homes 35.3%, skewing larger than metropolitan norms.
Mortgage / mo
$1,391
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$320
Census 2021
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$745
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
22.1%
Unoccupied
293
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
39.9%
Couples with children
42.1%
Couples, no children
16.9%
Single parent
764
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads employment at 19.6% of workers (163 people), followed by Construction at 15.9% (132) and Education at 10.0% (83). These three sectors together account for nearly half the local workforce. The unemployment rate is 5.8%, above the national rate of around 4%, which partly reflects the area's lifestyle-migration profile and lower full-time participation. The full-time employment rate is 57.9% with a participation rate of 58.0%, and 707 residents are not in the labour force, a share consistent with early-retirement or part-time coastal households. Weekly household income of $1,424 sits at the 42nd percentile nationally, below the median, because many residents draw on savings or superannuation rather than wages.
Unemployment
5.4%
Labour Force
1,358
Unemployed
74
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
54.4%
Part-time
39.5%
Participation
61.6%
Employed
1,284
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
20.8%
Postgraduate
4.3%
Born Overseas
22.0%
Dwellings
1,029
Transport to Work
Car dependence is extreme: 93.2% of residents drive to work, while only 1.8% use public transport and 1.3% walk or cycle. This is higher car reliance than state and national averages, reflecting the absence of rail and the distance from metropolitan transit corridors. The crime rate of 24.4 offences per 1,000 residents, based on 66 total incidents, is low in absolute terms relative to metropolitan SA suburbs. No schools are recorded in the suburb boundary, so families travel to nearby townships for schooling. The volunteering rate of 14.9% is moderately active. Rent-to-income at 22.5% and mortgage-to-income at 22.6% both sit below the 30% stress benchmark, meaning housing costs are manageable for those already in the market.
Drive
82.4%
Public Transport
1.6%
Walk / Cycle
1.1%
Work from Home
11.6%
Growth Outlook
Population of 2,705 across a compact 6.2 km2 area gives limited room for subdivision-driven density growth; new supply tends toward single dwelling replacements and additions, reflected in the 27 development applications over 12 months. The 86.1% stay rate, meaning only 13.9% of residents changed address in the past year, indicates a stable, low-turnover community rather than a suburb experiencing rapid churn or gentrification pressure.
Population trend: Onkaparinga council area
Sellicks Beach sits in the Onkaparinga council area. These are the council area's residents, not Sellicks Beach's.
Residents 2025
184,827
Growth, 5 yr average
+1.1%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+0.9%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
66
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
24.4
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Sellicks Beach compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in Sellicks Beach?
No schools are recorded within the Sellicks Beach boundary in this dataset. Families in the suburb of 2,705 residents rely on schools in nearby towns. The local university qualification rate is 20.8%, which is 9.3 percentage points below the national average.
Is Sellicks Beach safe?
The suburb recorded 66 total offences, giving a crime rate of 24.4 per 1,000 residents. This rate is low compared to metropolitan SA suburbs. The stay rate of 86.1% (only 13.9% of residents moved in the past year) also suggests a stable, settled community.
How is Sellicks Beach's population changing?
The suburb population is 2,705 across 6.2 km2. The stay rate is 86.1%, meaning only 13.9% of residents moved in the reference year, indicating a stable, low-churn community. The median age of 41 is one year above the national figure, consistent with lifestyle migration by established households rather than growth driven by young families.
How much development is happening in Sellicks Beach?
There were 27 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, including a single-storey dwelling addition and ancillary accommodation works. The mix of Deemed to Satisfy and Performance Assessed applications reflects a suburb adding to existing dwellings rather than bulk new supply, consistent with the low vacancy-driven coastal market.
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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