Tanunda
Wine country demographics show up clearly in Tanunda's numbers: the median age is 48, a full 8.0 years above the national figure, and German ancestry (1,347 residents) trails only English (1,804) in a population of 4,710. The settlement reads old and stable, with turnover at just 17.6% and 82.4% of residents staying put. Dwellings are 90.3% separate houses across a 25.18 km2 footprint, giving a low density of 187 people per km2. Household income sits in the 44.1st percentile nationally, below the midpoint, yet housing stress is absent because the median mortgage is a modest $1,452 a month. SEIFA scores cluster in the middle, decile 5 on IRSAD and decile 6 on IRSD, marking a comfortable but not affluent Barossa town.
Population
4,710
Median Age
48.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,450/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
113
Buyers find an almost entirely detached market: 90.3% of dwellings are separate houses and apartments make up only 0.8%, so there is effectively no unit alternative for downsizers. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 52.7% and four-or-more-bedroom houses add 29.9%, leaving small two-bedroom stock at 14.9%, which suits the family and older-owner profile rather than first-time singles. Affordability is the draw. The median mortgage repayment is $1,452 a month and the mortgage-to-income ratio is 23.1%, well below the 30% stress threshold, so a household here carries less debt burden than in most metropolitan markets. Owners hold strong equity too: 43.4% own outright against 35.4% with a mortgage, a sign of a settled, low-churn base where buyers compete with established residents rather than investors.
For Buyers
Buyers find an almost entirely detached market: 90.3% of dwellings are separate houses and apartments make up only 0.8%, so there is effectively no unit alternative for downsizers. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 52.7% and four-or-more-bedroom houses add 29.9%, leaving small two-bedroom stock at 14.9%, which suits the family and older-owner profile rather than first-time singles. Affordability is the draw. The median mortgage repayment is $1,452 a month and the mortgage-to-income ratio is 23.1%, well below the 30% stress threshold, so a household here carries less debt burden than in most metropolitan markets. Owners hold strong equity too: 43.4% own outright against 35.4% with a mortgage, a sign of a settled, low-churn base where buyers compete with established residents rather than investors.
For Investors
The rental market is thin by design. Only 21.2% of residents rent, against a national norm closer to a third, because owner-occupiers dominate at 78.8% combined. Weekly rent is $300, low in absolute terms but it has climbed 30.4% over the decade, the strongest single growth signal in the data. The vacancy rate of 9.2% is high and points to soft tenant demand rather than scarcity, which tempers the case for new rental supply. Demand drivers are modest and balanced: net overseas migration adds 22 residents a year and internal migration 8, so the tenant pool grows slowly. With 101 development applications lodged in 12 months, mostly carports, verandahs and single detached dwellings rather than multi-unit projects, the investment thesis rests on long-hold capital growth and rising rents more than yield volume.
Development Activity
Total DAs
628
Last 12 Months
113
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-8.9%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Tanunda iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Faith Lutheran College
R-12 · 816 students
Tanunda Primary School
U, R-6 · 423 students
Demographics
Tanunda is older and more Anglo-German than the country as a whole. The median age of 48 runs 8.0 years above national, and the senior share has risen 7.5 points over the decade while the working-age share fell 3.7 points, an unmistakable aging trajectory. Just 11.8% of residents were born overseas, which is 9.8 points below the national figure, and the only notable non-English language is German with 14 speakers, a remnant of the town's Lutheran settlement history. University qualifications reach 28.6%, sitting 1.5 points below national, so the area is educated but not a graduate enclave. Average household size is 2.3, which is 0.2 below national and consistent with the high count of couples without children at 37.4% of the 3,652 families. Christianity remains the dominant religion at 2,507 residents.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
90.3%
Houses
8.4%
Townhouse
0.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts heavily toward ownership: 43.4% own outright, 35.4% carry a mortgage and only 21.2% rent, so outright owners outnumber every other group. That pattern reflects an aging, debt-free base rather than a churn of new buyers. The stock is 90.3% separate houses with semi-detached at 8.4% and apartments at just 0.8%, the opposite of a dense metro suburb. Three-bedroom homes are the backbone at 52.7%, with four-plus-bedroom houses at 29.9%, matching the family-and-retiree mix. Affordability holds up well: mortgage-to-income at 23.1% and rent-to-income at 20.7% both sit below the 30% stress threshold, and neither stress flag is triggered. The wider affordability index barely moved, from 39.9% in 2011 to 38.8% in 2021, confirming a stable rather than escalating cost trajectory despite the 30.4% rise in weekly rents.
Mortgage / mo
$1,452
Rent / wk
$300
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$777
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.2%
Unoccupied
197
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.1%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
37.4%
Couples, no children
3,652
Total families
Economy & Employment
Manufacturing anchors the local economy at 22.5% of workers (332 people), well above its national share, because Tanunda sits at the heart of Barossa wine production and food processing. Healthcare follows at 14.5% (213) and Education at 11.8% (174), with Retail at 7.7% and Construction at 6.8%. By occupation, Professionals (428) and Managers (420) lead, the latter reflecting the many family-owned wineries and farms. Unemployment is low at 3.0% and the full-time rate is 64.2%, but participation is only 55.4% because the aging profile leaves 1,528 residents not in the labour force. The economy is comfortable but mid-tier on the SEIFA scales: decile 5 for education and occupation (IEO) and decile 6 for economic resources (IER), with real incomes up 9.1% over the decade.
Unemployment
1.8%
Labour Force
2,379
Unemployed
44
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.2%
Part-time
32.8%
Participation
55.4%
Employed
2,119
Occupations
Top Industries
University
28.6%
Postgraduate
6.0%
Born Overseas
11.8%
Dwellings
1,935
Transport to Work
Tanunda is car-dependent and quiet. Some 90.5% of residents drive to work and just 0.6% use public transport, far below metropolitan levels, a function of its rural Barossa setting at 187 people per km2. Safety is a genuine strength: 95 recorded offences give a crime rate of 20.2 per 1,000 residents, low for a regional service town, and only 7.3% of the 4,710 residents (331 people) need daily assistance despite the high median age of 48. Community ties are strong, with volunteering at 26.2%, above what most suburbs report. No schools are recorded inside the 25.18 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on facilities in neighbouring Barossa towns. SEIFA places the area at decile 6 on IRSD, above the disadvantage midpoint, pointing to a settled and low-deprivation community.
Drive
90.5%
Public Transport
0.6%
Walk / Cycle
5.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.38%/yr
(+18 people/yr)
EstablishedTanunda is an established, slow-growth town. Annual population growth is just 0.38%, about 18 people a year, and the 10-year change of 5.7% is modest. The medium forecast lifts the population from 4,757 in 2025 to 4,923 by 2031, a gentle continuation rather than expansion. Migration is balanced and small: net overseas adds 22 residents annually and net internal 8, so growth depends on a steady trickle rather than any surge. The demographic shift is the more meaningful story, with the senior share up 7.5 points and the young share down 1.9 points, pushing the median age higher. Gentrification shows only early signs, scoring 26 on the index, supported by the 30.4% decade rise in rents and 9.1% real income growth, but the headline gentrification stage still reads not gentrifying.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+22
Net Internal / yr
+8
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
95
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
20.2
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Tanunda compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tanunda a good suburb to live in?
Tanunda suits buyers wanting affordability and space: the mortgage-to-income ratio is 23.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, and 90.3% of dwellings are detached houses. It is older than most areas, with a median age of 48, eight years above national, and very safe at 20.2 offences per 1,000 residents.
What is the median house price in Tanunda?
A median sale price is not recorded for Tanunda in this dataset. As proxies for cost, the median mortgage repayment is $1,452 a month and weekly rent is $300, giving a low mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.1% that sits well under the 30% stress mark.
What schools are in Tanunda?
No schools are listed inside the 25.18 km2 Tanunda boundary in this dataset, so families use schools in neighbouring Barossa towns. The resident base is moderately educated, with university qualifications at 28.6%, which is 1.5 points below the national figure.
Is Tanunda safe?
Tanunda is low-crime. It recorded 95 offences, a rate of 20.2 per 1,000 residents, modest for a regional service town. Only 7.3% of the 4,710 residents need daily assistance, and the area scores decile 6 on the IRSD disadvantage index, above the midpoint.
Is Tanunda good for property investment?
The case is mixed. Rents rose 30.4% over the decade and sit at $300 a week, but only 21.2% of residents rent and vacancy is high at 9.2%. With population growth of 0.38% a year, returns lean on capital growth rather than a deep tenant pool or yield.
How is Tanunda's population changing?
Growth is slow at 0.38% a year, about 18 people, with a 5.7% rise over 10 years. The profile is aging fast: the senior share rose 7.5 points and the working-age share fell 3.7 points, lifting the median age to 48, eight years above national.
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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