Mount Barker (SA)
SAMount Barker (SA) is a growing suburb in SA with 18,330 residents.
- SAL code
- 40932
- SA2
- 401021007
- Population
- 18,330
- LGA
- Mount Barker
Mount Barker (SA), SA had 18,330 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 26.4% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 36. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,603 a month. Around 66.0% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned with a mortgage at 42.6%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 91.7% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 60 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Mount Barker (SA), SA at a glance
Mount Barker is the largest town in the Adelaide Hills, ~33 km southeast of Adelaide CBD via the M1 freeway, and the seat of the Mount Barker District Council. Once a farming town, it's now one of SA's fastest-growing residential areas with a regional-centre economy: seven shopping centres, a hospital, and a council-led City Centre rebuild underway. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Mount Barker reads as a regional town that's becoming a small city. Older heritage cottages near the railway station sit alongside newer estates pushing east toward Bald Hills and Hartmann Roads. Mount Barker Central (the old Bilo Mall) anchors retail with Coles and Kmart plus 50+ specialty stores, and there are six other centres scattered through town. Laratinga Wetlands give you 18 km of walking and cycling trails on the eastern edge, the Saturday farmers' market runs year-round, and the SteamRanger heritage railway still leaves from the historic station. Schools are well-served: Cornerstone College (Lutheran R-12), St Francis de Sales College (Catholic R-12, ~752 students), and Mount Barker High. Adelaide CBD is ~35 minutes via the M1; the freeway interchange + roundabout works mean expect roadworks to ease over 2026. In short: a real-town lifestyle with bush, wetlands and country-market character, but with the freeway commute and the build-out tempo of an outer-metro suburb.
For investors
Mount Barker has been one of SA's standout growth markets. Median house $780,000 against $600/week rent gives a 3.98% gross yield (units $605,000 / $550 = 4.21%) per Your Investment Property (May 2026). 12-month capital growth +13.45% houses, +13.62% units. Vacancy 0.78%, days-on-market 34 (houses) / 31 (units). 521 house and 45 unit sales in 12 months — a deep, liquid market for a regional centre.
Strengths
- Strong recent capital growth (~+13% YoY across both houses and units, YIP May 2026).
- Tight rental market — 0.78% vacancy and consistent leasing demand from in-migration.
- Deep transaction market (~566 sales/yr) — easy entry and exit for a regional-centre suburb.
- Federal First Home Guarantee price cap of $900K still includes most Mount Barker stock, sustaining first-home-buyer demand.
Trade-offs
- Yields modest at ~4% — not a cashflow play; capital-growth thesis carries the return.
- Days-on-market longer than Adelaide-metro tight markets (34 days houses) — patience needed on resale.
- Council 2025/26 budget is $203M with substantial new-estate enabling works — the supply pipeline (Hartmann/Paech/Sims road designs, ongoing development register) means future stock could compress growth from these levels.
What's coming
Mount Barker District Council adopted a $203M budget for 2025/26. The City Centre project (town square + retail + civic + co-working) starts construction early 2026 with $2M state funding secured. Stage one of the Summit Aquatic and Leisure Centre opened August 2025. Bollen Road upgrade ($2.25M) runs Oct 2025-May 2026. DIT's Adelaide Road roundabout upgrade is in build, finishing late 2026.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a regional town with hills lifestyle, decent schools and a freeway commute that's easing as roadworks complete. For investors: a recent-growth + tight-vacancy story with modest yield, watched against a real council-driven supply pipeline.
Population
?18,330
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+26.4%
3yr: +14.1% · 10yr: +56.6%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,624/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
36
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?6/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?4.0%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
9
2 primary, 1 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?18
9 long day, 7 OSHC
Parks & green space
?60
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?52
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?53
Mount Barker · Feb 2026
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from SA police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Mount Barker (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Mount Barker (SA) suburb alone is ~18,330 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 10,820 to 26,939 over 24 years, averaging 3.9% per year.
Schools
9 in suburbSector
9 public
Type
2 primary · 1 secondary · 2 special
Total enrolment
1,744(3 of 9 reporting)
Avg per school
581
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Littlehampton Primary School0.2%
- Hahndorf Primary School 0.1%
Secondary
No catchment
Source: SA Department for Education — School Zones (primary + high). Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 4.0%Almost entirely detached houses (91.7%), mixed tenure (66.0% own or mortgage), built for families (51% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
SA 28%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: SA DHUD Bushfire Protection Areas
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
Source: SA DEW Flood Mapping
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Planning zones
17 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| RURAL | RuralRural | 34.1% | 12.92 km² |
| MASTER_PLANNED_NEIGHBOURHOOD | Master Planned NeighbourhoodResidential | 30.6% | 11.59 km² |
| NEIGHBOURHOOD | NeighbourhoodResidential | 13.5% | 5.12 km² |
| RURAL_NEIGHBOURHOOD | Rural NeighbourhoodResidential | 6.4% | 2.42 km² |
| COMMUNITY_FACILITIES | Community FacilitiesSpecial use | 3.8% | 1.44 km² |
| RURAL_LIVING | Rural LivingRural | 3.4% | 1.28 km² |
| HOUSING_DIVERSITY_NEIGHBOURHOOD | Housing Diversity NeighbourhoodResidential | 2.5% | 0.93 km² |
| EMPLOYMENT | EmploymentIndustrial | 1.3% | 0.48 km² |
| RECREATION | RecreationRecreation | 1.1% | 0.42 km² |
| CONSERVATION | ConservationEnvironmental | 1.0% | 0.36 km² |
| URBAN_ACTIVITY_CENTRE | Urban Activity CentreBusiness | 0.9% | 0.35 km² |
| OPEN_SPACE | Open SpaceRecreation | 0.8% | 0.32 km² |
| SUBURBAN_MAIN_STREET | Suburban Main StreetBusiness | 0.2% | 0.07 km² |
| URBAN_NEIGHBOURHOOD | Urban NeighbourhoodResidential | 0.2% | 0.06 km² |
| ESTABLISHED_NEIGHBOURHOOD | Established NeighbourhoodResidential | 0.1% | 0.04 km² |
| PRODUCTIVE_RURAL_LANDSCAPE | Productive Rural LandscapeRural | 0.1% | 0.04 km² |
| LOCAL_ACTIVITY_CENTRE | Local Activity CentreBusiness | 0.1% | 0.04 km² |
Source: SA Planning and Design Code Zones (ZONE_SA/2026-04-30/7965b1556505eb71) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.