Mawson Lakes, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Mawson Lakes is a planned northern suburb of Adelaide, about twelve kilometres from the city, built from the late 1990s on the site of a nineteenth-century sheep-breeding run known as 'The Levels'. This is Kaurna country, part of the Adelaide Plains across which the Kaurna people moved their camps with the seasons. The suburb was laid out around two man-made lakes and named after Sir Douglas Mawson, the geologist and Antarctic explorer; the seven-hectare Sir Douglas Mawson Lake is its centrepiece. From 1998 a partnership between the developer Delfin, the State Government and the City of Salisbury shaped a self-contained, mixed-use community of housing, shops and schools, wrapped around a University of South Australia campus and Technology Park Adelaide — opened in 1982 as Australia's first science park.
More advantaged than the national average
Mawson Lakes is more socio-economically advantaged than about 73% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1029, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Mawson Lakes at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 13,794
- Median age
- 33
- Median weekly household income
- $1,940
- SEIFA score
- 1029
- Coordinates
- -34.8103, 138.6125
Mawson Lakes demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Mawson Lakes using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 36%, 39% of homes are rented, and 43% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,569 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,155 | 16% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 4,998 | 36% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,949 | 21% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,125 | 8% |
Share of the 13,796 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 877 | 17% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,102 | 42% |
| Rented | 1,954 | 39% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,362 | 67% |
| Townhouses & semis | 905 | 18% |
| Flats & apartments | 755 | 15% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 5,051 occupied private dwellings in Mawson Lakes.
- Median weekly rent
- $360
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,659
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,220
- Median weekly personal income
- $915
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 5,865 (43%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 5,788 (43%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 152 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 7,771 (72%)
- Labour-force participation
- 73.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.4%
- Employed full-time
- 4,838
- Employed part-time
- 2,605
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Mawson Lakes
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Mawson Lakes is January (average daytime high around 28.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 14.6°C). The area receives roughly 542 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.7°C | 17.4°C | 32 mm |
| Feb | 27.6°C | 17°C | 23 mm |
| Mar | 25.6°C | 15.8°C | 18 mm |
| Apr | 22.4°C | 13.5°C | 48 mm |
| May | 18.1°C | 11°C | 63 mm |
| Jun | 15.4°C | 8.8°C | 67 mm |
| Jul | 14.6°C | 8°C | 64 mm |
| Aug | 15.3°C | 8.1°C | 69 mm |
| Sep | 17.9°C | 9.6°C | 49 mm |
| Oct | 21.6°C | 11.7°C | 42 mm |
| Nov | 23.9°C | 13.4°C | 41 mm |
| Dec | 26.7°C | 15.4°C | 26 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Mawson Lakes
Where is Mawson Lakes?
Mawson Lakes is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Mawson Lakes?
At the 2021 Census, Mawson Lakes had a population of about 13,794.
Is Mawson Lakes an advantaged area?
Mawson Lakes has an ABS SEIFA score of 1029, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 73 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 73% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Mawson Lakes?
Mawson Lakes has average daytime highs of about 21.5°C and overnight lows of about 12.5°C, with roughly 542 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Mawson Lakes?
Mawson Lakes is one of the most populous suburbs in South Australia — the 10th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 13,794 usual residents).
Where Mawson Lakes ranks
Mawson Lakes appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in South Australia#10 of 25
Nearby suburbs in South Australia
More suburb guides in South Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.