Morphett Vale, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Morphett Vale is a southern suburb of Adelaide within the City of Onkaparinga, and is the most populous suburb in South Australia. It is bordered roughly by Sheriffs and Pimpala Roads, Panalatinga Road, Doctors and Beach Roads and the Southern Expressway. Often described as the first major town south of Adelaide, it grew from a subdivision laid out in October 1840 under the name Dublin, and was later named after John Morphett, an early colonist and parliamentarian. The young town soon had churches and chapels, a brewery, a wind-powered flour mill, a court house and a police station, while the surrounding land carried cereal crops, mixed farms and vineyards; a visitor in 1866 noted its neat residences and fine vineyards. A district council was formed in 1852 and merged with Noarlunga in 1932, and during the Second World War the area was a notable producer of flax. The Willunga railway line ran through the town until 1969 and its route now serves as a walking and cycling path. Extensive subdivision through the 1960s turned the district from farmland into a metropolitan suburb, though the heritage-listed old court house and early churches in William Street still recall its colonial beginnings.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Morphett Vale is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 894, 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.
Is Morphett Vale a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Below the national middle on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 3 components we can score for Morphett Vale from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
11/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (11/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
48/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $295 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 48% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Amenities & access
80/100Plenty mapped nearby
About 102 everyday places (cafés, shops, services and more) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. · OpenStreetMap
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Morphett Vale at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 24,002
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $1,199
- SEIFA score
- 894
- Local government area
- Onkaparinga
- Coordinates
- -35.1208, 138.5284
Map of Morphett Vale
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Morphett Vale
What it costs to live in Morphett Vale and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $295
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,300
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 69%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 28%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Morphett Vale demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Morphett Vale demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Morphett Vale 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 27% and 22% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,973 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,740 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 6,394 | 27% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 5,847 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 5,053 | 21% |
Share of the 24,007 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,741 | 28% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 4,095 | 41% |
| Rented | 2,793 | 28% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 8,406 | 85% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,459 | 15% |
| Flats & apartments | 33 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 9,905 occupied private dwellings in Morphett Vale.
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,480
- Median weekly personal income
- $639
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 4,929 (22%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 2,161 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 555 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 8,631 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.7%
- Employed full-time
- 5,829
- Employed part-time
- 4,043
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 Morphett Vale
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Morphett Vale is January (average daytime high around 27.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 14°C). The area receives roughly 711 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.9°C | 17.5°C | 29 mm |
| Feb | 26.5°C | 17°C | 29 mm |
| Mar | 24.7°C | 16°C | 20 mm |
| Apr | 21.4°C | 14°C | 51 mm |
| May | 17.3°C | 11.7°C | 86 mm |
| Jun | 14.8°C | 9.6°C | 100 mm |
| Jul | 14°C | 8.9°C | 104 mm |
| Aug | 14.7°C | 8.8°C | 95 mm |
| Sep | 17.2°C | 10.2°C | 62 mm |
| Oct | 20.5°C | 11.9°C | 52 mm |
| Nov | 22.7°C | 13.6°C | 52 mm |
| Dec | 25.6°C | 15.6°C | 31 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Places in and around Morphett Vale
Amenities mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre, from OpenStreetMap. A guide to what's nearby — not a complete directory.
Eat & drink
10 nearbyBenny's American Take Away · Mortgage Choice in Morphett Val · Chicken Hutt · Pimpala Pizza · Bills BBQ Chickens & Takeaway · Pizza Blue
Parks & recreation
78 nearbyWilfred Taylor Reserve · Horse thing · BMX Track · City of Onkaparinga Memorial Garden and War Memorial · Public Community Playground · Wilfred Taylor Reserve Nature Playspace
Shops & groceries
3 nearbyFoodland · On the Run · Woolworths
Healthcare
4 nearbyTerryWhite Chemmart · Benson Radiology · Southern Specialist Centre · SPORTSMED·SA Morphett Vale
Schools & education
7 nearbyFlaxmill School P-7 · Morphett Vale East Primary School · Wirreanda Secondary School · Southern Vales Christian College · Pimpala Primary School · Antonio Catholic School
Eat & drink in and around Morphett Vale
Cafés, restaurants, pubs and takeaway mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre. Listings are drawn from OpenStreetMap and shown as plain data — we don't rank or rate them.
Own a café, restaurant or pub around here?
Claim your listing to feature it at the top of this section. Placement is paid advertising, clearly labelled — never editorial opinion.
Claim this listing- Barnacle BillTakeaway
- Benny's American Take AwayRestaurant
- Bills BBQ Chickens & TakeawayRestaurant
- Chicken HuttRestaurant
- Emu HotelPub
- Mortgage Choice in Morphett ValCafé
- Oh CalcuttaRestaurant171 Main South Roadohcalcuttaindian.com.au
- Pimpala PizzaRestaurant
- Pizza BlueRestaurant
- Quartz CafeCafé
Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Own a venue here? Suggest a correction.
Share your local knowledge of Morphett Vale
Lived here or spent time in Morphett Vale? Add a review or a quick tip. Reviews and tips are moderated before they appear.
Common questions about Morphett Vale
Is Morphett Vale a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage, housing affordability and amenities, Morphett Vale rates 38/100 overall (Below the national middle on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Morphett Vale?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Morphett Vale was $295, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,300. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Morphett Vale?
Morphett Vale is a suburb of South Australia, Australia, in the Onkaparinga local government area.
What is the population of Morphett Vale?
At the 2021 Census, Morphett Vale had a population of about 24,002.
Is Morphett Vale an advantaged area?
Morphett Vale has an ABS SEIFA score of 894, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Morphett Vale?
Morphett Vale has average daytime highs of about 20.6°C and overnight lows of about 12.9°C, with roughly 711 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Morphett Vale?
Morphett Vale is one of the most populous suburbs in South Australia — the 2nd-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 24,002 usual residents).
Where Morphett Vale ranks
Morphett Vale appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in South Australia
More suburb guides in South Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.