Watervale, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Watervale lies in the Clare Valley of South Australia's Mid North, about 120km north of Adelaide and just south of Clare. It sits on the lands of the Ngadjuri people, who remain the area's traditional and continuing custodians. European settlement began in 1847, and within a few years the valley's potential for wine became clear: a vineyard was planted here in 1852 and wine made by 1856, and historic cellars such as Quelltaler Estate, dating from 1865, still operate. The district's terra rossa soils have made it one of the most admired homes of Australian Riesling. The Riesling Trail, following an old railway line, now draws walkers and cyclists through the vines.
Around the national middle
Watervale is more socio-economically advantaged than about 57% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1000, 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.
Watervale at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 338
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,437
- SEIFA score
- 1000
- Coordinates
- -33.9646, 138.6489
Watervale demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Watervale 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 mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 16% of homes are rented, and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 78 | 23% |
| Youth (15–24) | 24 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 81 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 93 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 66 | 19% |
Share of the 342 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 51 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 45 | 38% |
| Rented | 19 | 16% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 115 | 97% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 118 occupied private dwellings in Watervale.
- Median weekly rent
- $275
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,231
- Average household size
- 2.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,843
- Median weekly personal income
- $778
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 37 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 8 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 10 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 150 (60%)
- Labour-force participation
- 68.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 0.6%
- Employed full-time
- 110
- Employed part-time
- 62
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.
Common questions about Watervale
Where is Watervale?
Watervale is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Watervale?
At the 2021 Census, Watervale had a population of about 338.
Is Watervale an advantaged area?
Watervale has an ABS SEIFA score of 1000, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 57 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 57% of Australian suburbs.
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