Athelstone, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Athelstone is a suburb on the north-eastern edge of Adelaide, about 10 km from the city centre in the City of Campbelltown, where the plains meet the foothills of the Adelaide Hills. The River Torrens borders the suburb, and Gorge Road runs west to east through it before climbing towards Kangaroo Creek Dam. The first Europeans known to have passed through were the explorers John Hill and George Imlay, who camped beside the Torrens in 1838 on their way to the Murray. Drawn by the fertile alluvial soils, settlers soon took up farming, and the suburb's name comes from Athelstone house and mill, built by Charles Dinham in the mid-1840s; a later owner converted the mill for grape crushing in 1855. Long a district of orchards and market gardens, Athelstone was largely absorbed into suburban Adelaide only in the second half of the twentieth century, and it remains bordered by the bushland of Black Hill Conservation Park.
More advantaged than the national average
Athelstone is more socio-economically advantaged than about 77% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1037, 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.
Athelstone at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 9,601
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,941
- SEIFA score
- 1037
- Coordinates
- -34.8719, 138.7071
Athelstone demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Athelstone 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 28%, 13% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,555 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,124 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,322 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,672 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,927 | 20% |
Share of the 9,600 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,558 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,456 | 41% |
| Rented | 453 | 13% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,994 | 85% |
| Townhouses & semis | 461 | 13% |
| Flats & apartments | 79 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,538 occupied private dwellings in Athelstone.
- Median weekly rent
- $360
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Average household size
- 2.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,267
- Median weekly personal income
- $829
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,693 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 2,344 (25%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 60 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,963 (65%)
- Labour-force participation
- 66.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.3%
- Employed full-time
- 2,961
- Employed part-time
- 1,955
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 Athelstone
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Athelstone is January (average daytime high around 28.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 13°C). The area receives roughly 850 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.9°C | 16.1°C | 31 mm |
| Feb | 27.5°C | 15.4°C | 28 mm |
| Mar | 25.2°C | 14.3°C | 23 mm |
| Apr | 21.2°C | 12°C | 55 mm |
| May | 16.4°C | 9.4°C | 90 mm |
| Jun | 13.7°C | 7.3°C | 112 mm |
| Jul | 13°C | 6.4°C | 132 mm |
| Aug | 13.8°C | 6.6°C | 141 mm |
| Sep | 16.6°C | 8°C | 87 mm |
| Oct | 20.6°C | 10.1°C | 63 mm |
| Nov | 23°C | 11.7°C | 58 mm |
| Dec | 26.5°C | 13.9°C | 30 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Athelstone
Where is Athelstone?
Athelstone is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Athelstone?
At the 2021 Census, Athelstone had a population of about 9,601.
Is Athelstone an advantaged area?
Athelstone has an ABS SEIFA score of 1037, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 77 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 77% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Athelstone?
Athelstone has average daytime highs of about 20.5°C and overnight lows of about 10.9°C, with roughly 850 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Athelstone?
Athelstone is one of the most populous suburbs in South Australia — the 23rd-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 9,601 usual residents).
Where Athelstone ranks
Athelstone appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in South Australia#23 of 25
Nearby suburbs in South Australia
More suburb guides in South Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.