Gawler (SA), SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Gawler is South Australia's oldest country town, lying about 40 kilometres north of Adelaide where the North Para and South Para rivers meet to form the Gawler River, and serving as a southern gateway to the Barossa Valley. The surrounding plains are the country of the Kaurna people. Founded in 1839 and named after the colony's second governor, George Gawler, its township plan was laid out that year by William Jacob for the firm of Colonel William Light, the surveyor who had designed Adelaide. The railway reached Gawler in 1857 and later branched into the Barossa, and the town grew on flour milling and engineering works that built agricultural machinery and locomotives. Today Gawler is a commercial centre for the Mid-North on the edge of greater Adelaide.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Gawler (SA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 19% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 926, 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.
Gawler (SA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 668
- Median age
- 57
- Median weekly household income
- $936
- SEIFA score
- 926
- Coordinates
- -34.5986, 138.7444
Gawler (SA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Gawler (SA) 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 seniors (65+) at 35%, 31% of homes are rented, and 24% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 60 | 9% |
| Youth (15–24) | 59 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 104 | 16% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 211 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 231 | 35% |
Share of the 665 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 106 | 31% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 83 | 25% |
| Rented | 105 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 179 | 53% |
| Townhouses & semis | 116 | 34% |
| Flats & apartments | 29 | 9% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 339 occupied private dwellings in Gawler (SA).
- Median weekly rent
- $240
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,200
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,552
- Median weekly personal income
- $597
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 155 (24%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 31 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 22 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 266 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 46.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 8.4%
- Employed full-time
- 151
- Employed part-time
- 94
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 Gawler (SA)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Gawler (SA) is January (average daytime high around 30.3°C) and the coolest is July (around 14.3°C). The area receives roughly 498 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.3°C | 16.7°C | 31 mm |
| Feb | 28.9°C | 16°C | 22 mm |
| Mar | 26.7°C | 14.7°C | 20 mm |
| Apr | 22.7°C | 12.4°C | 41 mm |
| May | 18°C | 9.6°C | 49 mm |
| Jun | 15.1°C | 7.4°C | 54 mm |
| Jul | 14.3°C | 6.8°C | 56 mm |
| Aug | 14.9°C | 6.8°C | 64 mm |
| Sep | 17.8°C | 8.1°C | 49 mm |
| Oct | 22.2°C | 10.5°C | 43 mm |
| Nov | 24.8°C | 12.4°C | 42 mm |
| Dec | 28.2°C | 14.6°C | 27 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Gawler (SA)
Where is Gawler (SA)?
Gawler (SA) is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Gawler (SA)?
At the 2021 Census, Gawler (SA) had a population of about 668.
Is Gawler (SA) an advantaged area?
Gawler (SA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 926, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 19 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 19% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Gawler (SA)?
Gawler (SA) has average daytime highs of about 22°C and overnight lows of about 11.3°C, with roughly 498 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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