Happy Valley (SA), SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Happy Valley is a metropolitan suburb in Adelaide's south, about twenty kilometres from the city centre, best known for the Happy Valley Reservoir and the large water-treatment plant beside it, which supplies much of metropolitan Adelaide. Despite being ringed by suburbs, it keeps a semi-rural feel thanks to the native vegetation, parklands and golf courses around the reservoir. The area was originally known by the Kaurna name Warekila, said to mean place of changing winds. Its English name is attributed to Edward Burgess, a Methodist settler who arrived at Holdfast Bay in 1837 and made his home here over the following years; by 1866 Happy Valley was described as a small agricultural settlement, with wheat farming soon joined by wine-grape growing. When the reservoir was built, the original township, school and cemetery were relocated to make way for the water. The name was applied to a subdivision from the late 1950s, and steady growth followed as the metropolitan area expanded southward.
Around the national middle
Happy Valley (SA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 56% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 997, 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.
Happy Valley (SA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 11,420
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $1,573
- SEIFA score
- 997
- Coordinates
- -35.0713, 138.5778
Happy Valley (SA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Happy Valley (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 young adults (25–44) at 25%, 11% of homes are rented, and 19% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,942 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,220 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,868 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,811 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,583 | 23% |
Share of the 11,424 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,512 | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,090 | 47% |
| Rented | 473 | 11% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4,014 | 90% |
| Townhouses & semis | 445 | 10% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,459 occupied private dwellings in Happy Valley (SA).
- Median weekly rent
- $360
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,961
- Median weekly personal income
- $773
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,125 (19%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 742 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 113 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 5,025 (55%)
- Labour-force participation
- 62.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.1%
- Employed full-time
- 3,251
- Employed part-time
- 2,150
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 Happy Valley (SA)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Happy Valley (SA) 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).
Common questions about Happy Valley (SA)
Where is Happy Valley (SA)?
Happy Valley (SA) is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Happy Valley (SA)?
At the 2021 Census, Happy Valley (SA) had a population of about 11,420.
Is Happy Valley (SA) an advantaged area?
Happy Valley (SA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 997, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 56 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 56% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Happy Valley (SA)?
Happy Valley (SA) 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 Happy Valley (SA)?
Happy Valley (SA) is one of the most populous suburbs in South Australia — the 12th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 11,420 usual residents).
Where Happy Valley (SA) ranks
Happy Valley (SA) appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in South Australia#12 of 25
Nearby suburbs in South Australia
More suburb guides in South Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.