McLaren Vale, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
McLaren Vale is a town about 35 km south of Adelaide, at the heart of one of Australia's best-known wine regions. The valley is thought to have been named after John McLaren, a colonial Land Office surveyor who mapped the district in the 1840s. Two early villages, Gloucester and Bellevue, grew up here and were merged into a single township in 1923. Today the town is almost synonymous with wine, its surrounding district thick with vineyards and cellar doors, and it remains a popular wine-touring destination within easy reach of Adelaide. The Coast to Vines rail trail, which follows the route of a former railway line, runs through the area for walkers and cyclists.
Around the national middle
McLaren Vale is more socio-economically advantaged than about 55% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 995, 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.
McLaren Vale at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,061
- Median age
- 54
- Median weekly household income
- $1,331
- SEIFA score
- 995
- Coordinates
- -35.2047, 138.5522
McLaren Vale demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile McLaren 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 seniors (65+) at 33%, 15% of homes are rented, and 27% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 547 | 13% |
| Youth (15–24) | 353 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 678 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,142 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,341 | 33% |
Share of the 4,061 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 731 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 529 | 32% |
| Rented | 253 | 15% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,402 | 85% |
| Townhouses & semis | 173 | 11% |
| Flats & apartments | 39 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,647 occupied private dwellings in McLaren Vale.
- Median weekly rent
- $328
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,560
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,772
- Median weekly personal income
- $687
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,052 (27%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 166 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 27 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,712 (50%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.4%
- Employed full-time
- 983
- Employed part-time
- 685
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 McLaren Vale
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in McLaren Vale is January (average daytime high around 26.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 13.2°C). The area receives roughly 801 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.7°C | 16.2°C | 32 mm |
| Feb | 25.4°C | 15.8°C | 24 mm |
| Mar | 23.7°C | 14.9°C | 20 mm |
| Apr | 20.5°C | 13.2°C | 47 mm |
| May | 16.5°C | 11.1°C | 96 mm |
| Jun | 14°C | 9.1°C | 114 mm |
| Jul | 13.2°C | 8.4°C | 138 mm |
| Aug | 13.9°C | 8.1°C | 124 mm |
| Sep | 16.2°C | 9.2°C | 73 mm |
| Oct | 19.5°C | 10.8°C | 53 mm |
| Nov | 21.6°C | 12.4°C | 46 mm |
| Dec | 24.5°C | 14.2°C | 34 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about McLaren Vale
Where is McLaren Vale?
McLaren Vale is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of McLaren Vale?
At the 2021 Census, McLaren Vale had a population of about 4,061.
Is McLaren Vale an advantaged area?
McLaren Vale has an ABS SEIFA score of 995, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 55 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 55% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in McLaren Vale?
McLaren Vale has average daytime highs of about 19.6°C and overnight lows of about 11.9°C, with roughly 801 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Nearby suburbs in South Australia
More suburb guides in South Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.