Modbury, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Modbury is a suburb in Adelaide's north-east, in the City of Tea Tree Gully. It sits at the end of the Adelaide O-Bahn busway and is home to the Tea Tree Plaza shopping centre and Modbury Hospital. The suburb was named by R. S. Kelly on the first of September 1840, after his home town of Modbury in Devonshire, England. Robert Simon Kelly bought land at Upper Dry Creek and called his property Treehill, though it became generally known as Modbury Farm, and the village of Modbury grew up on his land from the late 1850s. At the centre of the suburb is Civic Park, a large open reserve across the road from Tea Tree Plaza that is a popular spot for barbecues and picnics in summer.
Less advantaged than the national average
Modbury is more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 953, 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.
Modbury at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,593
- Median age
- 37
- Median weekly household income
- $1,342
- SEIFA score
- 953
- Coordinates
- -34.8362, 138.6879
Modbury demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Modbury 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 33%, 31% of homes are rented, and 40% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 844 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 689 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,827 | 33% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,138 | 20% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,094 | 20% |
Share of the 5,592 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 655 | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 734 | 33% |
| Rented | 691 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,668 | 76% |
| Townhouses & semis | 410 | 19% |
| Flats & apartments | 125 | 6% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,207 occupied private dwellings in Modbury.
- Median weekly rent
- $315
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,430
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,648
- Median weekly personal income
- $683
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,124 (40%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,825 (34%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 86 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,668 (58%)
- Labour-force participation
- 59.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.8%
- Employed full-time
- 1,537
- Employed part-time
- 969
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 Modbury
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Modbury 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 Modbury
Where is Modbury?
Modbury is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Modbury?
At the 2021 Census, Modbury had a population of about 5,593.
Is Modbury an advantaged area?
Modbury has an ABS SEIFA score of 953, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 31 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Modbury?
Modbury 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).
Nearby suburbs in South Australia
More suburb guides in South Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.