Morphettville, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Morphettville is a suburb in Adelaide's south-west, within the City of Marion, and both the suburb and its best-known feature take their name from Sir John Morphett, a prominent figure among South Australia's early colonists. That feature is the Morphettville Racecourse, the principal home of thoroughbred horse racing in Adelaide, which dominates the northern part of the suburb. The Sturt River threads through the more residential south. Near the corner of Morphett Road and Oaklands Road stands a major bus depot, on a site that once held the Metro Drive-in, in its day the largest drive-in cinema in Adelaide. The suburb is also home to the Morphettville Park Football Club at Kellett Reserve and to the Marion Leisure and Fitness Centre, a busy local recreation hub.
Less advantaged than the national average
Morphettville is more socio-economically advantaged than about 38% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 967, 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.
Morphettville at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,686
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $1,414
- SEIFA score
- 967
- Coordinates
- -34.9845, 138.5431
Morphettville demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Morphettville 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 32%, 38% of homes are rented, and 27% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 526 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 411 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,169 | 32% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 745 | 20% |
| Seniors (65+) | 833 | 23% |
Share of the 3,684 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 379 | 24% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 545 | 35% |
| Rented | 589 | 38% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 855 | 55% |
| Townhouses & semis | 394 | 25% |
| Flats & apartments | 302 | 19% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,555 occupied private dwellings in Morphettville.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,667
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,027
- Median weekly personal income
- $743
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 973 (27%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 758 (21%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 88 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,832 (60%)
- Labour-force participation
- 59.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,029
- Employed part-time
- 667
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 Morphettville
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Morphettville 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 Morphettville
Where is Morphettville?
Morphettville is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Morphettville?
At the 2021 Census, Morphettville had a population of about 3,686.
Is Morphettville an advantaged area?
Morphettville has an ABS SEIFA score of 967, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 38 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 38% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Morphettville?
Morphettville 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).
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