Parafield Gardens
South Australia · Salisbury, Adelaide - North
Live · ABS ERP June 2025
Children under 15 are 20.7% of residents, against 17.0% in the middle South Australia area (Census 2021). The median age is 36, lower than the middle South Australia area (42, Census 2021).
Parafield Gardens has 6 schools (4 government, 2 non-government; ACARA School Profile 2025) and 11 NQS-rated childcare services (ACECQA register). Population is 18,589 (ABS ERP June 2025).
Parafield Gardens at a glance
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Boundaries: ABS Suburbs & Localities 2021. School pins are ACARA's published locations. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors, © CARTO. Open the full SA map →
How the Family-Fit score is built72/100
Family-Fit score
Method published in fullStrong for families - strongest on childcare & early years, weakest on socio-economic profile.
- Schools in the area · 20% of the score
- 71/100
- Childcare & early years · 15% of the score
- 100/100
- Everyday amenities · 15% of the score
- 89/100
- Getting around · 15% of the score
- 100/100
- Housing affordability · 15% of the score
- 43/100
- Families already here · 10% of the score
- 83/100
- Socio-economic profile · 10% of the score
- 0/100
SA median 68/100
6 schools in this SA2 · average government-school ICSEA 955
SA median 70/100
11 NQS-rated services nearby
SA median 78/100
11 parks · no GP mapped (not counted) · 2 supermarkets · 7 playgrounds
SA median 100/100
2 train stations in this SA2 (no train-time data for SA yet)
SA median 53/100
Paying over 30% of income on housing: 16.6% of mortgage-holding households, 30.2% of renting households
SA median 58/100
20.7% of residents are children aged 0–14 · 48.5% of families are couples with children
SA median 33/100
SEIFA IRSAD decile 1 of 10 nationally
The grey marker on each bar is the median across the 164 South Australia areas we publish a score for (state median overall: 63/100). It is context, not a pass mark.
How this score is calculated
Each published figure for the Parafield Gardens SA2 is mapped onto 0–100 by fixed thresholds, then weighted. Inputs with no data here are dropped and the rest rescaled - never scored as zero. Every threshold and weight →
School results, crime and flood or bushfire overlays are not graded into this score. Limits of the score →
What families notice
What families notice
- 11 parks mapped inside this SA2 (OpenStreetMap).
- 6 schools sit inside this SA2 - more choice than most areas this size.
- We don't have official school-zoning data for SA yet (only VIC, NSW and QLD) - confirm zoning directly with the school or department.
- We don't yet have official crime data for SA (only NSW and VIC) - that's a data gap on our side, not a claim this area is safe.
- About 30% of renters here spend over 30% of income on rent - above the standard affordability guideline (ABS Census 2021).
Living in Parafield Gardens: family snapshot
Living in Parafield Gardens
A mid-sized suburb particularly popular with young families. Strong India and Vietnam communities here (2021 Census). Many childcare options nearby - 11 NQS-rated services. Mostly detached family homes.
Parafield Gardens compared with South Australia10 measures
| Measure | Parafield Gardens | SA average | Against SA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children aged 0 to 4 | 6.7% | 5.3% | Higher |
| Children aged 5 to 14 | 14.0% | 11.7% | Higher |
| Couple families with children | 48.5% | 40.7% | Higher |
| One-parent families | 19.9% | 16.7% | Higher |
| Homes owned outright | 28.0% | 33.1% | Lower |
| Homes owned with a mortgage | 40.8% | 36.5% | Higher |
| Homes rented | 28.5% | 27.7% | About the same |
| Separate houses | 89.5% | 78.8% | Higher |
| Flats and apartments | 2.1% | 6.5% | Lower |
| Born overseas | 40.9% | 24.1% | Higher |
Source: ABS Census 2021. The SA figure is the population-weighted average of the 172 SA areas with a published value. "Higher" and "Lower" describe the number only.
About this area and its boundary
Parafield Gardens is a locality in the Salisbury area of South Australia. This profile draws on ABS population and Census figures, the ACARA school register and ACECQA childcare ratings for the Parafield Gardens SA2.
18,589 residents - 20.7% are children under 15, median age 36, the largest overseas-born community is India (8.2%).
This profile uses the ABS Parafield Gardens statistical area (SA2) - the level Australian government data is published at. SA2 boundaries don’t always match suburb boundaries. It covers the gazetted suburb of Parafield Gardens, drawn separately on the map above.
Property market
No free house sale price or 3-bedroom house rent is published for this area. 28.5% of homes are rented, against 27.7% across South Australia.
Homes and households
Source: ABS Census 2021. Where the shares do not add to 100%, the rest is "other" or "not stated".
Housing cost pressuremortgage and rent against income
Housing cost pressure
In Parafield Gardens, 30.2% of renting households spend more than 30% of their income on rent, and 16.6% of households with a mortgage spend more than 30% on repayments - the ABS's stretched-household threshold (Census 2021).
ABS published figures, not our calculation.
- Mortgage over 30% of income
- 16.6%
- Rent over 30% of income
- 30.2%
SA avg 12%
Share of households WITH a mortgage whose repayments take more than 30% of income. That's 409 of 2,223 households with a stated repayment.
SA avg 30.6%
Share of RENTING households whose rent takes more than 30% of income. That's 521 of 1,568 households with a stated rent.
The two figures cover different households (mortgage-holding vs renting), so never add them. How the ABS counts these → Grey marker: SA average (163 for mortgage and 164 for rent). Census 2021 - housing costs have moved since. Not financial advice.
What's being built herenew homes approved, year by year
What's being built here
71 new homes were approved in Parafield Gardens in the year to June 2025. Councils approved 399 new dwellings here across the 6 years to June 2025 - an approval is permission to build, not a home that exists yet.
Approved in the year to June 2025
Middle SA area: 51
Separate houses
Private sector, over the 4 of these 6 years where the breakdown is published
Townhouses & apartments
Private sector, over the 4 of these 6 years where the breakdown is published
Counts are for the whole Parafield Gardens statistical area. What these counts include → Dashed line: the median of 162South Australia areas.
Schools and childcare
6 schools are located in the area. 11 childcare services are on the national register, 9 rated Meeting the National Quality Standard or above.
Government schools in Parafield Gardens
Free government schools your child may attend. Exact school zones aren’t mapped for SA yet, so we can’t confirm which one is yours.
A picture of students’ family backgrounds (ICSEA) - not a ranking or a quality score.
Fee-paying schools can’t be enrolled in by zone - they’re shown for context, not as the area’s school quality.
We show school intake context and catchments, not exam results. We don’t publish a school ranking.
To look beyond Parafield Gardens, every South Australia school is on the Australian schools and catchment zones map.
Schools in Parafield Gardens
- Students
- 1,277
- ICSEA
- 928
- Students
- 671
- ICSEA
- 967
- Students
- 575
- ICSEA
- 968
- Students
- 539
- ICSEA
- 1000
- Students
- 351
- ICSEA
- 1029
- Students
- 259
- ICSEA
- 955
ICSEA reflects student intake context, not teaching quality (1000 = national average). Source: ACARA School Profile 2025. All SA schools →
Childcare: 11 services
National Quality Standard ratings from the ACECQA register, refreshed Oct 2026. Services are matched by suburb name.
Childcare services, ratings and fees11 services
- Exceeding NQSGoodstart Early Learning Parafield GardensCentre-Based Care · 70 places · Parafield GardensRated Mar 2017 · over 3 years old, check for a more recent assessment
- Exceeding NQSLantana KindergartenCentre-Based Care · 45 places · Parafield GardensRated Nov 2015 · over 3 years old, check for a more recent assessment
- Meeting NQSParafield Airport Early Learning CentreCentre-Based Care · 130 places · Parafield GardensRated Feb 2026
- Meeting NQSHoly Family Catholic School Early LearningCentre-Based Care · 80 places · Parafield GardensRated Jun 2026
- Meeting NQSYMCA The Pines OSHCCentre-Based Care · 80 places · Parafield GardensRated Jan 2016 · over 3 years old, check for a more recent assessment
- Meeting NQSParafield Gardens Primary School OSHC / Vacation CareCentre-Based Care · 70 places · Parafield GardensRated Jul 2025
- Meeting NQSParafield Gardens Children's Centre for Early Childhood Development and ParentingCentre-Based Care · 60 places · Parafield GardensRated Aug 2025
- Meeting NQSOur Patch at Karrendi Primary School OSHCCentre-Based Care · 45 places · Parafield GardensRated Jul 2026
- Meeting NQSThe Pines PreschoolCentre-Based Care · 45 places · Parafield GardensRated Apr 2023 · over 3 years old, check for a more recent assessment
- Working Towards NQSEden Academy Parafield GardensCentre-Based Care · 108 places · Parafield GardensRated Feb 2026
- Working Towards NQSThe Pines Community Children's CentreCentre-Based Care · 52 places · Parafield GardensRated Apr 2026
- Centre-based day care
- $13.82/hr
- Outside school hours care
- $8.44/hr
Mean hourly fee across CCS-approved services, December quarter 2025 - Dept of Education, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0. Published at SA3 level (a wider area than this suburb's SA2), so it's an average across Salisbury and surrounds, not this specific service list.
Verify locations before visiting. A rating over 3 years old is flagged. What the NQS ratings mean → Childcare places per child, by suburb →
Who lives here
More people born overseas than South Australia overall: 40.9% of residents, against 24.1% statewide.
Ages of people here
Share of residents in each age band, in years. Source: ABS Census 2021.
How the area is changingCensus 2011 to 2021
Each line is drawn on its own scale, so compare the numbers, not the heights. Source: ABS Census 2011, 2016 and 2021.
Census trends against the middle SA areafull charts
Which way this area is moving
The 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses for Parafield Gardens, counted on today's boundaries.
Since 2011, Parafield Gardens has seen more residents born overseas and more residents speaking another language at home.
- People counted
- +3,154 people since 2011
- Median age
- +1 year since 2011
- Children aged 0–14
- +0.5 pts since 2011
- Born overseas
- +9.6 pts since 2011
- Speak another language at home
- +15.0 pts since 2011
Usual residents counted on Census night.
Half the residents are older than this, half younger.
Share of all residents. The clearest signal of families arriving or moving on.
Share of all residents born outside Australia.
Share of residents who stated a language, speaking one other than English at home.
The dashed line is the median across the South Australia areas we profile. How the three Censuses line up →
Where this year's population change came from-0.40% in a year
Where did the loss come from?
-72Reading the streams: overseas arrivals were the dominant force - more came from abroad than the suburb grew on its own.
Ages against the state average, band by band
Ages of people here
14% of people here are school-age children (5–14) - more than the South Australia average of 11.7%, and 6.7% are under 5. The median age is 36.
- 0–4 years · before school
- 6.7%
- 5–14 years · school age
- 14%
- 15–19 years · teens
- 6.2%
- 20–34 years
- 21.1%
- 35–54 years
- 25.7%
- 55–64 years
- 11.6%
- 65 years and over
- 14.7%
SA avg 5.3%
SA avg 11.7%
SA avg 5.6%
SA avg 19.3%
SA avg 25.3%
SA avg 12.8%
SA avg 20%
Share of all residents of Parafield Gardens (ABS Statistical Area 2) at the 2021 Census; the grey marker is the South Australia average. How the bands and averages work →
Households and families
Households and families
68% of families here have children living at home - more than the South Australia average of 57%. The largest overseas-born communities are India (8.2%), Vietnam (5.1%) and United Kingdom (4.1%). 29% of homes are rented.
Family make-up
Share of all families in the area. A small "other family" group the ABS also counts is not shown.
- Couple with children
- 48.5%
- One-parent family
- 19.9%
- Couple, no children
- 29.6%
SA avg 40.7%
SA avg 16.7%
SA avg 41%
What people live in
Share of occupied private dwellings. Other and unstated structures are not shown.
- Separate house
- 89.5%
- Semi-detached / townhouse
- 8.4%
- Flat or apartment
- 2.1%
SA avg 78.8%
SA avg 14.2%
SA avg 6.5%
Owned or rented
Share of occupied private dwellings. Other and unstated tenures are not shown.
- Owned outright
- 28%
- Owned with a mortgage
- 40.8%
- Rented
- 28.5%
SA avg 33.1%
SA avg 36.5%
SA avg 27.7%
Figures describe Parafield Gardens (ABS Statistical Area 2) at the 2021 Census; the grey marker is the South Australia average. How these are counted →
Birthplaces, languages and communities
Who lives in Parafield Gardens
Top 5 overseas birthplaces shown · 76.6% born in Australia or a country not in the top five.
- India · growing since 2016
- 8.2%
- Vietnam · established by 2016
- 5.1%
- United Kingdom · established by 2016
- 4.1%
- Afghanistan · growing since 2016
- 3.5%
- Philippines · established by 2016
- 2.5%
SA avg 2.4%
SA avg 0.7%
SA avg 6.3%
SA avg 0.4%
SA avg 0.6%
- Co-located communities
- Parafield Gardens is home to established India, Vietnam, United Kingdom, Afghanistan and Philippines communities - each is 2% or more of residents born overseas here, not a ranking of one against another.
- Nearby
- Salisbury, Paralowie and Mawson Lakes - Globe Derby Park also have an established India community.
- Settlement pattern
- Of overseas-born residents who stated when they arrived, 18.9% arrived in the last 5 years (2016–2021) (SA avg 16.4%) and 37.4% arrived before 2001 (SA avg 52.5%).
- English at home
- Of residents who speak a language other than English at home and stated their English proficiency, 21.1% report speaking English “not well” or “not at all” (SA avg 13%) - a self-reported ABS figure across all languages combined, not a judgement of any one community.
Figures describe Parafield Gardens (ABS Statistical Area 2) at the 2021 Census. The ABS publishes only the five largest communities per area, so a missing name did not rank in the top five. How these are counted →
Socio-economic index (SEIFA)decile 1 of 10
- Decile (1 lowest, 10 highest)
- Decile 1 of 10
- Where this sits in SA
- bottom 10% of South Australia areas
A relative comparison of the whole area against all of Australia - not a safety, liveability, or school-quality measure. What IRSAD measures → Source: ABS SEIFA 2021, IRSAD index (SA2).
Getting around and lifestyle
2 supermarkets and 11 parks are mapped in the area, and the nearest emergency department is Lyell McEwin Hospital, 6.2 km away in a straight line.
Mapped inside the Parafield Gardens boundary. A zero can mean "not mapped" rather than "not there". Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Train to the city and nearest emergency department
Train to the city
Not publishedSouth Australia publishes its timetable data behind a free developer account we have not yet set up, so we show no travel time here. This is a gap on our side, not a statement about the transport in this area.
Nearest emergency department
MappedLyell McEwin Hospital · 6.2 km
Straight-line distance from the middle of this area - not a drive time. In an emergency call 000; do not plan around this figure.
Community and recreation
About this data
Counts of features tagged in OpenStreetMap inside the Parafield Gardens boundary. “Middle SA area”: the median of 172 South Australia areas. How these counts and times are made →
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Crime & safety in Parafield Gardens
Official recorded-incident data is only published on this site for NSW and VIC so far - that's a coverage gap on our side, not a claim that Parafield Gardens is safe. SuburbRadar does not rate suburbs as safe or unsafe. More on crime & safety →
Risks
1 of the 1 planning and hazard records we hold show something in this area: traffic noise. 6 more are not published for SA - treat them as not checked.
Traffic noise
Freeway or highway presentPort Wakefield Road · Victoria Drive
Each line is the extent of an official record across the whole Parafield Gardens area - not a risk rating, and a specific address may or may not be affected. Not financial or insurance advice.
All 9 checks and what each one means
Flooding
Not publishedNo free statewide flood overlay is published for SA yet, so we show none. Check the local council's planning maps.
Bushfire
Not publishedWe hold official bushfire mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for SA yet. Check the state fire service's mapping.
Heritage controls
Not publishedWe hold official heritage overlay mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for SA yet. Check the local council's planning scheme and the state heritage register.
Traffic noise
Freeway or highway presentPort Wakefield Road · Victoria Drive
2 named roads through this area carry OpenStreetMap's highest classification - a freeway, motorway or major highway, whatever the road is called locally, alongside 15 named main roads. Roads are counted by name, not by mapped segment. Where a home sits relative to them matters far more than the count - a street two blocks back can be quiet.
Aircraft noise
Not publishedWe hold official aircraft-noise mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for SA yet. Check the airport's noise contours and the local planning scheme.
Land contamination checks
Not mappedWe hold official contaminated-land overlay mapping for Victoria only - nothing is published here for SA yet. Check the state environment authority's contaminated land register and the local planning scheme.
Acid sulfate soils
Not publishedWe hold acid sulfate soil mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for SA yet. Coastal and estuarine land is where these soils occur; check the state's soil mapping and the local planning scheme.
Recorded crime
Not publishedSA does not release the suburb-level incident counts we republish for New South Wales and Victoria, so we show none here.
Social housing
Census figure8.3% rented from a state or territory housing authority · 1.3% from a community housing provider
Share of occupied private dwellings here with a stated tenure (Census 2021). The middle SA area is 2.4% public and 1.0% community, across 166 areas. Listed because families ask; it is a fact about who owns the homes, not a judgement about the people in them.
About this data
Every line is an official published record for the Parafield Gardens area - we don't rate, score or rank any of them. Where a line is missing, treat it as not checked rather than clear. What each line covers and does not →
Source: ABS Census 2021 (G37 tenure and landlord type) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) - road classification
Nearby suburbs
- Salisbury 2.5 km
- Paralowie 3.0 km
- Mawson Lakes (Globe Derby Park area) 3.1 km
- Salisbury North 4.1 km
- Para Hills 4.7 km
- Salisbury East 5.0 km
The six closest profiled areas in South Australia, by distance between area centres.
Other areas in Salisburysorted by growth in one year
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