Bridgewater vs GlenaltaTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Bridgewater (SA 5155) is approximately 19 km south-east of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Hills. Glenalta (SA 5052) is approximately 13 km south-east of the Adelaide CBD, in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges. At the 2021 Census, Bridgewater had 3,719 residents with a median age of 40, and Glenalta had 2,039 residents with a median age of 42.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Bridgewater and 1% in Glenalta, while 10% of Bridgewater households rented compared with 9% in Glenalta. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
SA 5155 · Adelaide Hills
Bridgewater
Bridgewater is an Adelaide Hills town on the Melbourne rail corridor where no trains stop, built almost entirely of detached houses with few rentals.
Adelaide Hills Council. Approximately 19 km south-east of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Hills.
Read the full Bridgewater guideSA 5052 · Adelaide foothills
Glenalta
Glenalta is a small foothills suburb beside Belair National Park with its own station, where separate houses make up almost 96 per cent of homes.
City of Mitcham. Approximately 13 km south-east of the Adelaide CBD, in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Read the full Glenalta guide
What buying in Bridgewater and Glenalta would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Bridgewater and Glenalta.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Bridgewater to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Glenalta to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Bridgewater and Glenalta: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Bridgewater | Glenalta |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,719 | 2,039 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 40 | 42 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,042 | $1,968 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $400 | $380 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,733 | $1,811 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 10% | 9% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 53% | 49% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 35% | 40% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 99% | 96% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 1% | 3% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 1% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 16% | 9% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 33% | 36% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 6% | 3% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Bridgewater and Glenalta
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Bridgewater
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Building insurance in mapped bushfire areas can differ markedly in price and terms, and lenders require cover at settlement.
- A Bushfire Attack Level assessment drives construction standards, and MBS008 applies in designated areas.
- More than half of households with a stated tenure had a mortgage, so repayment sensitivity is high.
- Cox Creek runs through the area, so flood and watercourse overlays may apply in parts of the town.
- Attached and apartment stock is effectively unavailable, with only 15 townhouses and three flats recorded.
Glenalta
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Building insurance in mapped bushfire areas can differ in price and terms, and lenders require cover in place at settlement.
- A Bushfire Attack Level assessment drives construction standards, and habitable development in higher hazard areas is referred to the CFS.
- Sloping, vegetated blocks vary in access and usable land, so valuations of similar houses can differ.
- The suburb is small, with 772 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, so comparable sales evidence can be limited.
- Only 8.7 per cent of households with a stated tenure rented, so investors face a thin tenant pool of full-sized houses.
Housing stock in Bridgewater and Glenalta compared
Bridgewater
- Detached hills houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,380 at the 2021 Census, 98.7 per cent of occupied homes, one of the highest shares in Adelaide.
- Three and four bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 706 dwellings had three bedrooms and 369 had four, with 86 having five or more.
- Attached dwellings
- Only 15 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings and three flats were counted at the 2021 Census.
Glenalta
- Detached houses on sloping blocks
- Separate houses numbered 739 at the 2021 Census, 95.7 per cent of occupied homes, mostly on generous vegetated allotments.
- Mid-century homes from the 1950s and 1960s
- The subdivisions of that period account for much of the stock, and raise the inspection issues typical of the era.
- Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings
- Only 25 were counted at the 2021 Census, so attached housing is effectively a niche within the suburb.
Official sale price and rent figures for Bridgewater and Glenalta
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Bridgewater
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Bridgewater, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Glenalta
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Glenalta, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Bridgewater and Glenalta
Bridgewater
Transport
- South Eastern Freeway (road)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Belair Station (train)
- Mount Barker Road (road)
Amenities
- Bridgewater Mill
- Bridgewater town park
- Heysen Trail
Glenalta
Transport
- Glenalta Station (train)
- Routes 195, 195F, 196 and 196F (bus)
- Routes 893 and 894 (bus)
- Blackwood Interchange (bus)
Amenities
- Belair National Park
- Blackwood shopping precinct
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the South Australia education department.
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Request a free assessment: Bridgewater or Glenalta
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Bridgewater and Glenalta, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.