Gawler East vs SmithfieldTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Gawler East (SA 5118) is approximately 42 km north of the Adelaide CBD, on rising ground east of Gawler. Smithfield (SA 5114) is approximately 29 km north of the Adelaide CBD, west of Main North Road. At the 2021 Census, Gawler East had 5,689 residents with a median age of 46, and Smithfield had 2,482 residents with a median age of 35.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 2% of occupied dwellings in Gawler East and 1% in Smithfield, while 18% of Gawler East households rented compared with 50% in Smithfield. 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 5118 · Gawler
Gawler East
Gawler East is a town on rising ground east of Gawler, mixing early settlement housing with estates still being developed, and home to Gawler Hospital.
Town of Gawler. Approximately 42 km north of the Adelaide CBD, on rising ground east of Gawler.
Read the full Gawler East guideSA 5114 · Adelaide's northern suburbs
Smithfield
Smithfield is a small northern Adelaide suburb with its own Gawler line station, an original township grid and Munno Para Shopping City on its edge.
City of Playford. Approximately 29 km north of the Adelaide CBD, west of Main North Road.
Read the full Smithfield guide
What buying in Gawler East and Smithfield 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 Gawler East and Smithfield.
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 Gawler East to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Smithfield 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.
Gawler East and Smithfield: 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 | Gawler East | Smithfield |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 5,689 | 2,482 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 46 | 35 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.5 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,569 | $1,049 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $300 | $260 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,508 | $1,100 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 18% | 50% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 43% | 32% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 35% | 16% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 90% | 80% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 8% | 19% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 2% | 1% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 13% | 12% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 38% | 15% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 5% | 6% |
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 Gawler East and Smithfield
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.
Gawler East
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Housing ages range from early settlement to 2010s estates, so comparable sales need care and valuations vary.
- Gawler River floodplain mapping applies across the catchment and can affect building insurance terms.
- Sloping ground affects construction, retaining and access on individual allotments.
- A proposed new road to Evanston Park should not be assumed to be built when assessing future access.
- Construction loans for new estate builds are drawn in stages and valued on an as-if-complete basis.
Smithfield
- First home buyers
- Investors
- The suburb is small, with 906 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, so comparable sales evidence can be thin.
- An industrial zone runs along the railway line, and lenders and valuers may take a more conservative view of security nearby.
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio in areas with a high concentration of former public housing.
- Renting accounted for half of households with a stated tenure, so many purchases are investment lending.
- Stormwater and flood overlays may apply in parts of the Smith Creek corridor on the southern side.
Housing stock in Gawler East and Smithfield compared
Gawler East
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,959 at the 2021 Census, 90.0 per cent of occupied homes, above the national 72.3 per cent.
- Modern estate homes
- Newer housing estates were still being developed into the 2010s, so a share of the stock is comparatively recent.
- Early settlement dwellings
- Some parts of the suburb date from as early as the settlement of Gawler, with the inspection issues of that age.
Smithfield
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 728 at the 2021 Census, 80.4 per cent of occupied homes, spanning the township grid and Housing Trust era areas.
- Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings
- At 173 dwellings, or 19.1 per cent of occupied homes, attached housing is above the national share of 12.6 per cent.
- Three-bedroom homes
- The dominant size at 640 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Gawler East and Smithfield
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.
Gawler East
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Gawler East, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Smithfield
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Smithfield, 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 Gawler East and Smithfield
Gawler East
Transport
- Gawler Central Station (train)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Barossa Valley Way (Lyndoch Road) (road)
- Calton Road (road)
Amenities
- Gawler Hospital
- Gawler town centre
- Gawler East reserves
Smithfield
Transport
- Smithfield Station (train)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Main North Road (road)
- Northern Expressway (road)
Amenities
- Munno Para Shopping City
- Smithfield Hotel
- Augusta Square
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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