Golden Grove vs HighburyTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Golden Grove (SA 5125) is approximately 18 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, near the Adelaide Hills. Highbury (SA 5089) is approximately 13 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, north of the River Torrens. At the 2021 Census, Golden Grove had 10,299 residents with a median age of 44, and Highbury had 6,956 residents with a median age of 41.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Golden Grove and 0% in Highbury, while 19% of Golden Grove households rented compared with 12% in Highbury. 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 5125 · Adelaide's outer north-east
Golden Grove
Golden Grove is a hilly outer north-eastern suburb developed in the 1980s as a public-private joint venture, with large family homes and few rentals.
City of Tea Tree Gully. Approximately 18 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, near the Adelaide Hills.
Read the full Golden Grove guideSA 5089 · Adelaide's north-eastern foothills
Highbury
Highbury is a north-eastern foothills suburb bounded by the River Torrens, with the highest household income of Adelaide's northern suburbs and no flats.
City of Tea Tree Gully. Approximately 13 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, north of the River Torrens.
Read the full Highbury guide
What buying in Golden Grove and Highbury 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 Golden Grove and Highbury.
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 Golden Grove to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Highbury 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.
Golden Grove and Highbury: 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 | Golden Grove | Highbury |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 10,299 | 6,956 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 44 | 41 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.7 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,669 | $2,038 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $320 | $369 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,686 | $1,733 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 19% | 12% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 42% | 45% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 34% | 42% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 85% | 97% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 15% | 3% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 0% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 16% | 5% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 40% | 42% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 3% | 4% |
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 Golden Grove and Highbury
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.
Golden Grove
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Only three flats were counted at the 2021 Census, so apartment stock is effectively unavailable in the suburb.
- Bushfire mapping applies on the outer north-eastern fringe, which affects construction standards and insurance.
- Sloping blocks vary in usable land, access and retaining structures, so valuations of similar houses can differ.
- Encumbrances controlling design and external appearance may remain registered from the joint venture development.
- Only 18.5 per cent of households with a stated tenure rented, so the tenant pool is modest for investors.
Highbury
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- No flats were recorded at the 2021 Census and only 65 townhouses, so low-maintenance housing is scarce.
- The eastern end lies within the Adelaide Hills Face Zone, which restricts development on the face of the ranges.
- Flood and stormwater overlays apply in parts of the River Torrens corridor on the southern border.
- Bushfire mapping in the foothills affects construction standards and insurance, which lenders require at settlement.
- Only 12.2 per cent of households with a stated tenure rented, so the tenant pool is very thin for investors.
Housing stock in Golden Grove and Highbury compared
Golden Grove
- Detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 3,341 at the 2021 Census, 85.1 per cent of occupied homes, mostly built from the 1980s onward.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,346 dwellings had four bedrooms and 240 had five or more, so stock is large by national standards.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- The 577 attached dwellings counted at the 2021 Census give downsizers an option the neighbouring foothills suburbs lack.
Highbury
- Detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,410 at the 2021 Census, 97.1 per cent of occupied homes, among the highest shares in Adelaide.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 835 dwellings had four bedrooms and 204 had five or more.
- Townhouses
- Only 65 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census, and no flats at all.
Official sale price and rent figures for Golden Grove and Highbury
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.
Golden Grove
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Golden Grove, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Highbury
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Highbury, 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 Golden Grove and Highbury
Golden Grove
Transport
- Tea Tree Plaza Interchange (bus)
- O-Bahn busway (bus)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Golden Grove Road (road)
Amenities
- Golden Grove Village
- Tea Tree Plaza
- Golden Grove reserves
Highbury
Transport
- O-Bahn busway (bus)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Lower North East Road (road)
- North East Road (road)
Amenities
- River Torrens Linear Park
- Highbury local shops
- Tea Tree Plaza
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: Golden Grove or Highbury
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