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SA · Council TBC

Pelican Lagoon

Est. population · Jun 2025

51

Growth (1 yr)

+2.0%

Growth (5 yr)

+6.3%

Median age

68

Median income

$833/wk

Employment rate

35.6%

University qualified

47.9%

Work from home

23.5%

Languages at home

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Beach
  • Green suburb
  • Rural living
What Pelican Lagoon is known for: Beach, Green suburb, Rural living

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Pelican Lagoon, SA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Pelican Lagoon, SA Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/sa/pelican-lagoon

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Suburb profile

Pelican Lagoon is a rural locality in South Australia. It is close to the Kangaroo Island and the Dudley Peninsula.

Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group, placing it among the highest-ranked rural localities, and mapped flood cover is another area where the suburb performs particularly well, and green cover is another of the suburb's defining strengths, and population has been growing faster than in comparable places. Employment rates sit below those of comparable places, with employment 42% below the peer median.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising university qualifications and daily services over employment.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Rural locality · compared with rural localities in South Australia (602)

Strengths

  • University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group
  • Mapped flood cover is a relative strength
  • Green cover is a relative strength
  • Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Employment rates sit below those of comparable places

What stands out

  • Pelican Lagoon Beach
  • Kangaroo Island
  • Dudley Peninsula

Who it suits

  • StudentsInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Pelican Lagoon compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$240/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

51

+2.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

50.0%

Census unoccupied dwellings

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Crime rate

29th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

93rd

percentile in SA

Rented dwellings

0%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

5/10

national SEIFA decile

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Population

Estimated resident population

51(June 2025)

+2.0% annual · +6.3% over 5 years · 93th percentile in SA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+2.0%
5-year growth
+6.3%
Change in 1 year
+1
Change in 5 years
+3
Growth rank in SA
93th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~50), extrapolated at +1.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
48
Median age
68
Median household income / week
$833
Dwelling vacancy
50%
Unoccupied private dwellings
20 of 40
Median monthly mortgage
$780
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$240
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
68.4% / 31.6% / 0%
Employment rate
35.6%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
23.5% / 0% / 41.2%
Walked or cycled to work
0%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
19 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

47.9% of adults have a university degree, compared with 22.6% across South Australia. 14.6% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified47.9% · 22.6% SA
  • Diploma qualified10.4% · 8.6% SA
  • Trade / vocational14.6% · 17.5% SA
  • Year 12 or below27.1% · 51.2% SA

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Education39.1%
  • Engineering and related technologies21.7%
  • Agriculture and environment13%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services13%
  • Society and culture13%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Community & culture

33.3% born overseas

Language at home
41 English only · 0 other
Non-English at home
0%
Born overseas
14 (33.3%)
Australian citizens
39

Religion

50%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 50%, while Christianity accounts for 25%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion50%45.2%
Christianity25%40%
Other / not stated25%14.7%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2025–26)
1
Against the person
0
Against property
1
Rate per 1,000 residents
19.6
State crime-rate percentile
28.5th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-50%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
13
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
254.9

Most common offence types

  • Obtain Benefit By Deception1

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Public transport

5 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Hog Bay Rd / Island Beach Rd - South side (Island Beach Clearing)
  • Hog Bay Rd / Mitchell Dr - North side (YMCA Corner)
  • Hog Bay Rd / Mitchell Dr - North side (YMCA Corner)
  • Hog Bay Rd / Muston Rd - North side (Muston Corner)
  • Hog Bay Rd / Muston Rd - North side (Muston Corner)

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

4 mapped amenities

3 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
8/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Sport & outdoors(4)
  • Beach (3)
  • Pelican Lagoon Conservation ParkNature reserve

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
43.7%
Woodland / forest cover
43.7%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
12
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
23°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Kangaroo Island Health Service (24.0 km)
Nearest hospital type
Public Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
1
Participants per 1,000 residents
19.6

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
23° / 15°
Rainfall
55 mm · ~7 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
19° / 13°
Rainfall
129 mm · ~16 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
14° / 9°
Rainfall
260 mm · ~32 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
18° / 11°
Rainfall
135 mm · ~17 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from PlanSA register and EPA licensed activities.

2026· 3 proposals

  • August 2026

  • Construction of six (6) tourist accommodation cabins and a single storey dwelling, above ground rainwater tank (300KL) and road upgrade for driveway access
    LOT 1 SOUTHERN CLIFFS RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Under Assessment

  • March 2026

  • Construction of a storage shed and associated earthworks for driveway access
    LOT 1 SOUTHERN CLIFFS RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Decision Made

  • February 2026

  • Single storey detached dwelling (tiny home) with deck and verandah
    LOT 51 HOG BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Under Assessment
2025· 1 proposal

  • July 2025

  • Tourist accommodation comprising four (4)one-bedroom cabins, shared guest shower and toilet block, separate shared kitchen, 22,500 litre water tank and forming of unmade road reserve.
    LOT 162 MITCHELL DR PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Under Assessment
2024· 2 proposals

  • July 2024

  • Tourism facility comprising 20 accommodation cabins (one cabin to be used for worker accommodation), a single storey shop building (restaurant with outdoor dining) with perimeter decking, an entry stone wall (advertising display) and associated infrastructure including driveways and access tracks, car parking, rainwater tanks and wastewater treatment and dispersal
    3728 HOG BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Under Assessment

  • June 2024

  • Three tourist accommodation studios, associated driveway and 100,000 litre water tank
    LOT 407 RATCLIFF TRK PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Under Assessment
2023· 6 proposals

  • December 2023

  • Land Division (1 into 2)
    LOT 202 HOG BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Decision Made

  • September 2023

  • Construction of single storey dwelling, outbuilding (garage) and four (4) tourist accommodation cabins and associated rainwater tanks for domestic water supply and fire-fighting
    LOT 118 HOG BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Under Assessment

  • July 2023

  • Single storey detached dwelling with two (2) 25,000 litre water tanks
    LOT 3 HOG BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Decision Made
  • Construction of additional bedroom, ensuite and storeroom to existing two bedroom residence. Existing main bedroom and ensuite to be converted into dressing room and walkway respectively
    134 RATCLIFF TRK PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Decision Made
  • Construction of inground swimming pool and associated safety features
    134 RATCLIFF TRK PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Decision Made
  • Construction of a domestic outbuilding
    416 MUSTON RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Decision Made
2022· 5 proposals

  • November 2022

  • Replacement of old timber public access stairs to Fibre Reinforced Polymer Stairs to current standards
    LOT 487 PENNINGTON BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Decision Made

  • August 2022

  • Tourist accommodation park comprising ten (10) glamping tents with associated decking, amenities block, refuge building, water storage tanks and associated driveway access and car parking.
    3522 HOG BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Under Assessment

  • July 2022

  • Demolition of existing dwelling and construction of a single storey detached dwelling (replacement dwelling) and above-ground rainwater tank
    2874 HOG BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Under Assessment

  • March 2022

  • Construction of carport extension from an existing shed.
    3162 HOG BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Decision Made

  • February 2022

  • Extension of existing deck
    86 PENNINGTON BAY RD PELICAN LAGOON SA 5222Decision Made

Data sources & freshness

Heritage

5 heritage places

  • CottagePELICAN LAGOONLocal heritage
  • Dwelling (former farmhouse)Hog Bay Road PELICAN LAGOONLocal heritage
  • Prospect HillHog Bay Road near Pelican Lagoon HAINESLocal heritage
  • Salt Lake CottageHog Bay Road PELICAN LAGOONLocal heritage
  • Threshing Floor, Pelican Lagoon Conservation ParkPelican Lagoon, near AMERICAN RIVERState heritage

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
99.3% of suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid against all current SA Planning risk layers (high, medium, general, urban interface, regional, outback). Flood cover is the share of the suburb boundary overlapping current SA Planning flood overlays (flooding and evidence required). Safer places from CFS designated locations.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Mayo
Member of Parliament
Rebekha SHARKIE (Centre Alliance)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
137,818
Turnout (2025)
94.2%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+3.4 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 45.0%Labor 55.0%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 62.5 km away).

Coalition 57.1%Labor 42.9%

12.1 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -6.8 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • American RiverLabor 42.5% · Coalition 57.5% TPP (2025)6.7 km away
  • PenneshawLabor 50.6% · Coalition 49.4% TPP (2025)15.7 km away
  • Special Hospital Team 5Labor 25.0% · Coalition 75.0% TPP (2025)24.9 km away
  • KingscoteLabor 44.9% · Coalition 55.1% TPP (2025)25.4 km away
  • DelamereLabor 46.0% · Coalition 54.0% TPP (2025)44.5 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
5/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness