SA’s pandemic winners and the one SA suburb with long Covid revealed

Home values across SA and metropolitan Adelaide have again risen to record highs over both the past quarter and 12 months, the Valuer-General’s figures for the year’s second quarter reveal.

But for most people, real estate’s a long-term game. It’s an asset they hold and only realise the value growth when they sell it down the track.

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So, The Sunday Mail has crunched the numbers on the latest Valuer-General’s report, revealing those suburbs to have recorded the greatest value jump over the past five years.

And coming out on top – for suburbs to have recorded at least 10 sales for that quarter and the same in 2000 – was Davoren Park, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs. Home values in this suburb have increased by 203 per cent over the past five years, taking the median home value from $188,750 to $572,500 – a rise of a whopping $383,750.

Aerial view of sprawling leafy eastern suburbs of Adelaide with Mt Lofty Ranges in the background

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Elizabeth Downs came in at number two with 183 per cent growth, taking its median from $197,750 in 2020 to $560,000 today – a rise of $362,250.

And while Adelaide’s northern suburbs dominated the top-10 list for growth, there were huge gains seen across the state.
FIND YOUR SUBURB’S MEDIAN VALUE HERE

In Adelaide’s south, both O’Sullivan Beach and Hackham’s medians are up by more than 150 per cent – 163 per cent and 153 per cent respectively – over the past five years.

Eastern suburbs owners are also smiling, with Magill and Newton coming out on top with both recording increases of 72 per cent.

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Of all the homeowners in Adelaide’s western suburbs, those in Somerton Park and Grange saw the biggest value jumps, with Somerton Park homes up 132 per cent and Grange homes up 109 per cent.

And Hills residents – which saw significant surges in home value on the back of increased interest as a result of covid lockdowns – were also winners.

Woodside and Bridgewater homes are the pick of the bunch here, up 153 per cent and 99 per cent respectively.

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Mike Lao, who sells in the northern suburbs said covid had certainly fuelled growth in Adelaide’s north, with gentrification and improved services boosting house prices.

“Covid really brought the north to the attention of many interstate investors, drawn in by their low prices and high rental yields,” he said.

“Local buyers also turned their attention to the north as they were priced out of other suburbs.

“They also realised that, through infrastructure upgrades in the area as part of the government’s growth strategy, places that maybe once had a bit of a stigma now offered a fantastic lifestyle.”

Darryl and Ede at their home in Davoren Park SA. Picture Ben Clark

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Darryl and Ede-Leigh Bothe, who are selling their 4 Cawrse Street, Davoren Park property through Mr Lao, said they have loved their 16 years in the suburb and had seen huge changes in it.

‘The City of Playford is probably one of the fastest-growing council areas in the state, if not the nation, with an average of 10 people moving in every day,” he said.

“And that’s brought about some significant infrastructure upgrades and some real improvement of the image of the area.

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“In the past five or six years it really has skyrocketed in value to the point where our house has probably close to tripled in value in five or six years.

“It’s a great suburb, with real people – our neighbours are lovely and we all look out for each other – we love it here.”

While covid certainly helped most of SA’s markets, fuelling value growth, it seems one suburb has long covid.

Norwood, on the city’s eastern fringe, was the only suburb with at least 10 sales in both 2025 and 2020’s second quarters to have recorded a value loss, with the median value declining $186,700 over that time.

Its median in 20205 was $1.31m, whereas in 2020 it was $1.4967m.