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Suburb Insights · SA 5291

Dismal Swamp, SA 5291 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Dismal Swamp is a regional centre in South Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 63, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 362 km from the Adelaide CBD, Dismal Swamp is a regional area in South Australia. The median household income is $99,632 per year.

Investment Score

42 / 100 Moderate

Dismal Swamp benefits from a high-income resident base, supporting premium property pricing. As a regional location, growth prospects depend on local economic conditions and infrastructure investment.

Location

Adelaide
Dismal Swamp
South Australia · 5291
362 km from Adelaide CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
5291

Official Australia Post postcode for Dismal Swamp. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
63

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$150/wk

Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.

Median household income
$99,632/yr

Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.

Distance to CBD
362 km

Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
1

Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
1

Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,417/mo

Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.

Home type
80% houses

Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.

Investment Insight

Dismal Swamp is a smaller community of 63 — about 2% of the South Australia suburb median (3,699) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Median household income of $99,632/year runs 23% above the South Australia suburb median of $80,964, indicating strong purchasing power and the type of demographic profile that tends to sustain premium property prices through market cycles. Weekly rent of $150 covers just 46% of the median $1,417/month mortgage repayment, leaving a $767/month gap — investors should only pursue this suburb with a clear capital-growth thesis and sufficient external income to fund the shortfall. Dismal Swamp is 362 km from Adelaide, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.

Dismal Swamp vs South Australia Median

How Dismal Swamp stacks up against the median of all South Australia suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Dismal Swamp sits above the state median; negative means below.

MetricDismal SwampSA medianΔ vs state
Population633,699-98%
Median household income$99,632/yr$80,964/yr+23%
Median rent (weekly)$150$320-53%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,417$1,616-12%
Distance to CBD362 km13 km+2685%
Separate houses80%73%+7pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Dismal Swamp — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 63 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider South Australia market over full cycles.

Rental Yield

Weak cash flow: $150/week rent covers only 46% of the $1,417/month median mortgage — a $767/month gap that must be funded from other income. This suburb is a capital-growth play, not a yield play.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 80% houses in a 63-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Dismal Swamp property

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30-year projections for Dismal Swamp

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Dismal Swamp are modest for 2026 — incomes 23% above the SA median of $80,964 and a population of 63 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~46% of the typical mortgage ($650/month rent vs $1,417/month repayment), meaning investors will rely on capital growth rather than yield. The EquitySight investment score of 42/100 places Dismal Swamp in the mid tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dismal Swamp a good suburb for investment?

Dismal Swamp scores 42/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 63, median household income of $99,632/year and median weekly rent of $150. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.

What drives property demand in Dismal Swamp?

The main demand drivers in Dismal Swamp are an above-state-median household income of $99,632/year, a dwelling mix that is 80% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.

What is the population of Dismal Swamp?

Dismal Swamp has a usual resident population of approximately 63, compared with a South Australia suburb median of 3,699 — placing it in the lower half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.

How far is Dismal Swamp from the Adelaide CBD?

Dismal Swamp sits 362 km straight-line from the Adelaide CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.

What is the median rent in Dismal Swamp?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $150 in Dismal Swamp, equating to approximately $7,800/year in gross rental income (state median $320/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.

What is the typical mortgage repayment in Dismal Swamp?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Dismal Swamp is $1,417, or approximately $17,004/year (vs $1,616/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.

Is Dismal Swamp cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $150 works out to $650/month, covering 46% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,417/month. That leaves a $767/month shortfall (around $9,204/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.

What are the main risks of investing in Dismal Swamp?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (63 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,417 median mortgage, the broader South Australia market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.

How we built this Dismal Swamp profile

Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.

Nearby Suburbs

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