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Holdfast Bay
South Australia · Adelaide - South · 39,719 people · 12 suburbs · 4 postcodes
Holdfast Bay at a glance
Map shows the Holdfast Bay LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.
Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).
Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Federal electorate boundaries can be toggled on the map. Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021 CED boundaries.
Holdfast Bay is a metropolitan Local Government Area in South Australia, in the Adelaide region. It covers 12 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 16 km². Holdfast Bay has a population of 39,719 , ranking #13 most populous in SA. The most populous suburb is Glenelg North (6,594 residents).About 23.5% of residents were born overseas and 10.7% speak a language other than English at home.
Who lives here
Age structure
Show counts
| 0–14 years | 5,378 (13.6%) |
| 15–24 years | 4,118 (10.4%) |
| 25–44 years | 8,970 (22.6%) |
| 45–64 years | 10,784 (27.2%) |
| 65+ years | 10,425 (26.3%) |
How they live
Housing tenure
Dwelling type mix
Work and learning
Schools in Holdfast Bay
10 schools across Holdfast Bay: 60.0% Government, 30.0% Catholic, 10.0% Independent. The SA average is 70.8% / 14.3% / 14.9%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 1088 (range 1064 to 1140). SA median is 999; national mean is 1000.
Sector mix
Type breakdown
ICSEA range
ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.
All 10 schools in Holdfast Bay, sorted by enrolment:
| School | Sector | Type | Suburb | Students | ICSEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacred Heart College | Catholic | Combined | Somerton Park | 2,033 | 1083 |
| Brighton Secondary School | Government | Secondary | North Brighton | 1,737 | 1071 |
| Brighton Primary School | Government | Primary | Brighton | 726 | 1077 |
| Glenelg Primary School | Government | Primary | Glenelg East | 613 | 1078 |
| Paringa Park Primary School | Government | Primary | North Brighton | 515 | 1101 |
| St Peter's Woodlands Grammar School | Independent | Primary | Glenelg | 509 | 1140 |
| McAuley Community School | Catholic | Primary | Hove | 451 | 1099 |
| St Mary's Memorial School | Catholic | Primary | Glenelg | 405 | 1113 |
| St Leonards Primary School | Government | Primary | Glenelg North | 387 | 1064 |
| Seacliff Primary School | Government | Primary | Seacliff | 356 | 1094 |
Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.
SEIFA socio-economic indexes
SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Holdfast Bay. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.
IRSAD
Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage
IRSD
Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)
IER
Economic resources: income, wealth, housing
IEO
Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels
Suburbs in Holdfast Bay
Holdfast Bay contains 12 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.
| Suburb | Postcode | Population | Median income | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenelg North | 5045 | 6,594 | $1,682/wk | 43 |
| Somerton Park | 5044 | 5,811 | $1,633/wk | 48 |
| Glenelg East | 5045 | 3,855 | $1,681/wk | 43 |
| Brighton | 5048 | 3,834 | $1,692/wk | 49 |
| Glenelg | 5045 | 3,440 | $1,430/wk | 55 |
| Hove | 5048 | 3,189 | $1,479/wk | 51 |
| South Brighton | 5048 | 2,763 | $1,601/wk | 44 |
| North Brighton | 5048 | 2,665 | $1,772/wk | 49 |
| Seacliff Park | 5049 | 2,644 | $1,693/wk | 41 |
| Glenelg South | 5045 | 2,184 | $1,561/wk | 52 |
| Seacliff | 5049 | 2,117 | $1,931/wk | 46 |
| Kingston Park | 5049 | 623 | $1,910/wk | 51 |
Postcodes covered
Compare Holdfast Bay with neighbouring LGAs
Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Holdfast Bay and its closest neighbouring LGAs.
| LGA | Population | Median age | SEIFA IRSAD | % renting | % overseas-born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holdfast Bay (SA) | 39,719 | 47.1 | 1045 | 30.0% | 23.5% |
| Marion | 94,003 | 39.4 | 993 | 30.9% | 29.2% |
| West Torrens | 57,236 | 38.1 | 1007 | 38.9% | 32.4% |
Services and amenities
Frequently asked questions about Holdfast Bay
What is the population of Holdfast Bay?
The 2021 Census recorded 39,719 people living in Holdfast Bay, across 12 suburbs.
What suburbs are in Holdfast Bay?
Holdfast Bay contains 12 suburbs. The most populous are Glenelg North, Somerton Park, Glenelg East, Brighton, Glenelg.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.
What postcodes are in Holdfast Bay?
Holdfast Bay covers 4 postcodes: 5044, 5045, 5048, 5049.
How many schools are in Holdfast Bay?
Holdfast Bay has 10 schools, including 6 government, 3 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).
What is the SEIFA score for Holdfast Bay?
Holdfast Bay has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 1045, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.
Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.