The City of Port Adelaide Enfield is located in the north-western suburbs of Adelaide, about 8 kilometres from the Adelaide CBD. The council is bordered by the City of Salisbury in the north, the City of Tea Tree Gully and the City of Campbelltown in the east, the Town of Walkerville, the City of Prospect and the City of Charles Sturt in the south and St Vincent Gulf in the west.

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield covers approximately 92 square kilometres and is a predominantly urban area with Port Adelaide as its main service centre. It comprises primarily industrial, commercial and residential land, including the Port of Adelaide: South Australia’s largest shipping terminal.

Development History

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield is located on the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. Beginning as two separate council areas, the current City was established in 1996 after the amalgamation of the City of Port Adelaide and the City of Enfield.

The City has a strong association with shipping, trade and commerce with the Port of Adelaide being the largest shipping terminal in South Australia. Many historic buildings and landmarks throughout the area demonstrate this history, the ongoing operation of the port and its importance to the local cultural identity and economy.

European settlement in the area was driven by the establishment of the Port of Adelaide in the mid-19th Century and the growth of agricultural production around Enfield along the River Torrens. The area now comprises significant residential land particularly in the east around Enfield and Hillcrest and the west throughout Largs Bay and North Haven.

Migration Patterns

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield typically attracts residents in the young workforce (25-34 year olds) and parents and homebuilders (35-49 year olds) service age groups, with older residents (aged 60-74) also moving to the area. There is net outward migration of residents aged 15-19 from the area, with young adults leaving the family home for further education and lifestyle reasons.

The city experienced a net population increase between 2016 and 2021, with an additional 10,000+ residents in the area. The majority of this growth came from internal migration from other areas of Adelaide including West Torrens, Prospect and Norwood Payneham and St Peters, supported by overseas migration. Outward migration tended to be towards outer suburban municipalities of Adelaide including Salisbury, Tea Tree Gully and Playford, with more affordable housing stock associated with these regions as a potential driver.

Historical migration flows, City of Port Adelaide Enfield, 2016-2021

Population and household forecasts, 2021 to 2046, prepared by .id (informed decisions), May 2024.

Note: The migration flows depicted above are historical and do not represent future or forecast migration flows or subsequent council boundary changes. The arrows represent migration flows to the area as a whole and do not indicate an origin or destination for any specific localities within the area. Overseas flow shows overseas arrivals based on answers to the census question "where did the person usually live 5-years ago" and .id estimates of international out-migration.

*Please note, the 2021 Census was undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time where border restrictions had largely halted overseas in-migration for the 15 months prior. 2016-2021 net overseas migration levels reflect this and therefore should not necessarily be considered indicative of longer-term trends.

Housing Role and Function

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield has a lower proportion of couples without children households and a higher proportion of lone person households than Greater Adelaide. However, overall, the proportion of household types throughout the LGA are reflective of general trends seen across Greater Adelaide. The largest change between 2016 and 2021 was recorded in couples with children households, with an additional 1,695 of these households over the five-year period.

There is a notably high proportion of lone person households around the suburbs Port Adelaide and Ethelton with couple with children households tending to be found in the eastern side of the city in suburbs like Greenacres, Northgate and Hampstead Gardens.

The largest age group across City of Port Adelaide Enfield is 30-39 year olds, contributing to the large proportion of lone person and couples with/without children household types. North Haven and Largs Bay - Semaphore differ to the rest of the City, having relatively larger proportions of residents aged 60+.

Housing Supply

Supply of residential property within the LGA will influence population and household structure representation throughout the forecast period. There were an additional 3,084 dwellings between 2016 and 2021, with the majority of new dwellings being around the Lightsview and Enfield area. Future housing supply will be focused around existing the commercial centre and industrial areas in Port Adelaide town supported by major development sites around Kilburn, Blair Athol and Oakden.