Mount Gambier (SA 5290) in Focus 2026: Is It a Good Investment? R-Score 46/100, 4.1% Yield & Best Streets

Market Classification: Established Family & Commuter Corridor · R-Score: 46/100 (National Rank #8,321 of 15,286) · Street Average: 40/100 across 612 streets.

Mount Gambier (SA 5290) represents a bread-and-butter Australian family housing market($610,000 median price, $480/wk rent, 4.1% gross yield) supported by +0.7% 3-year council population movement. Here, investment returns are determined almost entirely by micro-location: separating quiet, >65% owner-occupied pockets from main-road or high-public-housing blocks.

“I’d focus on street-level evidence here: 224 of 487 streets score below 50, while Navajo Drive, Longmire Terrace and Raleigh Terrace each score 100 with 94% owner occupation. That is a useful filter, but the minus $236 weekly cashflow at 80% LVR means I would not let a tight vacancy rate disguise the holding cost.”

Looking for the live, monthly-updated numbers? The Mount Gambier (SA) suburb profile tracks the current median house price, rent, vacancy and R-Score, and the Mount Gambier street-by-street scores rank every street. This article is our investment analysis of what those numbers mean.

Below is our full October 2026 quantitative and street-level breakdown for Mount Gambier (SA 5290), combining 36 months of settled price and rental history from our Aurora research warehouse, council-level supply and employment data for Mount Gambier (SA), and block-by-block ABS 2021 Census SA1 tenure and yield rankings across 16,985 residential addresses.

1. Mount Gambier (SA) 3-Year Market Trajectory & 27-Indicator R-Score (October 2026)

Over the past 12 months, Mount Gambier’s median house price moved +20.8% (from $505,000 to $610,000), bringing its 3-year cumulative price movement to +25.3% (from $487,000 three years ago). On the rental side, median weekly asking rents moved +4.3% over the past year to $480/wk (+25.9% over 36 months), equating to a 4.1% gross rental yield. Compared with 12 months ago—when Mount Gambier carried an R-Score of 88/100—its current composite R-Score of 46/100 represents a -42-point shift in underlying market pressure.

Indicator / R-Score Pillar	Mount Gambier (SA) Current	12-Month / 36-Month Context
Composite Suburb R-Score	46 / 100	Ranked #8,321 of 15,286 suburbs (was 88/100 12m ago)
Median House Price	$610,000	12m change: +20.8% · 36m change: +25.3%
Median Weekly Rent & Gross Yield	$480/wk (4.1%)	12m rent change: +4.3% · 36m rent change: +25.9%
Rental Vacancy & Days on Market	1.1% vacancy	Median selling time: 71 days on market (1.5% vacancy is the tight-market line)
Pillar 1: Buyer Demand	29 / 100	Measures days-on-market compression, vendor discounting & sales velocity
Pillar 2: Supply & Ownership	32 / 100	Measures stock on market, building approvals vs stock & owner-occupier share
Pillar 3: Price Momentum	59 / 100	Measures short/medium-term price velocity vs Mount Gambier & SA
Pillar 4: Yield Pressure	64 / 100	Measures gross rental yield, rent trajectory & vacancy compression

2. The “Two-Speed Suburb” Test: Best & Worst Streets in Mount Gambier (SA)

Why do two 4-bedroom houses in Mount Gambier achieve completely different bank valuations and tenant quality? Because suburb medians blend every pocket together. When we map all 16,985 addresses across 612 streets in Mount Gambier through G-NAF to their ABS 2021 Census SA1 blocks, the suburb splits into three distinct tiers:

• Strong Street Profile (Score 75–100): 198 streets (41% of scored streets) pass both ABS Census tenure tests (owner-occupiers >65% and public housing ≤5%) plus at least one—or both—of the Mount Gambier rent and yield benchmarks.
• Mid / Mixed Street Profile (Score 50–74): 65 streets pass the core owner-occupier and public-housing thresholds but sit below the suburb median on weekly rent or yield.
• Weaker / Caution Street Profile (Score 0–25): 224 streets fail one or both census tenure thresholds—meaning either owner-occupation sits at or below 65% or state/community public housing exceeds 5% on those specific SA1 blocks.

Top 5 Highest-Scoring Streets in Mount Gambier (SA)

These streets sit in SA1 census blocks with high homeowner pride of ownership, minimal social housing concentration, and strong block-level rents (inspect all 612 streets in Mount Gambier):

Top Street in Mount Gambier	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Rent & Yield
#1 Navajo Drive	100/100	27	94%	0%	$545/wk (4.6%)
#2 Longmire Terrace	100/100	22	94%	0%	$545/wk (4.6%)
#3 Raleigh Terrace	100/100	19	94%	0%	$545/wk (4.6%)
#4 Cherokee Court	100/100	14	94%	0%	$545/wk (4.6%)
#5 Red Oak Place	100/100	10	94%	0%	$545/wk (4.6%)

Streets Where Block-Level Tenure Trails the Mount Gambier Average

By contrast, the streets below run through SA1 census blocks that fail one or more of our tenure or rental tests. A lower Street Score is not a judgement of any individual house, but it highlights where higher renter turnover or public housing concentration exists within Mount Gambier:

Caution Street Sample	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Median Rent
Schinkel Street	0/100	33	21%	53.5%	—
Thomson Street	0/100	31	21%	53.5%	—
Orr Street	0/100	25	21%	53.5%	—

3. Economic & Supply Drivers in Mount Gambier Council (South Australia)

Mount Gambier sits within the Mount Gambier Local Government Area, which has a residential population of approximately 28,057 (+0.7% population movement over the past 3 years) and 12,328 total dwellings. Three council-level fundamentals shape Mount Gambier’s medium-term outlook:

• Local Employment Diversity (ABS Census): The largest employment sectors across Mount Gambier are Retail Trade (16%), Health Care and Social Assistance (15%), Education and Training (9%), Manufacturing (9%). Multi-sector employment reduces reliance on any single employer or commodity cycle.
• New Building Approvals vs. Existing Stock: Over the latest 12-month financial year, Mount Gambier approved 1.5% new dwelling stock (~186.485 dwellings). Because annual additions sit under 1.8% of stock, incoming supply is constrained relative to tenant and buyer demand.
• State Comparison: Compare Mount Gambier against the Top 25 Highest R-Score Suburbs in SA.

4. Worked Cashflow, Deposit & 80% LVR Stress-Test for Mount Gambier (October 2026)

What does it actually cost to acquire and hold a typical house in Mount Gambier at today’s median price of $610,000 and median rent of $480/wk? Below is the baseline 80% Loan-to-Value Ratio (LVR) model we use to stress-test serviceability before shortlisting a property:

Cashflow & Capital Item	Mount Gambier Worked Figure	Assumptions & Notes
Purchase Price (Suburb Median)	$610,000	Settled house median as of October 2026
20% Deposit + Est. Stamp Duty & Costs	$151,280	$122,000 deposit (80% LVR) + ~$29,280 stamp duty, legal & inspection allowance (can be funded via usable home equity)
80% LVR Loan Amount	$488,000	Standard no-LMI investor loan threshold
Gross Annual Rental Income	$24,960/yr ($480/wk)	4.1% gross rental yield before vacancies and expenses
Est. Annual Interest + Operating Costs	$37,210/yr	Assumes 6.25% interest-only ($30,500/yr) + ~1.1% for council rates, insurance & property management ($6,710/yr)
Pre-Tax Weekly Cashflow Position	-$236/wk top-up	Before tax deductions / depreciation (confirm post-tax position with your accountant)

5. Who Should Buy in Mount Gambier—And 3 Rules Before You Make an Offer

Solid 46/100 R-Score Backed by Mount Gambier Fundamentals. Based on our October 2026 data, Mount Gambier is best suited to equity-backed homeowners and portfolio builders seeking a balanced entry price ($610,000) and 4.1% rental yield in SA.

1. Never Buy Blind on the Suburb Median: In Mount Gambier, 224 streets score below 50/100 on our census tenure and yield tests. Always run the exact street through the Mount Gambier Street Score Hub and target the 198 streets scoring 75–100/100.
2. Check Lot-Level Overlays (Flood, Bushfire, Slope & Easements): Even on a 100/100 streetlike Navajo Drive, individual lots can carry overland flow paths, steep gradients, or sewer easements that restrict granny-flat additions or spike insurance premiums.
3. Price Against Street-Matched Settled Comparables: Do not let a selling agent justify an asking price on a 25/100 street using comparable sales from a 100/100 street. Compare settled sales within the same SA1 Street Score band.