Thousand-Home Site Comes to Market in Adelaide’s South

A site described as one of the most significant land parcels to come to market in South Australia could yield a 1000 homes, according to the state.

The 68ha greenfield site at Onkaparinga Heights, formerly part of Hackham and along the Coast to Vines Rail Trail, was rezoned in early 2023 from rural land to a masterplanned neighbourhood zone.

Onkaparinga, about 38km by road south of the Adelaide city centre, was ranked sixth place for annual price growth in Greater Adelaide, jumping 8.9 per cent to a median value of $795,451 in Cotality’s SA3 report to June.

Adelaide was the top performing capital city in the national report with overall home values rising 8 per cent—7.7 per cent for houses and 10.1 per cent for apartments.

Playford recorded the greatest growth for Greater Adelaide followed by Gawler-Two Wells, Salisbury, Adelaide Hills and Mitcham. 

The Onkaparinga land release comprises half the potential homes to be developed at Onkaparinga Heights. A further 1000 home lots are to be released to the market within the rezoned 235ha site.

SA Water is working on a detailed design for networks for the development and is engaging with its construction partners ahead of work starting in the third quarter of this year.

Civil and landscape works are expected to start in December of 2026 and house construction to get under way by the end of 2027.

There is a target of 20 per cent affordable housing in the new development; these homes would be sold through HomeSeeker SA or delivered via a community housing provider.

▲ The Onkaparinga Heights greenfield site is about a 35-minute drive from the Adelaide CBD.

Proposals integrating aged care and innovative housing types also will be encouraged in the project at 256 Patapinda Road, according to the state.

The block, near Seaford Meadows Station and Huntfield Airport, is being sold by RenewalSA through an expression-of-interest campaign by McGees Property.

RenewalSA has more than a dozen sites with a potential development value of $745 million on the market including former schools at Houghton and Coonalpyn.

SA minister for housing Nick Champion said the Onkaparinga release was one of the most significant parcels of land on the market in recent years.