Modbury Heights, South Australia

Modbury Heights Adelaide, South Australia
Population:	5,601 2006 Census [1]
Established:	1857
Postcode:	5092
Location:	16 km (10 mi) NE of Adelaide
LGA:	City of Tea Tree Gully
State District:	Florey
Federal Division:	Makin
Suburbs around Modbury Heights: Wynn Vale Wynn Vale Surrey Downs Para Hills Modbury Heights Fairview Park Para Hills Modbury North Redwood Park

Modbury Heights is a medium-sized suburb in the City of Tea Tree Gully, Adelaide, with a census area population of 5,601 people. The suburb is located in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges around 16 kilometres north east of the Central business district. Much of the suburb is residential but there is a small shopping area along Ladywood Road. The area was first settled by Europeans in 1857, however major development did not begin until the 1970s, beginning as a northerly residential extension to central Modbury.

The suburb is bounded by Grenfell Road to the north, Milne Road to the south, Mcintyre Road to the west, Golden Grove Road to the east and is literally cut in half by Ladywood Road. Modbury Heights is also bounded to the north and north west by the suburb of Wynn Vale, to the north east by Surrey Downs, to the east by Fairview Park, to the south by Modbury North, to the west by Para Hills and to the south east by Redwood Park.

Residents

According to the 2006 Census the population of the Modbury Heights census area was 5,601 people. Approximately 50.7% of the population were female, 74.7% are Australian born, over 90.5% of residents are Australian citizens and only 0.6% were native born indigenous people. Modbury Heights has an educated population with over 30% of the population holding a degree, diploma or vocational qualification. This level of education attainment is reflected in the suburb's employment patterns: the most popular industries for employment were Retail Trade (14.6%), manufacturing (12.5%) and Health Care (10.8%), while the unemployment rate is approx. 4.2%. The median weekly household income is A$1,114 or more per week, compared with $924 in Adelaide overall. 20.1% of the population identify themselves as Catholic, while a slightly higher 28% identify with no religion at all.^[2]

Transport

The Tea Tree Plaza Interchange

Cars are the preferred mode of transport in the suburb. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 71.1% of residents are drivers or passengers of cars for their commute to work. Modbury Heights is connected to the major Adelaide thoroughfare North East Road via Mcintyre and Ladywood Roads. Adelaide's city centre can typically be reached by car in 25–30 minutes.

Because of the area's distance from major business districts, only an extremely small proportion (1.1%) walk to work and even a smaller number (0.8%) use a bike, which is in contrast to the Adelaide Metropolitan Area. High frequency bus services as well as connections to the O-Bahn Busway mean 10% of Modbury Heights residents travel to work by bus. The main bus route for Modbury Heights is the M44 bus, provided by the multi-service Adelaide Metro. This bus travels from Marion and the City, via the O-Bahn Busway and Tea Tree Plaza Interchange to Golden Grove. The route through Modbury Heights is on Ladywood Road. Other bus services include the 545, 540, J1, F40 and 209.

Even though none of Adelaide's train routes service the area, 0.2% of residents use trains to get to their place of employment.

Aerial image of Modbury Heights, looking northwest. Milne Road is the east-west road that is sloping downwards in the foreground, and the north-south road that is visible and veers to the right of the image is Golden Grove Road, along the treeline. The suburb is to the northwest of these roads and is bounded by the curve at the top of the image. The green oval in the middle of the image, slightly above centre, is The Heights School.

Politics

2006 State Election [3]   Labor 54.6%   Liberal 31.4%   Family First 6.2%   Greens 4.9%   Democrats 4.2%

2007 Federal Election [4]   Labor 51.45%   Liberal 39.26%   Greens 3.97%   Family First 3.11%   Democrats 1.41%   One Nation 0.55%

Modbury Heights is part of the state electoral district of Florey, which has been held since 1997 by Labor MP Frances Bedford. In federal politics, the suburb is part of the division of Makin, and has been represented by new Labor MP Tony Zappia since 2007. The results shown are from the largest polling station in Modbury Heights — which is located at The Heights School, on Brunel Drive.

Until the 2007 Federal Election, Makin was one of the most marginal seats in the country. But with the retirement of Liberal MP Trish Draper, and a general swing toward Labor of around 7%, the seat fell and although still marginal, is no longer under threat. Florey has been a safe Labor seat since the 2002 State Election.

See also

• City of Tea Tree Gully
• List of Adelaide suburbs

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Modbury Heights (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=SSC42081&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2008-05-30. 
2. ^ City of Tea Tree Gully Community Profile. Retrieved on 22 June 2008.
3. ^ SA 2006 election results and outcomes (PDF), (a) P.14 (d) P.13, State Electoral Office, South Australia, 2006. Retrieved on 22 June 2008.
4. ^ Modbury Heights Polling Booth, Division of Makin, House of Representatives Division First Preferences, 2007 Federal Election. Retrieved on 22 June 2008.

Coordinates: 34°48′40″S 138°41′10″E / 34.811°S 138.686°E / -34.811; 138.686