What's in Australian tap water?
Tap water in every Australian capital and on the Gold Coast meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. The differences you notice are hardness (Adelaide and parts of Perth are hardest; the Gold Coast is soft), dissolved minerals, and the disinfectant: chlorine everywhere, plus chloramine in parts of Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane.
What's in your water?
City comparison
| City | Hardness mg/L | TDS mg/L | Disinfectant | Free checks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | 87–136 | 263–480 | Chlorine at the treatment plant; chloramine is used in parts of the network | Booking |
| Brisbane | 60–160 | 120–390 | Mostly chloramine (Brisbane zone); chlorine in some areas | Booking |
| Gold Coast | 21–140 | 58–380 | Chlorine | Booking |
| Perth | 29–228 | 100–576 | Chlorine | Waitlist |
| Melbourne | 8–29 | 30–80 | Chlorine | Waitlist |
| Sydney | 29–57 | 60–100 | Chlorine and chloramine | Waitlist |
Ranges summarise utility drinking water quality reports. Brisbane and Gold Coast: lowest and highest results over the 12 months to August 2026 (averages about 118 and 40 mg/L hardness) (Seqwater Brisbane, Seqwater Gold Coast). Perth hardness: 2024–25 supply-zone averages (Water Corporation); Adelaide hardness: metro supply zones (SA Water). From 2027 we'll publish anonymised results from our own Home Water Checks here, by postcode, each quarter.
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