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This analysis uses ABS Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2) boundaries, which can materially differ from Suburbs and Localities (SAL) even when sharing similar names.
SA2 boundaries are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are designed to represent communities for statistical reporting (e.g., census and ERP).
Suburbs and Localities (SAL) represent commonly-used suburb/locality names (postal-style areas) and may use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
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ABS ERP | -- people | --
2021 Census | -- people
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North West has an estimated 4,437 residents, up from 4,188 at the 2021 Census — a change of 249 people, or 5.9%. Growth has averaged 1.0% a year over five years. Natural increase accounts for 53.5% of that increase. Fewer than ten people live on each square kilometre, across a boundary that takes in surrounding rural land. Population is estimated from ABS Estimated Resident Population releases and GNAF address data, re-based from the 2021 Census and updated annually.
Detail
Demographic assessments by AreaSearch place the population of North West at approximately 4,437 as of Aug 2026. Compared to the 2021 Census total of 4,188 people, this represents an addition of 249 people (5.9%). This figure is calculated using the ABS estimated resident population figure of 4,400 recorded as of June 2025 alongside 54 validated new addresses added following the Census. With this headcount, the locality records a population density of 0.90 persons per square kilometer, ensuring considerable personal space. Expanding by 5.9% since the 2021 census, North West outpaced both its SA3 area (2.7%) and the broader SA4 region, positioning it among the top growth areas locally.
Natural increase served as the primary growth engine, generating roughly 53.5% of total population additions over recent timeframes. Projections for each SA2 district rely on ABS/Geoscience Australia models published in 2024 utilizing 2022 as the base year. Where SA2 coverage is absent, and when projecting age-specific shifts after 2032, models incorporate the Tasmania State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2022 (using 2021 as the base year) adjusted via weighted aggregation from LGA down to SA2 boundaries. Long-term projections under this framework point toward an impending population reduction, forecasting a contraction of 82 persons by 2041 across North West. In contrast, select older cohorts are set to expand, most notably persons aged 75 to 84, who are projected to increase by 152 people.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
37 new dwellings have been approved in North West over the past five years, an average of 7 a year. That is 1.7 approvals per 1,000 residents. Figures come from ABS building approvals aggregated to this SA2 boundary and are updated monthly as the ABS releases them.
Detail
Residential building approvals across North West have tracked at approximately 7 residential properties annually, culminating in 37 homes across the past 5 financial years. Between FY-22 and FY-26, the area absorbed an average of 5.5 new residents per year per finished dwelling, creating an environment where residential demand outstrips new construction and intensifies upward price pressures and buyer competition, with newly constructed homes averaging a construction value of $414,000. In addition, commercial approvals reached $4.5 million in the current financial year, underscoring the predominantly residential focus of local planning. Per capita construction activity in North West sits at roughly 56% of the level observed across Rest of Tas., ranking within the 8th percentile nationwide.
This constrained pipeline limits purchasing options and bolsters demand for existing housing stock. These subdued rates, which also trail national benchmarks, highlight a mature property market with potential physical or regulatory building constraints. Recent development has consisted solely of detached single-family dwellings, reinforcing a spacious, low-density suburban landscape. An estimated ratio of 2934 people per dwelling approval reflects a subdued and measured pace of building activity. Given forward demographic projections pointing toward stabilization or contraction, demand pressures on the residential property market in North West are anticipated to ease, creating more favourable conditions for future home purchasers.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around North West
Loading development applications…
| Lodged | Address | Description | Type | Distance | Status |
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SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
AreaSearch tracks 3 current infrastructure and development projects inside North West, worth an estimated $3.64 billion. A further 40 sit in the immediately surrounding suburbs, taking the tracked pipeline within reach of the area to $8.77 billion. 12 are already under construction and 8 are due for completion within three years. The pipeline spans residential development, transport & logistics and energy. Records are compiled from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, council planning portals and public announcements, reviewed and updated daily, then ranked by proximity, construction stage, completion horizon and project scale.
Detail
Local economic momentum and regional performance are strongly shaped by public planning programs, capital works, and infrastructure upgrades. AreaSearch has highlighted a total of 6 projects positioned to impact the district. Major projects of significance encompass the Bass Highway Wynyard to Marrawah Corridor Strategy, Robbins Island and Jim's Plain Wind, Woolnorth Wind Farm Repowering, and the Tasmanian North West REZ, which represent the most influential strategic works for the area.
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Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Bass Highway Wynyard to Marrawah Corridor Strategy
A staged 100 million AUD Australian and Tasmanian Government highway upgrade program delivering road realignments, overtaking lanes, junction upgrades, shoulder widening and a heavy vehicle rest area between Wynyard and Marrawah. Eleven projects have been completed, with additional Stage 2 and Stage 3 projects entering construction during 2026 and further works continuing into 2027.
Robbins Island and Jim's Plain Wind
ACEN Australia's Robbins Island and Jim's Plain Wind project is a proposed $3 billion renewable energy development in the Circular Head region of north-west Tasmania. Jim's Plain Wind was approved in 2020 and Robbins Island Wind has secured Circular Head Council, EPA Tasmania and Commonwealth environmental approvals. The project includes up to 900 MW of wind generation, with Jim's Plain having optional solar and battery components, plus a bridge across Robbins Passage, a wharf on north-east Robbins Island and a proposed 120 km transmission line to connect to the Tasmanian high voltage network near Hampshire.The transmission line is still progressing through a separate environmental assessment, with approvals anticipated in 2026 and first generation targeted around 2030.
Woolnorth Wind Farm Repowering
Repowering of the Bluff Point and Studland Bay wind farms in far north-west Tasmania, owned by a joint venture between Shenhua Clean Energy Holdings (75%) and Hydro Tasmania (25%). The project would replace 62 existing turbines with 48 newer, higher-capacity models, increasing total generation capacity from 140MW to approximately 240MW while extending the operational life of both sites. Upgrades to the transmission line between Woolnorth and the TasNetworks Smithton substation are also proposed. The project has been declared a Controlled Action under the EPBC Act and is undergoing environmental impact assessment by the EPA Tasmania Board, with final EIS Guidelines issued to the proponent.The EIS is expected to take several years to prepare, with a commissioning target of around 2030.
Boat Harbour Beach Master Plan
Major foreshore renewal project delivering a new Surf Life Saving Club and community building with cafe, upgraded public amenities, new roads and parking, accessible pathways, landscaping, playgrounds, recreation spaces and improved beach access. Construction is well advanced with the new facility nearing completion and staged landscaping, demolition of the old building and official opening scheduled through 2026.
Boat Harbour Beach Master Plan
Foreshore renewal led by Waratah-Wynyard Council including a new surf life saving club community building, cafe, landscaped public spaces, nature-inspired playground, and upgraded parking. Main construction is nearing completion with an official opening expected in September 2026.
Wynyard Affordable Housing Development
Development of 47 energy-efficient affordable and social rental homes featuring single and double-storey units in Wynyard, Tasmania. Funded under Round 1 of the Housing Australia Future Fund and delivered by Housing Choices Tasmania in partnership with Homes Tasmania.
Cooee to Wynyard Coastal Pathway
A 13.2 km shared pedestrian and bicycle pathway along Tasmania's north-west coast between Cooee (Burnie) and Wynyard. Works included seven erosion-control rock revetments, penguin fencing upgrades, bridge safety works and integration of existing sections. Officially opened on 24 October 2024.
Bass Highway Cooee to Wynyard Upgrades
Priority works to realign and upgrade an approximate 3.2 kilometre stretch of the Bass Highway from Somerset to Wynyard, including the construction of two overtaking lanes, a central median safety barrier and enhanced lane markings along this section of the highway to improve road safety and traffic congestion.
2,305 residents of North West are employed, from a labour force of 2,372. Unemployment sits at 2.8%, with participation at 66.3%. Weighted for its industry mix, the area's sectors are forecast to grow about 4.2% nationally over five years. That reflects industry composition only and makes no allowance for local population growth. The working-day population is estimated at 3,927, about 89% of the resident population, so more people leave the area for work than travel in. Unemployment and labour force come from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, updated quarterly; the industry and occupation profile is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
The local labour market in North West features a balanced blend of blue-collar and white-collar roles, supported by a strong presence of industrial and manufacturing operations, a tight unemployment rate of 2.8%, and estimated annual jobs growth of 2.9%. Working residents numbered 2,305 as of March 2026, while local unemployment sits 1.1% below the 3.9% recorded across Regional Tas.. Furthermore, labour force engagement is strong, recording a participation rate of 66.3% compared to 58.7% in Regional Tas.. Census records indicated that 12.9% of local workers performed their duties from home, an outcome that should be viewed in the context of pandemic-era workplace restrictions.
The primary employment drivers for local residents include agriculture, forestry & fishing, manufacturing, and accommodation & food. The region exhibits an exceptionally high degree of industrial concentration in agriculture, forestry & fishing, where the local employment share stands at 4.0 times that of the surrounding region. By contrast, health care & social assistance accounts for a smaller footprint of 6.7%, trailing the 16.5% regional benchmark. Comparing resident numbers against working population totals recorded in the Census suggests a limited volume of employment opportunities within the immediate locality. AreaSearch evaluation of SALM and ABS figures indicates that over the recent 12-month period, employment rose by 2.9% while the broader labour pool expanded by 3.1%, resulting in a 0.2 percentage points uptick in unemployment. Over the same timeframe, Regional Tas. experienced employment expansion of 1.8% and labour pool growth of 1.7%, alongside a slight decrease in joblessness. Broader employment outlooks from Jobs and Skills Australia as of Mar-26 provide an indicator of future workforce needs for North West. Benchmarking local sector weightings against national five-year (6.6%) and ten-year (13.7%) projected growth rates suggests local employment could expand by 4.2% over five years and 10.1% over ten years (calculated via simple industry weighting extrapolation without accounting for localized demographic shifts).
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Median household income in North West is $1,356 a week (about $71,000 a year), with median personal income at $690 a week. ATO records put median taxable income at $50,238 a year against an average of $57,326. Household income is from the 2021 Census; taxable income is from ATO Taxation Statistics for the latest financial year available, indexed forward using the ABS Wage Price Index.
Detail
ATO taxpayer records aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023 place the median taxpayer income in the North West SA2 at $50,238 and the average at $57,326, which sits below national figures but compares to a median of $49,689 and an average of $59,358 in Regional Tas.. Factoring in cumulative Wage Price Index growth of 10.95% since financial year 2023, updated estimates reach roughly $55,739 for median income and $63,603 for average income as of March 2026. The 2021 Census recorded personal, family, and household incomes within modest territory, sitting between the 24th and 26th percentiles.
Income distribution shows that 33.8% of individuals (1,499 individuals) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 weekly bracket, broadly tracking the 28.5% observed regionally. Residents retain 90.1% of earnings after housing costs, although overall disposable income places in the lower 33rd percentile nationally.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
North West had 1,505 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, 98% detached houses and 0% apartments. 37% are owned with a mortgage, 19% rented and 45% owned outright. At that Census the median rent was $200 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,147 a month. Rent absorbs 14.7% of household income here and mortgage repayments 19.5%. Dwelling stock, tenure and housing costs are 2021 Census measures — the only source that counts dwellings at this boundary size.
Detail
Housing stock in North West at the time of the latest Census was heavily concentrated in standalone houses at 97.9%, with semi-detached, apartment, and other formats accounting for 2.2%, whereas Regional Tas. registered 89.9% houses and 10.1% other dwellings. Outright home ownership reached 44.6%, outpacing the regional figure, while mortgaged properties accounted for 36.8% and rental arrangements represented 18.7%. Typical monthly mortgage repayments stood at $1,147 and median weekly rent was $200, both sitting below the regional benchmarks of $1,274 and $250. Relative to Australia-wide figures, local monthly mortgage obligations are notably lower than the $1,863 national median, and weekly rents track far below the national standard of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
North West counted 1,505 households at the 2021 Census, an estimated 1,594 today, averaging 2.5 people each. 28% are couples with children, against 34% couples without children. 26% of households are people living alone, and families average 2.0 children. Household and family composition is measured only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Family households constitute the predominant residential arrangement at 71.4% of total households, consisting of 33.6% couples without children, 28.2% couples with children, and 9.1% single parent families. Non-family living arrangements account for the remaining 28.6%, with single-person residences comprising 26.0% and shared group households making up 2.5%. The typical household size stands at 2.5 people, exceeding the Regional Tas. standard of 2.3.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
14.3% of adults in North West hold a university qualification, including 10.9% with a bachelor degree and 2.5% with postgraduate qualifications, lower than 89% of areas nationally. A further 31.9% hold a vocational qualification. 4 schools serve the area, with 235 enrolment places and an average ICSEA of 934 against a national benchmark of 1,000. Qualifications come from the 2021 Census; school enrolments, ICSEA and results come from ACARA's current release.
Detail
Educational attainment levels present developmental hurdles in the district, where the tertiary qualification rate of 14.3% lags the national benchmark of 30.4%. Within university credentials, bachelor degrees represent 10.9% of attainment, postgraduate degrees account for 2.5%, and graduate diplomas stand at 0.9%. Vocational and practical skills are heavily represented throughout the workforce, with 40.7% of persons aged 15+ holding technical qualifications, split between certificates at 31.9% and advanced diplomas at 8.8%. Formal learning engagement remains robust throughout the locality, with 28.9% of the population attending an educational institution. Among enrolled students, primary schooling accounts for 13.7%, secondary education represents 8.6%, and higher education comprises 1.8%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Getting around North West means driving: households keep an average of 1.8 vehicles, and no scheduled public transport appears in the current timetable feeds. Service data is built from operators' published GTFS timetables; vehicle ownership is from the 2021 Census.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
68.8% of residents in North West report no long-term health condition. 4.3% need daily assistance with core activities, and 47.6% hold private health cover. The standardised death rate runs at 4.8 per 1,000 residents. Health conditions, assistance needs and insurance are 2021 Census measures; the death rate comes from current ABS releases.
Detail
General health conditions across North West align closely with national standards, with health and mortality metrics indicating a low incidence of common ailments among both younger and older residents. Coverage under private health insurance is relatively limited, encompassing approximately 48% of the local population (~2,112 people), compared against the broader Australian benchmark of 55.7%. Arthritis and asthma constitute the most frequently reported chronic ailments, affecting 9.7% and 8.1% of the community respectively, while 68.8% of inhabitants report being free of long-term medical conditions, surpassing the 62.0% level across Regional Tas..
A higher incidence of chronic illnesses is observed among working-age individuals. Inhabitants aged 65 and over total 906 people, representing 20.4% of the population, below the 25.1% regional level. Senior residents display particularly favourable overall health outcomes, scoring above national averages.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
North West is largely Australian-born, at 87.1% of residents, with 4.5% speaking a language other than English at home. The largest reported ancestries are Australian (33.6%) and English (30.5%). 9.3% of residents identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Ancestry, language and country of birth are counted only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Cultural background measures indicate a largely homogeneous population, with 85.3% holding Australian citizenship, 87.1% born within Australia, and 95.5% using solely English in the home. Christianity represents the leading religious affiliation, held by 43.3% of the community. In contrast to broader regional distributions, the Islamic community demonstrates a notable relative concentration, accounting for 2.0% of the population compared to 0.6% across Regional Tas.. In terms of ancestral heritage based on parental birthplace, the leading lineages across North West are Australian at 33.6%, English at 30.5%, and Australian Aboriginal at 9.3%, with Indigenous heritage substantially exceeding the regional benchmark of 4.1%.
Divergences also appear across several smaller ethnic groups, with Dutch heritage accounting for 1.9% of the community (versus 1.7% across the region), New Zealand ancestry at 0.8% (versus 0.4%), and Maori representation at 0.5% (versus 0.2%).
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
The median resident of North West is 41. 22.4% of residents are aged 15 to 34. Age cohorts are not raw Census counts: the Census split is re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections.
Detail
Demographically, North West maintains a more youthful composition than Regional Tas. overall. Inhabitants aged 0 - 24 comprise 29.4% of the local population as at August 2026, compared to 26.3% regionally, while seniors aged 65+ make up 20.4% versus 25.1% in the broader region. The median age remains at an estimated 41 years, mirroring the 2021 Census and sitting 4 years below the Regional Tas. Census median of 45. In the period following the Census, the proportion of residents aged 65 and over expanded from 17.2% to an estimated 20.4%.
Heading toward 2041, senior cohorts are projected to drive net demographic increases, expanding by 269 residents (30%) to reach 1,175, while young to middle aged adult numbers and youth cohorts are forecast to decline.
Frequently Asked Questions - Age
Data & MethodBoundaries, Sources & Method for North West
9 of 14 data sections on this page were updated within the last 12 months — the newest current to Sep 2026.
Everything is aggregated to the SA2 boundary shown above, on a 2021 Census baseline. Only 3 sections — housing, households and cultural diversity — still wait on the 2026 Census.
The ledger — source, cycle and currency by section
| Section | Source & update cycle | Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last 12 months 9 sections | ||
| Population | ABS, GNAF, Geoscience Australia Annual (ABS ERP) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release) and updated with new dwellings from GNAF address data. Current to Aug 2026, with the 2021 Census supplying the small-area baseline. | ||
| Age profile | ABS, Geoscience Australia, State governments Annual | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Age cohorts are re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections, current to Aug 2026. Each cohort is held as a Census baseline and a current estimate. | ||
| Development & approvals | ABS, GNAF Monthly (ABS approvals) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · Jul 2026 baseline |
| Property sales & rents | Valuer General, Rental Board, ABS Weekly sales, quarterly rents | Sep 2026 this month all 21 measures |
| Sales from the state Valuer General register, refreshed weekly, and rents from quarterly rental bond lodgements. Both are read live each time this page loads, current to Sep 2026. | ||
| Infrastructure projects | Infrastructure Australia, State agencies, Local governments Daily | Jun 2026 3 months ago all 3 projects tracked here |
| Project pipeline maintained continuously from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, local government and public announcements. Records are added and revised daily; this area was last updated Jun 2026. | ||
| Employment | ABS, DEWR, JSA Quarterly (ABS SALM) | Mar 2026 6 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Unemployment and labour force from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, current to Mar 2026. The growth outlook applies Department of Employment (now Jobs and Skills Australia) forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to the local industry mix, so it measures sector composition rather than local expansion and makes no allowance for population growth. Job demand comes from the same agency via its Internet Vacancy Index; industry and occupation structure from the 2021 Census. | ||
| Education | ABS, ACARA Annual (ACARA) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Transport | ABS, State Transport Departments Each timetable release | Jul 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Services & amenities | Provider directories, ACECQA Continuous | Jul 2026 2 months ago all 14 measures |
| Annual and financial-year sources 2 sections | ||
| Income | ABS, ATO Annual (ATO) | FY 2023 3 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| ATO taxable income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index. Census household income provides the distribution detail. | ||
| Health | ABS, ATO Annual | 2024 2 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Census-measured — next update: 2026 Census 3 sections No more current small-area source exists for these, so they are labelled as Census-measured rather than implied to be current. | ||
| Housing | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 30 measures |
| Households | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 18 measures |
| Cultural diversity | ABS, Geoscience Australia 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 44 measures |
"Currency" is the most recent release feeding that section. Where the Census supplies the structural baseline underneath a current headline figure, the row says so.
How the numbers are built
Population
The Census provides the small-area baseline, aggregated from mesh blocks to this boundary. It is then re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release), and new dwellings built since Census night are counted from address data — 54 validated new addresses here. The headline figure is therefore a current estimate for Aug 2026, not a 2021 count (4,188 at the 2021 Census → 4,437 now). Annual growth rates are compound (CAGR), not simple averages.
Age profile
Cohort shares are not raw Census counts. Every cohort is held as a pair — the Census baseline and a current estimate — and the split is re-based using ERP and state population projections, current to Aug 2026. Median age is the Census median plus modelled change since. Charts that show both are labelled "2021 Census vs Current Estimate".
Property sales
Sourced from the state valuation authority's sales register — current, not Census, and refreshed weekly. Medians are calculated from settled transactions in the period shown; periods with very low transaction counts are flagged or suppressed, because a handful of sales can move a median substantially.
Rents
Derived from state rental bond lodgement data, by dwelling type and bedroom count. Bonds are lodged at the start of a new tenancy, so this reflects new lettings, not the whole rented stock.
Development & infrastructure
Building approvals come from current ABS releases; development applications are collected from council and state planning portals; the infrastructure pipeline is compiled from Infrastructure Australia and local government sources. Applications are matched to this boundary by address or coordinates, so very recent lodgements may not yet appear.
Employment & income
Industry and occupation structure comes from the Census, but the headline labour-market indicators do not. Unemployment and labour force are derived from ABS Small Area Labour Markets (quarterly). The employment outlook applies Department of Employment forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to this area's own industry mix (the agency is now Jobs and Skills Australia), as does the Internet Vacancy Index used for job demand. Because it is weighted on industry composition alone, that outlook carries no allowance for local population growth — in fast-growing areas the real rise in local jobs will typically be higher. Income combines Census household income with ATO taxable-income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index.
Education, transport & amenities
School enrolments, ICSEA and performance come from ACARA's current release, not the Census. Public transport stops and service frequency are derived from GTFS timetable feeds published by state transport departments. Services and amenities are proximity and count scores built from provider directories, refreshed on their own cycle. The Census contributes only the travel-to-work and qualification measures.
Rankings and benchmarks. Where we rank this area, the comparison set is every area of the same boundary type — suburbs against suburbs, SA2s against SA2s. Benchmarks compare this area against its greater capital city region and the national figure for the same measure and period.
Limits worth knowing. Small areas carry larger error margins, and the ABS introduces small random adjustments to Census counts to protect confidentiality — so totals may not sum exactly. Estimates re-based from regional data describe the area's expected trajectory, not a direct count of it. Figures are indicative for research and are not financial, planning or valuation advice.
Cross-check us. The Census baseline for this boundary is at ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (604031094). QuickStats reports 2021 only — the figures on this page are more current wherever the ledger shows a later date.