South Hobart - Fern Tree
Statistical Area - sa2

Population growth drivers in South Hobart - Fern Tree are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

South Hobart - Fern Tree's population was 6,809 as of August 2025, according to AreaSearch's analysis. This marked an increase of 82 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 6,727. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 6,809 in June 2024 and an additional 24 validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a population density ratio of 289 persons per square kilometer. Over the past decade, South Hobart - Fern Tree exhibited resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.0%. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopted ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered, Tasmania State Government's Regional/LGA projections were used with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Considering projected demographic shifts, a population increase just below the median of Australian statistical areas is expected by 2041, with an increase of 915 persons and a total percentage increase of 13.4%.

Residential development activity is lower than average in South Hobart - Fern Tree according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

South Hobart - Fern Tree has granted around 17 residential properties approval per year. Development approval data is produced by the ABS on a financial year basis, totalling 87 approvals across the past five financial years from FY-21 to FY-25, and one so far in FY-26. On average, 1.8 people have moved to the area for each dwelling built over these five years, indicating a balanced supply-demand ratio that has recently moderated to -0.7 people per dwelling over the past two financial years. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $242,000, below the regional average, suggesting more affordable housing options. This year alone, $2.4 million in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting the area's residential character.

Compared to Greater Hobart, South Hobart - Fern Tree maintains similar construction rates per person, preserving market equilibrium consistent with surrounding areas, which is also below national averages, likely due to its maturity and possible planning constraints. Recent development has comprised entirely of detached dwellings, preserving the area's low density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers. Developers are building more traditional houses than the current mix suggests, indicating strong demand for family homes. The estimated population count per dwelling approval is 652 people, reflecting its quiet development environment.

Population forecasts indicate South Hobart - Fern Tree will gain 915 residents by 2041. At current development rates, housing supply may struggle to keep pace with population growth, potentially increasing buyer competition and supporting price increases.

South Hobart - Fern Tree has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 5thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 19 projects that may affect this region. Notable ones include South Arm Highway Upgrade (Acton Road and South Arm Road intersection), Roches Beach Living, Forest Road West Hobart Pedestrian Upgrades, and Fragrance Group Conservatorium Development. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

The labour market in South Hobart - Fern Tree demonstrates typical performance when compared to similar areas across Australia

South Hobart - Fern Tree has a highly educated workforce with professional services well represented, and an unemployment rate of 3.0% as of June 2025. There are 3,896 residents employed, which is 1.1% lower than Greater Hobart's unemployment rate of 4.1%.

The workforce participation rate is 66.1%, slightly higher than Greater Hobart's 61.6%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services. Notably, education & training has a strong presence with an employment share 1.5 times the regional level. However, construction has limited presence at 4.6% compared to the regional average of 8.7%.

The area is predominantly residential with limited local employment opportunities indicated by Census data comparing working population to resident population. In the 12-month period ending June 2025, labour force decreased by 1.6% while employment also declined by 1.6%, with unemployment remaining essentially unchanged. By comparison, Greater Hobart recorded similar declines in employment and labour force, but a slight decrease in unemployment. State-level data to Sep-25 shows Tasmania's employment grew by 0.77% year-on-year, adding 1,170 jobs, with an unemployment rate of 4.3%, outperforming the national average of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years nationally. Applying these projections to South Hobart - Fern Tree's employment mix suggests local growth could be approximately 7.1% over five years and 14.6% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes only and does not account for localized population projections.

The economic profile demonstrates above-average performance, with income metrics exceeding national benchmarks based on AreaSearch comparative assessment

AreaSearch aggregated latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022. South Hobart - Fern Tree had a median taxpayer income of $52,804 and an average income of $80,131. These figures were among the highest in Australia. Greater Hobart's median and average incomes stood at $51,272 and $63,777 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.94% since financial year 2022, estimated current incomes are approximately $59,109 (median) and $89,699 (average) as of March 2025. Census data indicates that South Hobart - Fern Tree's household, family, and personal incomes cluster around the 61st percentile nationally. Income distribution shows that 32.4% of residents (2,206 people) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket, similar to regional levels at 32.2%. After housing costs, residents retain 87.1% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

South Hobart - Fern Tree is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

South Hobart - Fern Tree's dwellings, as per the latest Census, comprised 75.3% houses and 24.6% other dwellings. In comparison, Hobart metro had 69.2% houses and 30.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in South Hobart - Fern Tree was 37.4%, similar to Hobart metro's level. Mortgaged dwellings were 33.4% and rented ones were 29.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,625, below Hobart metro's $1,800. Median weekly rent in South Hobart - Fern Tree was $380, compared to Hobart metro's $390. Nationally, mortgage repayments averaged $1,863 and rents were $375.

South Hobart - Fern Tree features high concentrations of group households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 64.2% of all households, including 25.2% couples with children, 28.4% couples without children, and 9.3% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 35.8%, with lone person households at 28.7% and group households comprising 7.1%. The median household size is 2.4 people, which is larger than the Greater Hobart average of 2.3.

Educational achievement in South Hobart - Fern Tree places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Educational attainment in South Hobart - Fern Tree shows a significant advantage with 57.2% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications, compared to 25.5% in Tasmania and 30.4% nationally. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 32.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (18.5%) and graduate diplomas (6.0%). Vocational pathways account for 19.7% of qualifications, including advanced diplomas (8.1%) and certificates (11.6%). Educational participation is high, with 34.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 11.1% in tertiary, 9.9% in primary, and 7.5% in secondary education.

South Hobart - Fern Tree's schools have a combined enrollment of 462 students, with an ICSEA score of 1137 indicating significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement. The educational mix includes 2 primary and 1 K-12 school. School capacity is limited at 6.8 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 22.8, leading many families to travel for schooling.

Transport servicing is high compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

South Hobart-Fern Tree has 90 active public transport stops operating within its boundaries. These stops are served by a total of 41 bus routes. Collectively, these routes facilitate 6,548 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility to public transport in the area is rated as good, with residents typically located approximately 208 meters from their nearest transport stop. On average, there are 935 trips per day across all routes, translating to about 72 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in South Hobart - Fern Tree is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

South Hobart - Fern Tree shows superior health outcomes for both young and elderly populations, with low prevalence of common health conditions.

Approximately 60% of its total population of 4,071 people have private health cover, a rate notably higher than other areas. The most prevalent medical conditions are mental health issues (9.8%) and arthritis (8.4%), while 69.7% of residents report no medical ailments, slightly higher than Greater Hobart's 69.8%. As of 2021, 17.5% of residents are aged 65 and over (1,188 people), lower than Greater Hobart's 18.8%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors in South Hobart - Fern Tree are above average, aligning with the overall population's health profile.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in South Hobart - Fern Tree was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

South Hobart-Fern Tree has a higher than average cultural diversity, with 24.4% of its population born overseas and 14.3% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in South Hobart-Fern Tree, comprising 25.5% of people. Buddhism, at 2.3%, is similarly represented compared to Greater Hobart's 2.3%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (30.6%), Australian (24.6%), and Scottish (9.3%). Notably, Dutch (2.1%) and French (0.8%) are overrepresented compared to regional averages of 1.6% and 0.5%, respectively, while Welsh is also slightly overrepresented at 0.8%.

South Hobart - Fern Tree's population is slightly older than the national pattern

South Hobart - Fern Tree's median age in 2021 is 39 years, aligning with Greater Hobart's average of 39 and closely matching Australia's median of 38. Compared to Greater Hobart, the 15-24 cohort is over-represented at 14.3% locally while those aged 65-74 are under-represented at 8.9%. According to the 2021 Census data, the 15-24 age group has increased from 12.2% to 14.3%, whereas the 25-34 cohort has declined from 15.7% to 14.6%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant changes in South Hobart - Fern Tree's age profile. The 45-54 cohort is expected to grow by 45% adding 406 residents to reach 1,316, while the 35-44 group will decrease by 183 residents.