Abels Bay vs Randalls Bay
Randalls Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 60 in Abels Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Abels Bay, most households are people living alone. In Randalls Bay, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Abels Bay tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Randalls Bay suits families with children.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Randalls Bay
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (6 vs 1)
- is already more of a family suburb (50% vs 27%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Randalls Bay
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 5%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 26%)
- But Abels Bay has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Randalls Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Abels Bay has more residents already 65 and over (43% vs 25%)
- Randalls Bay is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Randalls Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.8% vs 0.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Abels Bay and Randalls Bay drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Abels Bay has more residents (127 vs 53); Randalls Bay has higher household incomes ($66,300 vs $39,832).
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 127 +58% vs other | 53 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.8% | +12.8% |
| Median age | 60 | 53 |
| Median household income | $39,832/yr | $66,300/yr +66% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $250/wk +25% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $612,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $440,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 54% | 47% |
| Environmental | 43% | 50% |
| Residential | 3% | 2% |
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 81 across Huon Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 8% of TAS | Higher than 46% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 27% of TAS | Higher than 83% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 89% of TAS same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of TAS | Higher than 65% of TAS |
Liveability
Randalls Bay is more walkable (17 vs 0).
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 97/100 | High 98/100 |
| Crime | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 6 |
Mobility
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 17/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 58.9 km +1% vs other | 58.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 66 min | 64 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.4% postcode 7112 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 37 postcode 7112 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (85.7%).
Setting
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 38 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 46 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 590 m 3.4 km to a named beach | 610 m 4.9 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 91 premises | 0% 50 premises |
Climate
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 854 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 21.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,884/yr same for both | |
| Council | Huon Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Franklin same for both | |
| Member | Julie Collins same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Abels Bay | Randalls Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Abels Bay
Other comparisons with Randalls Bay
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.