Acacia Hills vs Melrose
Acacia Hills is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 48 in Melrose. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Acacia Hills, most households are couple families. In Melrose, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Acacia Hills tends to suit couples, while Melrose suits people living alone.
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
Acacia Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 48%)
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
Melrose
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($170/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Acacia Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (17.0% vs -7.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Acacia Hills and Melrose 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
Acacia Hills has more residents (729 vs 94); Acacia Hills rents higher ($250/wk vs $170/wk).
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 729 +87% vs other | 94 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +17.0% | -7.8% |
| Median age | 41 | 48 |
| Median household income | $95,784/yr +3% vs other | $92,612/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +32% vs other | $170/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.9%).
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 (9.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $800,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $305,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 30 days from 5 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Melrose has more rural and farming land (98% vs 83%); Acacia Hills has more land zoned for conservation (16% vs 2%).
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 83% | 98% |
| Environmental | 16% | 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
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 19 across Kentish | 109 across Devonport |
| Approvals change year on year | — | +146% |
Ranking within TAS
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 87% of TAS | Higher than 83% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 16% of TAS | Higher than 3% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 55% of TAS | Higher than 36% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 53% of TAS | Higher than 49% of TAS |
Liveability
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 48/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Acacia Hills carries more bushfire risk (20 vs 0).
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 20/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Waterways | 7 | 4 |
Mobility
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Hobart | 285.4 km | 283.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 207 min | 203 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 7306 | 0.4% postcode 7310 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 7306 | 23 postcode 7310 |
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 (84.3%).
Setting
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 162 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 187 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 12.6 km | 10.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 294 premises | 0% 40 premises |
Climate
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 814 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,299/yr | $1,501/yr |
| Council | Kentish | Devonport |
Federal electorate
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyons | Braddon |
| Member | Rebecca White | Anne Urquhart |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Acacia Hills | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Acacia Hills
Other comparisons with Melrose
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.