Acton vs Downlands
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Downlands: a median of $530,000, against $445,000 in Acton, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Acton tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Acton has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- Downlands is already more of a family suburb (63% vs 52%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Acton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($445,000 vs $530,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Acton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 28%)
- has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $315/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Acton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (69/100 vs 46/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Acton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (69/100 vs 46/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Acton and Downlands 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
Acton has more residents (1,377 vs 237); Downlands has higher household incomes ($75,816 vs $57,200).
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,377 +83% vs other | 237 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.1% | -1.2% |
| Median age | 35 | 36 |
| Median household income | $57,200/yr | $75,816/yr +33% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $240/wk | $315/wk +31% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).
Property market
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $445,000 | $530,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 16 days from 11 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 64% | 70% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 22% | 13% |
| Parks and recreation | 13% | 17% |
| 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
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 90 across Burnie same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +1200% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.7% $455/wk on $499K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 31% of TAS | Higher than 65% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 96% of TAS | Higher than 91% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 31% of TAS | Higher than 30% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 87% of TAS | Higher than 83% of TAS |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 80% of TAS | — |
Liveability
Acton is more walkable (69 vs 46).
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 50/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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 | 8 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Acton
- North West Support School Government · Combined · Special school
- North West Support School - Miandetta Campus Government · Combined · Special school
Schools in Downlands
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 4 | 2 |
Mobility
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 69/100 | 46/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 328.2 km | 329.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 230 min same for both | |
| Public transport score | 32/100 Bus | 23/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 5.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 2.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 9 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 7320 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 19 postcode 7320 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 (96.5%).
Setting
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 151 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 169 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.2 km 2.5 km to a named beach | 3.1 km 3.2 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 71/100 | 66/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 48% 667 premises | 39% 128 premises |
Climate
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 929 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 21.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.8°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,050/yr same for both | |
| Council | Burnie same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Acton | Downlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Acton
Downlands
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Acton
Other comparisons with Downlands
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.