Badger Head vs Kelso
Badger Head is the younger of the two, with a median age of 54 against 62 in Kelso. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Badger Head, about half of households are people living alone. In Kelso, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Badger Head tends to suit couples, while Kelso suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Badger Head
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (50% vs 31%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Badger Head
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 28%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Badger Head
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $285/wk)
Weighs rent.
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
Kelso
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (39% vs 21%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Badger Head
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (51.2% vs 24.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Badger Head and Kelso 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
Kelso rents higher ($285/wk vs $0/wk); Kelso has more residents (182 vs 62).
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 62 | 182 +194% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +51.2% | +24.7% |
| Median age | 54 | 62 |
| Median household income | $56,316/yr +5% vs other | $53,300/yr |
| Median weekly rent | — | $285/wk (not reported on the other side) |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
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 (8.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $520,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Badger Head has more land zoned for conservation (41% vs 2%); Kelso has more rural and farming land (96% vs 59%).
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 59% | 96% |
| Environmental | 41% | 2% |
| Residential | 0% | 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
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 159 across West Tamar same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +11% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 30% of TAS | Higher than 25% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of TAS | Higher than 67% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 23% of TAS same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 45% of TAS | Higher than 56% of TAS |
Liveability
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 38/100 | Low 30/100 |
| Crime | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 47/100 | Low 34/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 4/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 254.9 km | 256.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 190 min | 192 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 7270 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 39 postcode 7270 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 (83.3%).
Setting
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 41 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 14 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.3 km | 1.5 km 4.3 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 26 premises | 0% 150 premises |
Climate
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 698 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 21.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,859/yr same for both | |
| Council | West Tamar same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bass same for both | |
| Member | Jess Teesdale same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Badger Head | Kelso | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Badger Head
Kelso
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Badger Head
Other comparisons with Kelso
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.