Castle Forbes Bay vs Port Huon
Port Huon is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 53 in Castle Forbes Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Port Huon tends to suit people living alone.
Castle Forbes Bay is a very small, quiet community of 176 people, while Port Huon is more established with 492 residents and a walkability score of 25 compared to Castle Forbes Bay's 0, making it more accessible for daily errands. Castle Forbes Bay has a higher median household income at $63,492 versus $59,904, and sits slightly closer to Hobart at 53.7 km rather than 57.3 km. Both suburbs are similarly aged, modestly priced, and face comparable bushfire risk, so your choice largely depends on whether you prefer a very remote, quieter setting or a small town with basic walkable amenities.
Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.
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
Castle Forbes Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (59% vs 50%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Castle Forbes Bay sits closer to the CBD (53.7 km vs 57.3 km)
- Port Huon is more walkable (25/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Port Huon
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (25/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Castle Forbes Bay and Port Huon 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
Port Huon has more residents (492 vs 176); Castle Forbes Bay skews older (53 vs 50).
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 176 | 492 +180% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +10.7% | +15.0% |
| Median age | 53 | 50 |
| Median household income | $63,492/yr +6% vs other | $59,904/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $290/wk +4% vs other | $278/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).
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 (20.5%).
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 (12.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $745,000 | $697,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $190,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 134 days from 3 sales | 52 days from 14 sales |
Zoning mix
Castle Forbes Bay has more rural and farming land (99% vs 72%); Port Huon has more land zoned for conservation (15% vs 1%).
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 72% |
| Environmental | 1% | 15% |
| Residential | 0% | 7% |
| Other and special use | 0% | 3% |
| Industrial | 0% | 2% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 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
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 81 across Huon Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 42% of TAS | Higher than 36% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 14% of TAS | Higher than 87% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 67% of TAS | Higher than 68% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 33% of TAS | Higher than 72% of TAS |
Liveability
Port Huon is more walkable (25 vs 0).
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 95/100 | High 96/100 |
| 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 | Moderate 41/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 3 | 0 |
Mobility
Port Huon sits further from the CBD (57.3 km vs 53.7 km).
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 25/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 53.7 km | 57.3 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 55 min same for both | |
| Public transport score | 40/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 2.5 7-9am + 5-7pm same for both | |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 7116 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 37 postcode 7116 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 (71.9%).
Setting
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 248 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.7 km | 388 m |
NBN connectivity
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 104 premises | 0% 248 premises |
Climate
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,884/yr same for both | |
| Council | Huon Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Franklin same for both | |
| Member | Julie Collins same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Castle Forbes Bay | Port Huon | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Castle Forbes Bay
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Castle Forbes Bay
Other comparisons with Port Huon
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.