Christmas Hills vs Smithton
Christmas Hills is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 42 in Smithton. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Christmas Hills, most households are couple families. On these figures, Christmas Hills tends to suit couples, while Smithton suits families with children 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
Smithton
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 2)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Christmas Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (12% vs 21%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Christmas Hills
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (9% vs 19%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $222/wk)
- But Smithton has a bigger rental market to choose from (28% vs 8%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Smithton
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (292 min vs 308 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (411.2 km vs 432.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Smithton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 10%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Christmas Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.4% vs 1.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Christmas Hills and Smithton 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
Smithton has more residents (3,934 vs 127); Smithton rents higher ($222/wk vs $150/wk).
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 127 | 3,934 +2998% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +10.4% | +1.4% |
| Median age | 37 | 42 |
| Median household income | $87,724/yr +30% vs other | $61,828/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $222/wk +48% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
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 (6.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $397,500 |
| Median unit price | — | $330,000 |
| Median land price | — | $136,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 55 days from 45 sales |
Zoning mix
Christmas Hills has more land zoned for conservation (17% vs 5%).
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 83% | 84% |
| Environmental | 17% | 5% |
| Residential | 0% | 3% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 3% |
| Industrial | 0% | 2% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 7 across Circular Head same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 3.9% $405/wk on $538K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 81% of TAS | Higher than 40% of TAS |
| Schools | — | Higher than 88% of TAS |
| Walkability | Higher than 20% of TAS | Higher than 83% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 3% of TAS | Higher than 5% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 36% of TAS | Higher than 91% of TAS |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 32% of TAS |
Liveability
Smithton is more walkable (17 vs 0).
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 49/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Christmas Hills carries more bushfire risk (42 vs 28).
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 42/100 | Low 28/100 |
| 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 | High 79/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 5 within 5 km |
Schools
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 4 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Christmas Hills
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Smithton
- Circular Head Christian School Independent · Combined above peers
- St Peter Chanel Catholic School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Smithton Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- Smithton High School Government · Secondary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 3 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 5 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 2 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 0 | 13 |
Mobility
Christmas Hills sits further from the CBD (432.4 km vs 411.2 km).
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 17/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 432.4 km +5% vs other | 411.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 308 min | 292 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 7330 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 23 postcode 7330 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 (82.0%).
Setting
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 105 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 29 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 19.5 km | 4.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 90/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 49 premises | 86% 2,167 premises |
Climate
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,097 mm | 1,454 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — | 20.8°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | — | 5.2°C |
Federal electorate
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Christmas Hills | Smithton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Smithton
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Christmas Hills
Other comparisons with Smithton
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.