Dairy Plains vs Meander
Dairy Plains is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 52 in Meander. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dairy Plains, most households are couple families. In Meander, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Dairy Plains tends to suit families with children and couples, while Meander 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
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Dairy Plains is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 49%)
- Meander has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Meander
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 54%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Dairy Plains
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 21%)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $238/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dairy Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (245.7 km vs 249.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Meander
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Meander
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (2.7% vs -4.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dairy Plains and Meander 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
Meander has more residents (337 vs 66); Dairy Plains has higher household incomes ($110,448 vs $59,176).
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 66 | 337 +411% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.3% | +2.7% |
| Median age | 33 | 52 |
| Median household income | $110,448/yr +46% vs other | $59,176/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $238/wk +59% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.7%).
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 (15.2%).
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 (7.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $530,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 96 days from 6 sales |
Zoning mix
Dairy Plains has more rural and farming land (100% vs 63%); Meander has more land zoned for conservation (36% vs 0%).
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 63% |
| Environmental | 0% | 36% |
| 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
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 202 across Meander Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 94% of TAS | Higher than 35% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 51% of TAS | Higher than 10% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 59% of TAS | Higher than 57% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 66% of TAS | Higher than 50% of TAS |
Liveability
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Meander carries more bushfire risk (77 vs 0).
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 77/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 5 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 7 |
Mobility
Meander sits further from the CBD (249.8 km vs 245.7 km).
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Hobart | 245.7 km | 249.8 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 179 min | 180 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 7304 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 32 postcode 7304 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 (68.7%).
Setting
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 270 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 385 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 24 premises | 0% 159 premises |
Climate
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 720 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $875/yr same for both | |
| Council | Meander Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyons same for both | |
| Member | Rebecca White same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dairy Plains | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Dairy Plains
Other comparisons with Meander
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.