Dairy Plains vs Needles
Dairy Plains is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 45 in Needles. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Dairy Plains tends to suit families with children, while Needles suits couples.
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
Needles
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 65%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Needles
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 54%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Dairy Plains
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 15%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $210/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Needles
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (170 min vs 179 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (241.9 km vs 245.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dairy Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 6%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Needles
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (35.1% vs -4.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dairy Plains and Needles 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
Needles rents higher ($210/wk vs $150/wk); Needles skews older (45 vs 33).
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 66 +24% vs other | 50 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.3% | +35.1% |
| Median age | 33 | 45 |
| Median household income | $110,448/yr | $110,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $210/wk +40% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).
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 (18.0%).
Zoning mix
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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 | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 202 across Meander Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 94% of TAS | Higher than 95% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 51% of TAS | Higher than 60% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 59% of TAS | Higher than 60% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 66% of TAS | Higher than 38% of TAS |
Liveability
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Needles carries more bushfire risk (16 vs 0).
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 16/100 |
| 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 | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
Dairy Plains sits further from the CBD (245.7 km vs 241.9 km).
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Hobart | 245.7 km +2% vs other | 241.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 179 min | 170 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 (82.4%).
Setting
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 270 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 341 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 46.7 km | 42.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 24 premises | 0% 15 premises |
Climate
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 720 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $875/yr same for both | |
| Council | Meander Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyons same for both | |
| Member | Rebecca White same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dairy Plains | Needles | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Needles
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.