Downlands vs Upper Burnie
Downlands is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 42 in Upper Burnie. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Upper Burnie, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Downlands tends to suit families with children, while Upper Burnie 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
Downlands
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (63% vs 38%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 82%)
- But Upper Burnie has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Downlands
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 27%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Upper Burnie
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (41% vs 28%)
- has cheaper rent ($230/wk vs $315/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Upper Burnie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (66/100 vs 46/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Upper Burnie
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (66/100 vs 46/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 18%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Upper Burnie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (3.8% vs -1.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Downlands and Upper Burnie 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
Upper Burnie has more residents (1,891 vs 237); Downlands has higher household incomes ($75,816 vs $47,424).
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 237 | 1,891 +698% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.2% | +3.8% |
| Median age | 36 | 42 |
| Median household income | $75,816/yr +37% vs other | $47,424/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $315/wk +27% vs other | $230/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).
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 (18.1%).
Property market
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $530,000 | $510,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $360,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 27 days from 14 sales |
Zoning mix
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 70% | 81% |
| Parks and recreation | 17% | 12% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 13% | 3% |
| Commercial | 0% | 4% |
| 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
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 90 across Burnie same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +1200% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.4% $455/wk on $532K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 65% of TAS | Higher than 16% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 91% of TAS | Higher than 96% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 30% of TAS | Higher than 31% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 83% of TAS | Higher than 81% of TAS |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 63% of TAS |
Liveability
Upper Burnie is more walkable (66 vs 46).
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 52/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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 | 8 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 4 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 3 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 46/100 | 66/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 329.1 km | 327.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 230 min | 228 min |
| Public transport score | 23/100 Bus | 58/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 2.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 16.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 7320 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 19 postcode 7320 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 (96.5%).
Setting
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 169 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 129 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.1 km 3.2 km to a named beach | 1.7 km 1.9 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 66/100 | 63/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 39% 128 premises | 33% 1,092 premises |
Climate
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 929 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 21.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.8°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,050/yr same for both | |
| Council | Burnie same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Downlands | Upper Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Downlands
Upper Burnie
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Downlands
Other comparisons with Upper Burnie
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.