Forth vs Spalford
Forth is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 49 in Spalford. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Forth, about half of households are couple families. In Spalford, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Spalford tends to suit 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
Forth
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Forth
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Spalford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $260/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Forth
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (204 min vs 216 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (290.6 km vs 305 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Forth
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Forth
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (3.8% vs -6.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Forth and Spalford 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
Forth rents higher ($260/wk vs $0/wk); Forth has more residents (738 vs 55).
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 738 +93% vs other | 55 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.8% | -6.8% |
| Median age | 46 | 49 |
| Median household income | $82,784/yr +14% vs other | $71,448/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $260/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).
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 (9.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $660,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 36 days from 5 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 93% | 100% |
| Environmental | 4% | 0% |
| Residential | 2% | 0% |
| 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
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 84 across Central Coast (Tas.) same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -38% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 75% of TAS | Higher than 56% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 80% of TAS | Higher than 24% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 41% of TAS | Higher than 34% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 79% of TAS | Higher than 42% of TAS |
Liveability
Forth is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 53/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Forth carries more bushfire risk (35 vs 0).
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 35/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Forth
- Forth Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Spalford
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 9 | 0 |
Mobility
Spalford sits further from the CBD (305 km vs 290.6 km).
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 290.6 km | 305 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 204 min | 216 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 7310 | 0.4% postcode 7315 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 23 postcode 7310 | 28 postcode 7315 |
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 (82.9%).
Setting
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 46 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 202 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.8 km 5.0 km to a named beach | 9.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 56/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 32% 336 premises | 0% 23 premises |
Climate
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 814 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,379/yr same for both | |
| Council | Central Coast (Tas.) same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Forth | Spalford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Forth
Other comparisons with Spalford
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.