Forthside vs Melrose
Forthside is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 48 in Melrose. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Forthside, most households are couple families. In Melrose, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Forthside tends to suit young adults and couples, while Melrose 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
Forthside
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 48%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Forthside
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($149/wk vs $170/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Melrose
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (283.7 km vs 291.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Forthside and Melrose 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
Melrose skews older (48 vs 38); Forthside has higher household incomes ($106,600 vs $92,612).
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 76 | 94 +24% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.2% | -7.8% |
| Median age | 38 | 48 |
| Median household income | $106,600/yr +13% vs other | $92,612/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $149/wk | $170/wk +14% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.9%).
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 (23.4%).
Zoning mix
Melrose has more rural and farming land (98% vs 85%); Forthside has more land zoned for conservation (15% vs 2%).
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 85% | 98% |
| Environmental | 15% | 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
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 109 across Devonport same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +146% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 93% of TAS | Higher than 83% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 46% of TAS | Higher than 3% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 41% of TAS | Higher than 36% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of TAS | Higher than 49% of TAS |
Liveability
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 0 | 4 |
Mobility
Forthside sits further from the CBD (291.4 km vs 283.7 km).
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Hobart | 291.4 km +3% vs other | 283.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 206 min | 203 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 7310 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 23 postcode 7310 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 (71.8%).
Setting
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 215 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 187 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.6 km | 10.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 29 premises | 0% 40 premises |
Climate
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 814 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,501/yr same for both | |
| Council | Devonport same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Forthside | Melrose | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Forthside
Other comparisons with Melrose
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.