Garden Island Creek vs Birchs Bay
Garden Island Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 56 in Birchs Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Garden Island Creek tends to suit families with children, while Birchs Bay suits older residents.
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Garden Island Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 34%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Birchs Bay
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 29%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Birchs Bay
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (46 min vs 70 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (41.1 km vs 62.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Birchs Bay
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Birchs Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (24.7% vs 14.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Garden Island Creek and Birchs Bay 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
Garden Island Creek has more residents (282 vs 116); Garden Island Creek rents higher ($300/wk vs $200/wk).
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 282 +59% vs other | 116 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +14.2% | +24.7% |
| Median age | 38 | 56 |
| Median household income | $53,872/yr | $61,724/yr +15% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +33% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).
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 (18.1%).
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 (9.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $560,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Garden Island Creek has more rural and farming land (60% vs 45%); Birchs Bay has more land zoned for conservation (54% vs 39%).
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 60% | 45% |
| Environmental | 39% | 54% |
| 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
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 81 across Huon Valley | 138 across Kingborough |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% | -13% |
Ranking within TAS
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 26% of TAS | Higher than 38% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 46% of TAS | Higher than 72% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 89% of TAS | Higher than 97% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 32% of TAS | Higher than 53% of TAS |
Liveability
Birchs Bay is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 92/100 | High 97/100 |
| Crime | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 35/100 | Low 15/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Waterways | 15 | 1 |
Mobility
Garden Island Creek sits further from the CBD (62.1 km vs 41.1 km).
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 62.1 km +34% vs other | 41.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 70 min | 46 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.4% postcode 7112 | 2.0% postcode 7162 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 37 postcode 7112 | 52 postcode 7162 |
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 (64.5%).
Setting
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 79 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 122 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.9 km | 1.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 26/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 110 premises | 0% 56 premises |
Climate
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 854 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 21.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,884/yr | $1,735/yr |
| Council | Huon Valley | Kingborough |
Federal electorate
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Franklin same for both | |
| Member | Julie Collins same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Garden Island Creek | Birchs Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Garden Island Creek
Other comparisons with Birchs Bay
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.