Golden Valley vs Meander
Golden Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 52 in Meander. 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. Houses cost more in Golden Valley: a median of $596,000, against $530,000 in Meander, though rent is higher in Meander.
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
Golden Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more parks and reserves (9 vs 5)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Meander
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($530,000 vs $596,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Golden Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($176/wk vs $238/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Golden Valley
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (192.1 km vs 249.8 km)
- has a shorter drive in (167 min vs 180 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Golden Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Golden Valley and Meander 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
Meander has more residents (337 vs 226); Meander rents higher ($238/wk vs $176/wk).
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 226 | 337 +49% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.2% | +2.7% |
| Median age | 49 | 52 |
| Median household income | $47,424/yr | $59,176/yr +25% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $176/wk | $238/wk +35% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).
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 (15.9%).
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 (7.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $596,000 | $530,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 127 days from 3 sales | 96 days from 6 sales |
Zoning mix
Golden Valley has more rural and farming land (86% vs 63%); Meander has more land zoned for conservation (36% vs 14%).
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 86% | 63% |
| Environmental | 14% | 36% |
| 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
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 202 across Meander Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 16% of TAS | Higher than 35% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 75% of TAS | Higher than 10% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 59% of TAS | Higher than 57% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 26% of TAS | Higher than 50% of TAS |
Liveability
Golden Valley is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Meander carries more bushfire risk (77 vs 16).
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 16/100 | High 77/100 |
| 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
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 9 | 5 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 7 |
Mobility
Meander sits further from the CBD (249.8 km vs 192.1 km).
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 192.1 km | 249.8 km +30% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 167 min | 180 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 (68.7%).
Setting
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 470 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 385 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 22/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 91 premises | 0% 159 premises |
Climate
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 720 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $875/yr same for both | |
| Council | Meander Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyons same for both | |
| Member | Rebecca White same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Golden Valley | Meander | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Golden Valley
Other comparisons with Meander
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.