Hawley Beach vs Shearwater

Hawley Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 54 against 58 in Shearwater. In both, most 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 Hawley Beach: a median of $940,000, against $726,000 in Shearwater. On these figures, Shearwater tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Shearwater

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($725,500 vs $940,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Hawley Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 27%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Shearwater

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (43/100 vs 12/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (198 min vs 208 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (279.2 km vs 282.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Shearwater

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (43/100 vs 12/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (40% vs 32%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Hawley Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (22.2% vs 16.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Hawley Beach and Shearwater drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Walkability 12 / 43
Hawley Beach — Walkability: 12/100 Shearwater — Walkability: 43/100
Low fire risk 84 / 82
Hawley Beach — Low fire risk: 84/100 Shearwater — Low fire risk: 82/100

Demographics

Shearwater has more residents (2,051 vs 590); Hawley Beach has higher household incomes ($76,804 vs $57,408).

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Population 590 2,051
+248% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +22.2% +16.3%
Median age 54 58
Median household income $76,804/yr
+25% vs other
 $57,408/yr
Median weekly rent $300/wk
+2% vs other
 $295/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hawley Beach Shearwater
0-4 3.2% / 4.2%
Hawley Beach — 0-4: 3.2% Shearwater — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 11.7% / 9.1%
Hawley Beach — 5-14: 11.7% Shearwater — 5-14: 9.1%
15-19 3.7% / 3.9%
Hawley Beach — 15-19: 3.7% Shearwater — 15-19: 3.9%
20-24 2.7% / 3.1%
Hawley Beach — 20-24: 2.7% Shearwater — 20-24: 3.1%
25-34 6.9% / 7.8%
Hawley Beach — 25-34: 6.9% Shearwater — 25-34: 7.8%
35-44 9.7% / 7.7%
Hawley Beach — 35-44: 9.7% Shearwater — 35-44: 7.7%
45-54 13.2% / 10.1%
Hawley Beach — 45-54: 13.2% Shearwater — 45-54: 10.1%
55-64 16.8% / 14.2%
Hawley Beach — 55-64: 16.8% Shearwater — 55-64: 14.2%
65-74 22.4% / 21.0%
Hawley Beach — 65-74: 22.4% Shearwater — 65-74: 21.0%
75-84 8.6% / 13.4%
Hawley Beach — 75-84: 8.6% Shearwater — 75-84: 13.4%
85+ 1.2% / 5.1%
Hawley Beach — 85+: 1.2% Shearwater — 85+: 5.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Hawley Beach 45.0% lone person
Hawley Beach — Lone Person: 45.0% Hawley Beach — Couple Families: 41.9% Hawley Beach — One Parent Families: 7.8% Hawley Beach — Group Household: 5.4% Hawley Beach — Other Families: 0.0%
Shearwater 52.2% lone person
Shearwater — Lone Person: 52.2% Shearwater — Couple Families: 28.5% Shearwater — One Parent Families: 13.8% Shearwater — Group Household: 4.1% Shearwater — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Hawley Beach 27.0% renting
Hawley Beach — Owned Outright: 45.6% Hawley Beach — Mortgage: 27.4% Hawley Beach — Renting: 27.0%
Shearwater 22.0% renting
Shearwater — Owned Outright: 53.5% Shearwater — Mortgage: 24.6% Shearwater — Renting: 22.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Hawley Beach Shearwater
England 3.1% / 5.9%
Hawley Beach — England: 3.1% Shearwater — England: 5.9%
New Zealand 1.2% / 1.8%
Hawley Beach — New Zealand: 1.2% Shearwater — New Zealand: 1.8%
Netherlands 0.8% / 0.6%
Hawley Beach — Netherlands: 0.8% Shearwater — Netherlands: 0.6%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.8%
Hawley Beach — Scotland: 0.5% Shearwater — Scotland: 0.8%
South Africa 0.7% / 0.5%
Hawley Beach — South Africa: 0.7% Shearwater — South Africa: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Certificate III & IV 17.5% / 17.6%
Hawley Beach — Certificate III & IV: 17.5% Shearwater — Certificate III & IV: 17.6%
Bachelor Degree 14.7% / 8.3%
Hawley Beach — Bachelor Degree: 14.7% Shearwater — Bachelor Degree: 8.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.7% / 8.9%
Hawley Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.7% Shearwater — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree 5.1% / 2.2%
Hawley Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 5.1% Shearwater — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 1.4%
Hawley Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% Shearwater — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Hawley Beach 91.9% houses
Hawley Beach — Houses: 91.9% Hawley Beach — Townhouses: 5.9% Hawley Beach — Flats / Apartments: 2.1%
Shearwater 91.4% houses
Shearwater — Houses: 91.4% Shearwater — Townhouses: 8.2% Shearwater — Flats / Apartments: 0.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Median house price $940,000 $725,500
Median unit price — $512,000
Median land price $315,000 $340,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 84 days
from 15 sales
 39 days
from 13 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Hawley Beach Shearwater
3 bed $900K / $660K
Hawley Beach — 3 bed: $900K (19 sales) Shearwater — 3 bed: $660K (28 sales)

19 vs 28 sales

4 bed $1.12M / $950K
Hawley Beach — 4 bed: $1.12M (7 sales) Shearwater — 4 bed: $950K (12 sales)

7 vs 12 sales

Zoning mix

Hawley Beach has more rural and farming land (77% vs 11%).

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Rural and farming 77% 11%
Residential 12% 41%
Environmental 7% 16%
Other and special use 2% 9%
Parks and recreation 1% 8%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 8%
Industrial 0% 4%
Commercial 0% 3%
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

Hawley Beach Shearwater
New dwellings approved 93
across Latrobe (Tas.)
same for both
Approvals change year on year +9%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Houses 3.1%
$625/wk on $1.03M
 3.3%
$540/wk on $862K
Units — 4.9%
$485/wk on $519K

Ranking within TAS

Hawley Beach Shearwater
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 68% of TAS Higher than 31% of TAS
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 78% of TAS Higher than 91% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 53% of TAS
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of TAS Higher than 83% of TAS
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 10% of TAS Higher than 12% of TAS
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 63% of TAS

Liveability

Shearwater is more walkable (43 vs 12); Hawley Beach scores higher overall (61 vs 56).

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Grade B
same for both
Score 61/100 56/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Bushfire Low
16/100
 Low
18/100
Crime Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
25/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Hawley Beach Shearwater
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

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 2 1
Childcare 0 1
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 0 11

Mobility

Hawley Beach sits further from the CBD (282.3 km vs 279.2 km).

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Walkability score 12/100 43/100
Distance to Hobart 282.3 km
+1% vs other
 279.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 208 min 198 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 7307
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 7307
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.

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Car (driver) 79.7% / 85.4%
Hawley Beach — Car (driver): 79.7% Shearwater — Car (driver): 85.4%
Worked from Home 14.5% / 8.4%
Hawley Beach — Worked from Home: 14.5% Shearwater — Worked from Home: 8.4%
Car (passenger) 5.8% / 4.0%
Hawley Beach — Car (passenger): 5.8% Shearwater — Car (passenger): 4.0%
Walked Only — / 1.7%
Hawley Beach — Walked Only: not among its largest Shearwater — Walked Only: 1.7%
Bus — / 0.5%
Hawley Beach — Bus: not among its largest Shearwater — Bus: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (85.4%).

Setting

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Elevation 31 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 24 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 717 m
967 m to a named beach
 952 m
1.6 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Connectivity score 80/100 66/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 64%
579 premises
 39%
1,234 premises

Climate

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Annual rainfall 698 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 21.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Average residential rate $1,123/yr
same for both
Council Latrobe (Tas.)
same for both

Federal electorate

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Division Braddon
same for both
Member Anne Urquhart
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Hawley Beach Shearwater
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Hawley Beach

Acreage Beach Coastal Premium Retirees

Shearwater

Coastal Large Blocks Quiet Retirees River

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Full data on Hawley Beach Full data on Shearwater
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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.

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