Lower Barrington vs Paloona
Paloona is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 49 in Lower Barrington. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Lower Barrington tends to suit people living alone and families with children, while Paloona suits couples.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Lower Barrington has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- Paloona is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 66%)
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Lower Barrington
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (279.7 km vs 289.2 km)
- has a shorter drive in (205 min vs 210 min)
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
Paloona
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (31.2% vs 16.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lower Barrington and Paloona 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
Lower Barrington has more residents (278 vs 84); Lower Barrington skews older (49 vs 40).
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 278 +70% vs other | 84 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.8% | +31.2% |
| Median age | 49 | 40 |
| Median household income | $83,408/yr +1% vs other | $82,316/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $315/wk | $335/wk +6% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).
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 (4.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $749,900 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 44 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 97% |
| Environmental | 6% | 2% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 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
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 19 across Kentish | 109 across Devonport |
| Approvals change year on year | — | +146% |
Ranking within TAS
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 75% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 45% of TAS | Higher than 30% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 56% of TAS | Higher than 39% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of TAS | Higher than 59% of TAS |
Liveability
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 21/100 | Low 27/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 5 | 2 |
Mobility
Paloona sits further from the CBD (289.2 km vs 279.7 km).
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Hobart | 279.7 km | 289.2 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 205 min | 210 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 7306 | 0.4% postcode 7310 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 7306 | 23 postcode 7310 |
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 (78.8%).
Setting
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 232 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 101 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 14.5 km | 11.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 116 premises | 0% 33 premises |
Climate
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 814 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,299/yr | $1,501/yr |
| Council | Kentish | Devonport |
Federal electorate
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyons | Braddon |
| Member | Rebecca White | Anne Urquhart |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lower Barrington | Paloona | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Lower Barrington
Other comparisons with Paloona
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.