Meander vs Western Creek

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Meander, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Western Creek: a median of $640,000, against $530,000 in Meander, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Meander tends to suit people living alone and 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

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Meander has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
  • Western Creek is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 49%)

Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Meander has cheaper houses ($530,000 vs $640,000)
  • Western Creek leaves households under less mortgage stress (15% vs 24%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Meander

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($238/wk vs $300/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Meander

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (180 min vs 194 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (249.8 km vs 254.2 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

Western Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (10.3% vs 2.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Meander Western Creek
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.

Meander Western Creek
Walkability 0 / 0
Meander — Walkability: 0/100 Western Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Low fire risk 23 / 15
Meander — Low fire risk: 23/100 Western Creek — Low fire risk: 15/100

Demographics

Meander has more residents (337 vs 128); Western Creek rents higher ($300/wk vs $238/wk).

Meander Western Creek
Population 337
+62% vs other
 128
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.7% +10.3%
Median age 52 50
Median household income $59,176/yr $66,248/yr
+12% vs other
Median weekly rent $238/wk $300/wk
+26% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Meander Western Creek
0-4 3.3% / 9.4%
Meander — 0-4: 3.3% Western Creek — 0-4: 9.4%
5-14 8.0% / 7.8%
Meander — 5-14: 8.0% Western Creek — 5-14: 7.8%
15-19 5.9% / 2.3%
Meander — 15-19: 5.9% Western Creek — 15-19: 2.3%
20-24 4.2% / 5.5%
Meander — 20-24: 4.2% Western Creek — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 11.6% / 9.4%
Meander — 25-34: 11.6% Western Creek — 25-34: 9.4%
35-44 7.4% / 10.9%
Meander — 35-44: 7.4% Western Creek — 35-44: 10.9%
45-54 15.1% / 14.8%
Meander — 45-54: 15.1% Western Creek — 45-54: 14.8%
55-64 20.2% / 18.8%
Meander — 55-64: 20.2% Western Creek — 55-64: 18.8%
65-74 14.8% / 15.6%
Meander — 65-74: 14.8% Western Creek — 65-74: 15.6%
75-84 6.2% / 3.1%
Meander — 75-84: 6.2% Western Creek — 75-84: 3.1%
85+ 1.5% / —
Meander — 85+: 1.5% Western Creek — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Meander 46.1% lone person
Meander — Lone Person: 46.1% Meander — Couple Families: 30.3% Meander — One Parent Families: 18.4% Meander — Group Household: 5.3%
Western Creek 32.3% lone person
Western Creek — Lone Person: 32.3% Western Creek — Couple Families: 41.9% Western Creek — One Parent Families: 25.8% Western Creek — Group Household: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Meander 18.4% renting
Meander — Owned Outright: 48.8% Meander — Mortgage: 32.8% Meander — Renting: 18.4%
Western Creek 21.1% renting
Western Creek — Owned Outright: 50.0% Western Creek — Mortgage: 28.9% Western Creek — Renting: 21.1%
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.

Meander Western Creek
England 5.9% / 8.6%
Meander — England: 5.9% Western Creek — England: 8.6%
Germany 2.1% / 3.9%
Meander — Germany: 2.1% Western Creek — Germany: 3.9%
New Zealand 1.2% / 2.3%
Meander — New Zealand: 1.2% Western Creek — New Zealand: 2.3%
Malaysia 1.5% / —
Meander — Malaysia: 1.5% Western Creek — Malaysia: not among its largest
South Africa 0.9% / —
Meander — South Africa: 0.9% Western Creek — South Africa: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.6%).

Qualifications

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

Meander Western Creek
Certificate III & IV 14.5% / 14.8%
Meander — Certificate III & IV: 14.5% Western Creek — Certificate III & IV: 14.8%
Bachelor Degree 7.4% / 14.1%
Meander — Bachelor Degree: 7.4% Western Creek — Bachelor Degree: 14.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 2.3%
Meander — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Western Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.3%
Postgraduate Degree 0.9% / 2.3%
Meander — Postgraduate Degree: 0.9% Western Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / —
Meander — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Western Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Meander 98.5% houses
Meander — Houses: 98.5% Meander — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Western Creek 100.0% houses
Western Creek — Houses: 100.0% Western Creek — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Meander Western Creek
Median house price $530,000 $640,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 96 days
from 6 sales
 69 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Meander Western Creek
Rural and farming 63% 67%
Environmental 36% 33%
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

Meander Western Creek
New dwellings approved 202
across Meander Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year +67%
same for both

Ranking within TAS

Meander Western Creek
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 35% of TAS Higher than 45% of TAS
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 10% of TAS Higher than 45% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 57% of TAS Higher than 59% of TAS
NBN connectivity Higher than 50% of TAS Higher than 32% of TAS

Liveability

Meander Western Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Meander Western Creek
Bushfire High
77/100
 High
85/100
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

Meander Western Creek
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

Meander Western Creek
Parks & reserves 5 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Waterways 7 1

Mobility

Western Creek sits further from the CBD (254.2 km vs 249.8 km).

Meander Western Creek
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Hobart 249.8 km 254.2 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 180 min 194 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.

Meander Western Creek
Car (driver) 68.7% / 65.8%
Meander — Car (driver): 68.7% Western Creek — Car (driver): 65.8%
Worked from Home 17.9% / 23.7%
Meander — Worked from Home: 17.9% Western Creek — Worked from Home: 23.7%
Walked Only 9.7% / 10.5%
Meander — Walked Only: 9.7% Western Creek — Walked Only: 10.5%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / —
Meander — Car (passenger): 3.7% Western Creek — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.7%).

Setting

Meander Western Creek
Elevation 385 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 371 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Meander Western Creek
Connectivity score 30/100 26/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
159 premises
 0%
47 premises

Climate

Meander Western Creek
Annual rainfall 720 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Meander Western Creek
Average residential rate $875/yr
same for both
Council Meander Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Meander Western Creek
Division Lyons
same for both
Member Rebecca White
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Meander Western Creek
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Meander

Rural

Western Creek

Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Meander

Meander vs Deloraine Meander vs Golden Valley Meander vs Dairy Plains Meander vs Montana

Other comparisons with Western Creek

Western Creek vs Caveside Western Creek vs Dairy Plains
Full data on Meander Full data on Western Creek
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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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