Merseylea vs Sassafras
Merseylea is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 46 in Sassafras. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Merseylea, most households are people living alone. In Sassafras, most households are couple families. On these figures, Merseylea tends to suit people living alone, families with children, and older residents, while Sassafras 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
Sassafras
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 44%)
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
Merseylea
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($108/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Merseylea sits closer to the CBD (256 km vs 260.2 km)
- Sassafras has a shorter drive in (180 min vs 185 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Merseylea
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 22%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Where they sit
Merseylea and Sassafras 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
Sassafras has more residents (352 vs 71); Sassafras rents higher ($250/wk vs $108/wk).
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 71 | 352 +396% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — | +1.4% |
| Median age | 43 | 46 |
| Median household income | $73,632/yr | $73,372/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $108/wk | $250/wk +131% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).
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 (8.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $540,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 88% | 97% |
| Environmental | 12% | 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
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 93 across Latrobe (Tas.) same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +9% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 62% of TAS same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 21% of TAS | Higher than 65% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 10% of TAS | Higher than 54% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of TAS | Higher than 48% of TAS |
Liveability
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 30/100 | Low 29/100 |
| 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
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Merseylea
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Sassafras
- Sassafras Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Sassafras sits further from the CBD (260.2 km vs 256 km).
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Hobart | 256 km | 260.2 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 185 min | 180 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 7305 | 0.5% postcode 7307 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 35 postcode 7305 | 30 postcode 7307 |
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 (84.2%).
Setting
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 42 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 122 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 22.1 km | 15.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 33 premises | 0% 131 premises |
Climate
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,123/yr same for both | |
| Council | Latrobe (Tas.) same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Merseylea | Sassafras | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Merseylea
Other comparisons with Sassafras
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.