Needles vs Red Hills
Red Hills is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 45 in Needles. 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, Needles tends to suit families with children and 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
Needles
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 59%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Needles
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 17%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Needles
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($210/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Red Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (237.5 km vs 241.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Red Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 6%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Needles
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (35.1% vs 3.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Needles and Red Hills 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
Red Hills has more residents (124 vs 50); Needles has higher household incomes ($110,500 vs $92,612).
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 124 +148% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +35.1% | +3.3% |
| Median age | 45 | 38 |
| Median household income | $110,500/yr +16% vs other | $92,612/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $210/wk | $250/wk +19% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (18.0%).
Zoning mix
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 99% |
| 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
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 202 across Meander Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 95% of TAS | Higher than 84% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 60% of TAS | Higher than 70% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 60% of TAS | Higher than 58% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 38% of TAS | Higher than 41% of TAS |
Liveability
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Needles carries more bushfire risk (16 vs 0).
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 16/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Needles sits further from the CBD (241.9 km vs 237.5 km).
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 241.9 km +2% vs other | 237.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 170 min | 166 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 (82.4%).
Setting
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 341 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 275 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 42.0 km | 40.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 15 premises | 0% 51 premises |
Climate
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 720 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $875/yr same for both | |
| Council | Meander Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyons same for both | |
| Member | Rebecca White same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Needles | Red Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Needles
Other comparisons with Red Hills
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.