Old Beach vs Herdsmans Cove

Herdsmans Cove is the younger of the two, with a median age of 29 against 40 in Old Beach. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Old Beach, the large majority of households own their home and about half of households are couple families. In Herdsmans Cove, most households rent. Houses cost more in Old Beach: a median of $720,000, against $470,000 in Herdsmans Cove, and rent is higher there too. Old Beach is closer to the city centre: 19.4 km, against 21.7 km. On these figures, Old Beach tends to suit couples, while Herdsmans Cove suits renters, families with children, 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

Old Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Herdsmans Cove

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($149,000 vs $255,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($470,000 vs $720,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Herdsmans Cove

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (68% vs 12%)
  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $400/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

  • Old Beach sits closer to the CBD (19.4 km vs 21.7 km)
  • Herdsmans Cove is more walkable (51/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Old Beach has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 8%)
  • Herdsmans Cove is more walkable (51/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

They split

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

  • Old Beach is growing faster (16.3% vs 7.1%)
  • Herdsmans Cove returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.1% vs 4.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
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.

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Walkability 0 / 51
Old Beach — Walkability: 0/100 Herdsmans Cove — Walkability: 51/100
Low fire risk 7 / 61
Old Beach — Low fire risk: 7/100 Herdsmans Cove — Low fire risk: 61/100

Demographics

Old Beach has more residents (4,394 vs 1,199); Old Beach has higher household incomes ($96,980 vs $52,624).

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Population 4,394
+73% vs other
 1,199
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.3% +7.1%
Median age 40 29
Median household income $96,980/yr
+46% vs other
 $52,624/yr
Median weekly rent $400/wk
+38% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
0-4 6.1% / 8.0%
Old Beach — 0-4: 6.1% Herdsmans Cove — 0-4: 8.0%
5-14 12.8% / 19.9%
Old Beach — 5-14: 12.8% Herdsmans Cove — 5-14: 19.9%
15-19 4.5% / 7.8%
Old Beach — 15-19: 4.5% Herdsmans Cove — 15-19: 7.8%
20-24 5.5% / 7.8%
Old Beach — 20-24: 5.5% Herdsmans Cove — 20-24: 7.8%
25-34 13.3% / 15.8%
Old Beach — 25-34: 13.3% Herdsmans Cove — 25-34: 15.8%
35-44 14.0% / 13.6%
Old Beach — 35-44: 14.0% Herdsmans Cove — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 12.7% / 9.0%
Old Beach — 45-54: 12.7% Herdsmans Cove — 45-54: 9.0%
55-64 12.8% / 9.4%
Old Beach — 55-64: 12.8% Herdsmans Cove — 55-64: 9.4%
65-74 11.1% / 5.8%
Old Beach — 65-74: 11.1% Herdsmans Cove — 65-74: 5.8%
75-84 5.5% / 1.7%
Old Beach — 75-84: 5.5% Herdsmans Cove — 75-84: 1.7%
85+ 1.6% / —
Old Beach — 85+: 1.6% Herdsmans Cove — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Old Beach 52.3% couple families
Old Beach — Couple Families: 52.3% Old Beach — One Parent Families: 15.5% Old Beach — Lone Person: 27.9% Old Beach — Group Household: 3.6% Old Beach — Other Families: 0.6%
Herdsmans Cove 29.4% couple families
Herdsmans Cove — Couple Families: 29.4% Herdsmans Cove — One Parent Families: 39.0% Herdsmans Cove — Lone Person: 25.0% Herdsmans Cove — Group Household: 4.1% Herdsmans Cove — Other Families: 2.5%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Old Beach 11.9% renting
Old Beach — Owned Outright: 35.7% Old Beach — Mortgage: 52.4% Old Beach — Renting: 11.9%
Herdsmans Cove 67.6% renting
Herdsmans Cove — Owned Outright: 10.5% Herdsmans Cove — Mortgage: 21.9% Herdsmans Cove — Renting: 67.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Certificate III & IV 20.0% / 11.3%
Old Beach — Certificate III & IV: 20.0% Herdsmans Cove — Certificate III & IV: 11.3%
Bachelor Degree 9.2% / 1.7%
Old Beach — Bachelor Degree: 9.2% Herdsmans Cove — Bachelor Degree: 1.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 2.4%
Old Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Herdsmans Cove — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.4%
Postgraduate Degree 2.8% / 1.1%
Old Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 2.8% Herdsmans Cove — Postgraduate Degree: 1.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.4% / —
Old Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4% Herdsmans Cove — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

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.

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
England 2.8% / 0.7%
Old Beach — England: 2.8% Herdsmans Cove — England: 0.7%
India 0.5% / 0.7%
Old Beach — India: 0.5% Herdsmans Cove — India: 0.7%
New Zealand 0.7% / 0.4%
Old Beach — New Zealand: 0.7% Herdsmans Cove — New Zealand: 0.4%
Philippines 0.5% / 0.5%
Old Beach — Philippines: 0.5% Herdsmans Cove — Philippines: 0.5%
South Africa 0.4% / —
Old Beach — South Africa: 0.4% Herdsmans Cove — South Africa: not among its largest
Bangladesh — / 0.3%
Old Beach — Bangladesh: not among its largest Herdsmans Cove — Bangladesh: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Old Beach 89.9% houses
Old Beach — Houses: 89.9% Old Beach — Flats / Apartments: 9.0% Old Beach — Townhouses: 1.2%
Herdsmans Cove 93.1% houses
Herdsmans Cove — Houses: 93.1% Herdsmans Cove — Flats / Apartments: 4.4% Herdsmans Cove — Townhouses: 2.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Median house price $720,000 $470,000
Median unit price $595,000 —
Median land price $255,000 $149,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 30 days
from 65 sales
 26 days
from 9 sales

Zoning mix

Old Beach has more rural and farming land (59% vs 0%); Old Beach has more land zoned for conservation (22% vs 1%).

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Rural and farming 59% 0%
Residential 9% 57%
Parks and recreation 4% 32%
Environmental 22% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 9%
Other and special use 5% 0%
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

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
New dwellings approved 153
across Brighton
same for both
Approvals change year on year -10%
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.

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Houses 4.5%
$680/wk on $790K
 5.1%
$485/wk on $499K
Units 5.7%
$690/wk on $625K
 —

Ranking within TAS

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 88% of TAS Higher than 23% of TAS
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 63% of TAS Higher than 93% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 76% of TAS Higher than 26% of TAS
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of TAS Higher than 86% of TAS
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 65% of TAS Higher than 91% of TAS
Rental yield (units) Higher than 96% of TAS —

Liveability

Herdsmans Cove is more walkable (51 vs 0).

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Grade C
same for both
Score 45/100 43/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Old Beach carries more bushfire risk (93 vs 39).

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Bushfire High
93/100
 Low
39/100
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 2
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Old Beach

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Herdsmans Cove

  • JRLF - Herdsmans Cove Primary School Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Supermarkets 0 1
Parks & reserves 4 0
Waterways 14 1

Mobility

Herdsmans Cove sits further from the CBD (21.7 km vs 19.4 km).

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Walkability score 0/100 51/100
Distance to Hobart 19.4 km 21.7 km
+12% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 23 min 25 min
Public transport score 92/100
Bus
 91/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 50.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 27.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 7017
 0.4%
postcode 7030
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 7017
 24
postcode 7030

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.

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Car (driver) 84.3% / 82.4%
Old Beach — Car (driver): 84.3% Herdsmans Cove — Car (driver): 82.4%
Car (passenger) 5.4% / 9.9%
Old Beach — Car (passenger): 5.4% Herdsmans Cove — Car (passenger): 9.9%
Worked from Home 7.1% / 2.1%
Old Beach — Worked from Home: 7.1% Herdsmans Cove — Worked from Home: 2.1%
Bus 2.9% / 4.2%
Old Beach — Bus: 2.9% Herdsmans Cove — Bus: 4.2%
Walked Only 0.3% / 1.4%
Old Beach — Walked Only: 0.3% Herdsmans Cove — Walked Only: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.3%).

Setting

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Elevation 88 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 8.1 km
4.9 km to a named beach
 10.2 km

NBN connectivity

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Connectivity score 65/100 69/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 39%
1,979 premises
 44%
558 premises

Climate

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Annual rainfall 507 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Average residential rate $1,772/yr
same for both
Council Brighton
same for both

Federal electorate

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Division Lyons
same for both
Member Rebecca White
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Old Beach Herdsmans Cove
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Old Beach

Acreage Easy Commute Middle-Ring Transport Hub

Herdsmans Cove

Affordable Easy Commute Family Large Blocks Middle-Ring River Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Old Beach

Old Beach vs Richmond Old Beach vs Gagebrook Old Beach vs Otago Old Beach vs Honeywood Old Beach vs Tea Tree Old Beach vs Risdon

Other comparisons with Herdsmans Cove

Herdsmans Cove vs Gagebrook
Full data on Old Beach Full data on Herdsmans Cove
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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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