Smithton vs South Forest
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In South Forest, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Smithton tends to suit people living alone, while South Forest 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
Smithton
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
- But South Forest is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 49%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
South Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 21%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Smithton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (28% vs 12%)
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
- Smithton is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
- South Forest sits closer to the CBD (402.1 km vs 411.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Smithton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Where they sit
Smithton and South Forest 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
Smithton has more residents (3,934 vs 100); South Forest has higher household incomes ($74,724 vs $61,828).
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,934 +97% vs other | 100 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.4% | — |
| Median age | 42 | 43 |
| Median household income | $61,828/yr | $74,724/yr +21% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $222/wk | $225/wk +1% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).
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%).
Property market
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $397,500 | — |
| Median unit price | $330,000 | — |
| Median land price | $136,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 55 days from 45 sales | — |
Zoning mix
South Forest has more rural and farming land (100% vs 84%).
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 84% | 100% |
| Environmental | 5% | 0% |
| Residential | 3% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 0% |
| Industrial | 2% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 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
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 7 across Circular Head same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.9% $405/wk on $538K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 40% of TAS | Higher than 64% of TAS |
| Schools | Higher than 88% of TAS | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 83% of TAS | Higher than 66% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 5% of TAS | Higher than 6% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 91% of TAS | Higher than 72% of TAS |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 32% of TAS | — |
Liveability
Smithton is more walkable (17 vs 0).
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 49/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Smithton carries more bushfire risk (28 vs 0).
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 28/100 | 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 | High 79/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 5 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 4 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Smithton
- Circular Head Christian School Independent · Combined above peers
- St Peter Chanel Catholic School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Smithton Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- Smithton High School Government · Secondary below peers
Schools in South Forest
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 3 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 2 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 13 | 1 |
Mobility
Smithton sits further from the CBD (411.2 km vs 402.1 km).
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 17/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 411.2 km +2% vs other | 402.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 292 min | 288 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 7330 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 23 postcode 7330 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 (81.9%).
Setting
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 29 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 67 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.7 km | 7.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 90/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 86% 2,167 premises | 0% 38 premises |
Climate
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,454 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 20.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.2°C same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Smithton | South Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Smithton
South Forest
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Smithton
Other comparisons with South Forest
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.