Somerset vs Doctors Rocks
Somerset is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 55 in Doctors Rocks. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Somerset, about half of households are people living alone. In Doctors Rocks, most households are couple families. On these figures, Doctors Rocks tends to suit couples and older residents.
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
Somerset
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
- has more childcare (3 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- But Doctors Rocks is already more of a family suburb (57% vs 48%)
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
Somerset
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (28% vs 9%)
- has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $263/wk)
- But Doctors Rocks leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 22%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Somerset
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (337.8 km vs 339.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Somerset is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- Doctors Rocks has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 25%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Somerset and Doctors Rocks 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
Somerset has more residents (4,067 vs 89); Doctors Rocks has higher household incomes ($110,448 vs $57,200).
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,067 +98% vs other | 89 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.2% | +4.7% |
| Median age | 48 | 55 |
| Median household income | $57,200/yr | $110,448/yr +93% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $240/wk | $263/wk +10% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (6.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $505,500 | — |
| Median unit price | $460,000 | — |
| Median land price | $190,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 32 days from 32 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 83% | 87% |
| Residential | 10% | 7% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 4% |
| Environmental | 3% | 1% |
| Industrial | 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
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 65 across Waratah-Wynyard same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.1% $485/wk on $615K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 30% of TAS | Higher than 94% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 79% of TAS | Higher than 28% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 39% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 91% of TAS | Higher than 43% of TAS |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 43% of TAS | — |
Liveability
Somerset is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 45/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Somerset
- Australian Christian College - Burnie Independent · Combined above peers
- Somerset Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Doctors Rocks
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 2 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 4 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 0 |
| Childcare | 3 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 7 | 0 |
Mobility
Doctors Rocks sits further from the CBD (339.9 km vs 337.8 km).
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 337.8 km | 339.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 241 min | 243 min |
| Public transport score | 73/100 Bus | 23/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 30.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 1.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 41.5 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 7322 | 0.4% postcode 7325 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 24 postcode 7322 | 28 postcode 7325 |
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 (86.1%).
Setting
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 60 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 66 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.9 km 2.9 km to a named beach | 788 m 3.2 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 93/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 90% 2,045 premises | 0% 44 premises |
Climate
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 929 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 21.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.8°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,820/yr same for both | |
| Council | Waratah-Wynyard same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Somerset | Doctors Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Somerset
Doctors Rocks
More comparisons
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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.