South Arm vs Opossum Bay

South Arm is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 56 in Opossum Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Opossum Bay, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Opossum Bay: a median of $950,000, against $715,000 in South Arm, and rent is higher there too. South Arm is closer to the city centre: 37.4 km, against 43.2 km. On these figures, South Arm tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Opossum Bay suits people living alone.

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

South Arm

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (5 vs 2)
  • is already more of a family suburb (55% vs 44%)

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

First-home buyers

South Arm

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($715,000 vs $950,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

South Arm

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 32%)
  • has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $418/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

South Arm

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (44/100 vs 25/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (39 min vs 46 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (37.4 km vs 43.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • South Arm is more walkable (44/100 vs 25/100)
  • Opossum Bay has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 25%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Opossum Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.4% vs 9.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

South Arm and Opossum Bay drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

South Arm Opossum Bay
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.

South Arm Opossum Bay
Walkability 44 / 25
South Arm — Walkability: 44/100 Opossum Bay — Walkability: 25/100
Low fire risk 100 / 78
South Arm — Low fire risk: 100/100 Opossum Bay — Low fire risk: 78/100

Demographics

South Arm has more residents (963 vs 383); Opossum Bay rents higher ($418/wk vs $350/wk).

South Arm Opossum Bay
Population 963
+60% vs other
 383
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.4% +16.4%
Median age 48 56
Median household income $71,916/yr
+6% vs other
 $67,704/yr
Median weekly rent $350/wk $418/wk
+19% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

South Arm Opossum Bay
0-4 4.8% / 2.3%
South Arm — 0-4: 4.8% Opossum Bay — 0-4: 2.3%
5-14 10.5% / 9.4%
South Arm — 5-14: 10.5% Opossum Bay — 5-14: 9.4%
15-19 5.3% / 3.9%
South Arm — 15-19: 5.3% Opossum Bay — 15-19: 3.9%
20-24 3.4% / 2.6%
South Arm — 20-24: 3.4% Opossum Bay — 20-24: 2.6%
25-34 9.2% / 7.0%
South Arm — 25-34: 9.2% Opossum Bay — 25-34: 7.0%
35-44 12.4% / 10.2%
South Arm — 35-44: 12.4% Opossum Bay — 35-44: 10.2%
45-54 13.5% / 13.1%
South Arm — 45-54: 13.5% Opossum Bay — 45-54: 13.1%
55-64 16.5% / 21.9%
South Arm — 55-64: 16.5% Opossum Bay — 55-64: 21.9%
65-74 16.2% / 21.4%
South Arm — 65-74: 16.2% Opossum Bay — 65-74: 21.4%
75-84 6.3% / 8.1%
South Arm — 75-84: 6.3% Opossum Bay — 75-84: 8.1%
85+ 2.3% / 1.8%
South Arm — 85+: 2.3% Opossum Bay — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

South Arm 41.3% lone person
South Arm — Lone Person: 41.3% South Arm — Couple Families: 40.9% South Arm — One Parent Families: 13.9% South Arm — Group Household: 2.8% South Arm — Other Families: 1.2%
Opossum Bay 51.9% lone person
Opossum Bay — Lone Person: 51.9% Opossum Bay — Couple Families: 28.8% Opossum Bay — One Parent Families: 15.4% Opossum Bay — Group Household: 3.8% Opossum Bay — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

South Arm 13.6% renting
South Arm — Owned Outright: 45.0% South Arm — Mortgage: 41.4% South Arm — Renting: 13.6%
Opossum Bay 16.4% renting
Opossum Bay — Owned Outright: 44.7% Opossum Bay — Mortgage: 39.0% Opossum Bay — Renting: 16.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

South Arm Opossum Bay
Certificate III & IV 19.0% / 15.9%
South Arm — Certificate III & IV: 19.0% Opossum Bay — Certificate III & IV: 15.9%
Bachelor Degree 12.7% / 15.7%
South Arm — Bachelor Degree: 12.7% Opossum Bay — Bachelor Degree: 15.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 9.4%
South Arm — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% Opossum Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4%
Postgraduate Degree 5.1% / 7.6%
South Arm — Postgraduate Degree: 5.1% Opossum Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 7.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 3.1%
South Arm — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Opossum Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

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.

South Arm Opossum Bay
England 4.2% / 8.1%
South Arm — England: 4.2% Opossum Bay — England: 8.1%
Germany — / 1.0%
South Arm — Germany: not among its largest Opossum Bay — Germany: 1.0%
Canada 0.8% / —
South Arm — Canada: 0.8% Opossum Bay — Canada: not among its largest
New Zealand 0.7% / —
South Arm — New Zealand: 0.7% Opossum Bay — New Zealand: not among its largest
Scotland 0.6% / —
South Arm — Scotland: 0.6% Opossum Bay — Scotland: not among its largest
Philippines 0.5% / —
South Arm — Philippines: 0.5% Opossum Bay — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

South Arm 101.0% houses
South Arm — Houses: 101.0% South Arm — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Opossum Bay 98.2% houses
Opossum Bay — Houses: 98.2% Opossum Bay — Flats / Apartments: 1.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

South Arm Opossum Bay
Median house price $715,000 $950,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $335,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 90 days
from 5 sales
 50 days
from 6 sales

Zoning mix

South Arm has more rural and farming land (72% vs 60%).

South Arm Opossum Bay
Rural and farming 72% 60%
Parks and recreation 22% 31%
Residential 5% 9%
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

South Arm Opossum Bay
New dwellings approved 291
across Clarence
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
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.

South Arm Opossum Bay
Houses 3.4%
$600/wk on $912K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within TAS

South Arm Opossum Bay
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 60% of TAS Higher than 49% of TAS
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 91% of TAS Higher than 87% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 84% of TAS Higher than 86% of TAS
NBN connectivity Higher than 74% of TAS Higher than 78% of TAS
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 18% of TAS —

Liveability

South Arm is more walkable (44 vs 25).

South Arm Opossum Bay
Grade A —
Score 74/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
same for both

Risk profile

Opossum Bay carries more bushfire risk (22 vs 0).

South Arm Opossum Bay
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
22/100
Crime Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
57/100
 Low
39/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

South Arm Opossum Bay
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in South Arm

  • South Arm Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Opossum Bay

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

Amenities in the suburb

South Arm Opossum Bay
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 5 2
Childcare 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0

Mobility

Opossum Bay sits further from the CBD (43.2 km vs 37.4 km).

South Arm Opossum Bay
Walkability score 44/100 25/100
Distance to Hobart 37.4 km 43.2 km
+16% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 39 min 46 min
Public transport score 43/100
Bus
 39/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 6.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 2.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 7022
 1.3%
postcode 7023
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 35
postcode 7022
 31
postcode 7023

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.

South Arm Opossum Bay
Car (driver) 78.8% / 77.5%
South Arm — Car (driver): 78.8% Opossum Bay — Car (driver): 77.5%
Worked from Home 14.2% / 18.5%
South Arm — Worked from Home: 14.2% Opossum Bay — Worked from Home: 18.5%
Car (passenger) 5.1% / 4.0%
South Arm — Car (passenger): 5.1% Opossum Bay — Car (passenger): 4.0%
Bus 1.9% / —
South Arm — Bus: 1.9% Opossum Bay — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.8%).

Setting

South Arm Opossum Bay
Elevation 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 136 m
1.9 km to a named beach
 212 m
322 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

South Arm Opossum Bay
Connectivity score 44/100 54/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
545 premises
 17%
348 premises

Climate

South Arm Opossum Bay
Annual rainfall 559 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 22.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.6°C
same for both

Council rates

South Arm Opossum Bay
Average residential rate $2,189/yr
same for both
Council Clarence
same for both

Federal electorate

South Arm Opossum Bay
Division Franklin
same for both
Member Julie Collins
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

South Arm Opossum Bay
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

South Arm

Acreage Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Quiet

Opossum Bay

Acreage Beach Beachfront Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Premium Professionals Retirees
Full data on South Arm Full data on Opossum Bay
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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