South Burnie vs Upper Burnie

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In South Burnie, about half of households are people living alone. In Upper Burnie, most households are 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 Burnie

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (94% vs 82%)

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

First-home buyers

South Burnie

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 27%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Upper Burnie

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (41% vs 29%)
  • has cheaper rent ($230/wk vs $260/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

  • South Burnie sits closer to the CBD (324.8 km vs 327.3 km)
  • Upper Burnie is more walkable (66/100 vs 42/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Upper Burnie

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (19% vs 8%)
  • is more walkable (66/100 vs 42/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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

South Burnie and Upper Burnie 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 Burnie Upper Burnie
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 Burnie Upper Burnie
Walkability 42 / 66
South Burnie — Walkability: 42/100 Upper Burnie — Walkability: 66/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
South Burnie — Low fire risk: 100/100 Upper Burnie — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Upper Burnie has more residents (1,891 vs 348); South Burnie has higher household incomes ($58,500 vs $47,424).

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Population 348 1,891
+443% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.1% +3.8%
Median age 41 42
Median household income $58,500/yr
+19% vs other
 $47,424/yr
Median weekly rent $260/wk
+12% vs other
 $230/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

South Burnie Upper Burnie
0-4 4.0% / 5.3%
South Burnie — 0-4: 4.0% Upper Burnie — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 8.9% / 11.9%
South Burnie — 5-14: 8.9% Upper Burnie — 5-14: 11.9%
15-19 5.2% / 5.6%
South Burnie — 15-19: 5.2% Upper Burnie — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 4.9% / 5.8%
South Burnie — 20-24: 4.9% Upper Burnie — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 15.5% / 12.1%
South Burnie — 25-34: 15.5% Upper Burnie — 25-34: 12.1%
35-44 13.5% / 12.0%
South Burnie — 35-44: 13.5% Upper Burnie — 35-44: 12.0%
45-54 12.1% / 9.7%
South Burnie — 45-54: 12.1% Upper Burnie — 45-54: 9.7%
55-64 15.2% / 13.5%
South Burnie — 55-64: 15.2% Upper Burnie — 55-64: 13.5%
65-74 11.5% / 12.2%
South Burnie — 65-74: 11.5% Upper Burnie — 65-74: 12.2%
75-84 7.2% / 9.1%
South Burnie — 75-84: 7.2% Upper Burnie — 75-84: 9.1%
85+ 1.1% / 3.1%
South Burnie — 85+: 1.1% Upper Burnie — 85+: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

South Burnie 50.5% lone person
South Burnie — Lone Person: 50.5% South Burnie — Couple Families: 24.8% South Burnie — One Parent Families: 18.8% South Burnie — Group Household: 5.9% South Burnie — Other Families: 0.0%
Upper Burnie 57.5% lone person
Upper Burnie — Lone Person: 57.5% Upper Burnie — Couple Families: 23.4% Upper Burnie — One Parent Families: 14.6% Upper Burnie — Group Household: 2.6% Upper Burnie — Other Families: 1.8%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

South Burnie 29.4% renting
South Burnie — Owned Outright: 39.9% South Burnie — Mortgage: 30.7% South Burnie — Renting: 29.4%
Upper Burnie 40.7% renting
Upper Burnie — Owned Outright: 33.7% Upper Burnie — Mortgage: 25.6% Upper Burnie — Renting: 40.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Certificate III & IV 18.1% / 16.2%
South Burnie — Certificate III & IV: 18.1% Upper Burnie — Certificate III & IV: 16.2%
Bachelor Degree 11.2% / 5.8%
South Burnie — Bachelor Degree: 11.2% Upper Burnie — Bachelor Degree: 5.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.3% / 4.5%
South Burnie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3% Upper Burnie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.5%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 1.2%
South Burnie — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Upper Burnie — Postgraduate Degree: 1.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.9% / 1.2%
South Burnie — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9% Upper Burnie — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

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 Burnie Upper Burnie
England 3.7% / 2.2%
South Burnie — England: 3.7% Upper Burnie — England: 2.2%
India 4.3% / 0.8%
South Burnie — India: 4.3% Upper Burnie — India: 0.8%
Sri Lanka 2.6% / —
South Burnie — Sri Lanka: 2.6% Upper Burnie — Sri Lanka: not among its largest
Nepal 0.9% / 0.8%
South Burnie — Nepal: 0.9% Upper Burnie — Nepal: 0.8%
Germany 1.4% / 0.3%
South Burnie — Germany: 1.4% Upper Burnie — Germany: 0.3%
New Zealand — / 1.5%
South Burnie — New Zealand: not among its largest Upper Burnie — New Zealand: 1.5%
Scotland 1.1% / —
South Burnie — Scotland: 1.1% Upper Burnie — Scotland: not among its largest
Netherlands — / 0.6%
South Burnie — Netherlands: not among its largest Upper Burnie — Netherlands: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

South Burnie 93.6% houses
South Burnie — Houses: 93.6% South Burnie — Townhouses: 8.3%
Upper Burnie 81.5% houses
Upper Burnie — Houses: 81.5% Upper Burnie — Townhouses: 19.3%
Houses Townhouses

Property market

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Median house price $505,000 $510,000
Median unit price $390,250 $360,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 19 days
from 5 sales
 27 days
from 14 sales

Zoning mix

South Burnie has more industrially zoned land (31% vs 0%); South Burnie has more commercially zoned land (15% vs 4%).

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Residential 14% 81%
Industrial 31% 0%
Parks and recreation 25% 12%
Commercial 15% 4%
Infrastructure and transport 13% 3%
Environmental 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

South Burnie Upper Burnie
New dwellings approved 90
across Burnie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +1200%
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 Burnie Upper Burnie
Houses — 4.4%
$455/wk on $532K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within TAS

South Burnie Upper Burnie
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 34% of TAS Higher than 16% of TAS
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 91% of TAS Higher than 96% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 32% of TAS Higher than 31% of TAS
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of TAS Higher than 81% of TAS
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 63% of TAS

Liveability

Upper Burnie is more walkable (66 vs 42).

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Grade — B
Score — 52/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

South Burnie Upper Burnie
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 Low
14/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 8
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

South Burnie Upper Burnie
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

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 1 4
Parks & reserves 2 3
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Waterways 4 0

Mobility

Upper Burnie sits further from the CBD (327.3 km vs 324.8 km).

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Walkability score 42/100 66/100
Distance to Hobart 324.8 km 327.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 226 min 228 min
Public transport score 30/100
Bus
 58/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 4.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 16.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 6 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 7320
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 19
postcode 7320
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.

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Car (driver) 71.3% / 80.7%
South Burnie — Car (driver): 71.3% Upper Burnie — Car (driver): 80.7%
Walked Only 14.0% / 2.3%
South Burnie — Walked Only: 14.0% Upper Burnie — Walked Only: 2.3%
Car (passenger) 5.4% / 10.1%
South Burnie — Car (passenger): 5.4% Upper Burnie — Car (passenger): 10.1%
Worked from Home 9.3% / 4.2%
South Burnie — Worked from Home: 9.3% Upper Burnie — Worked from Home: 4.2%
Bus — / 2.8%
South Burnie — Bus: not among its largest Upper Burnie — Bus: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.7%).

Setting

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Elevation 30 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 129 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 492 m
581 m to a named beach
 1.7 km
1.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Connectivity score 65/100 63/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 37%
312 premises
 33%
1,092 premises

Climate

South Burnie Upper Burnie
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

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Average residential rate $2,050/yr
same for both
Council Burnie
same for both

Federal electorate

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Division Braddon
same for both
Member Anne Urquhart
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

South Burnie Upper Burnie
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

South Burnie

Acreage Affordable Beach Coastal Quiet River

Upper Burnie

Affordable Coastal Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with South Burnie

South Burnie vs Havenview South Burnie vs Burnie South Burnie vs Brooklyn South Burnie vs Wivenhoe South Burnie vs Emu Heights

Other comparisons with Upper Burnie

Upper Burnie vs Romaine Upper Burnie vs Acton Upper Burnie vs Hillcrest Upper Burnie vs Burnie Upper Burnie vs Brooklyn Upper Burnie vs Downlands
Full data on South Burnie Full data on Upper Burnie
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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