Waterloo vs Surges Bay
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Waterloo, about half of households are people living alone. In Surges Bay, most households are couple families. On these figures, Waterloo tends to suit people living alone, while Surges Bay 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
Surges Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 50%)
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
Waterloo
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($185/wk vs $288/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 22%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Waterloo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (65.3 km vs 68.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Surges Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 19%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Surges Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (28.3% vs 13.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Waterloo and Surges 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.
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
Surges Bay has more residents (163 vs 104); Surges Bay rents higher ($288/wk vs $185/wk).
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 104 | 163 +57% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.0% | +28.3% |
| Median age | 51 | 50 |
| Median household income | $63,336/yr | $67,444/yr +6% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $185/wk | $288/wk +56% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).
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 (13.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Waterloo has more rural and farming land (94% vs 76%); Surges Bay has more land zoned for conservation (23% vs 5%).
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 76% |
| Environmental | 5% | 23% |
| 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
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 81 across Huon Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 42% of TAS | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 33% of TAS | Higher than 70% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of TAS | Higher than 67% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 61% of TAS | Higher than 64% of TAS |
Liveability
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 97/100 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 | Low 23/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Surges Bay sits further from the CBD (68.1 km vs 65.3 km).
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 65.3 km | 68.1 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 63 min | 65 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 7109 | 0.6% postcode 7116 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 7109 | 37 postcode 7116 |
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 (80.9%).
Setting
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 48 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 57 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 759 m | 1.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 41 premises | 0% 80 premises |
Climate
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 854 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 21.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,884/yr same for both | |
| Council | Huon Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Franklin same for both | |
| Member | Julie Collins same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Waterloo | Surges Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Waterloo
Other comparisons with Surges Bay
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.