Old Beach
A low-rent share is the standout: only 11.8% of homes are rented while 51.7% are mortgaged and 35.3% owned outright. Compared with nearby Bridgewater and Brighton, Old Beach is less about local services and more about residential space, with 90.5% separate houses and 4,394 residents spread across 25.17 sq km. Household income ranks at the 67.4th percentile, so buying power is above the middle of the national distribution. The area feels stable because 80.3% stayed at the same address, but growth pressure is not absent.
Population
4,394
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,865/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Homebuyers are mostly competing for houses, not units: 90.5% of dwellings are separate houses, compared with 8.3% apartments and 1.2% semi-detached homes. The typical dwelling mix favours families because 56.1% have 3 bedrooms and 30.3% have 4 or more. Holding costs look manageable within local incomes, with $1,517 monthly mortgages and mortgage-to-income at 18.8%. The trade-off is a car-based suburb, but income ranks at the 67.4th percentile, giving many buyers more buffer than lower-income fringe locations.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are mostly competing for houses, not units: 90.5% of dwellings are separate houses, compared with 8.3% apartments and 1.2% semi-detached homes. The typical dwelling mix favours families because 56.1% have 3 bedrooms and 30.3% have 4 or more. Holding costs look manageable within local incomes, with $1,517 monthly mortgages and mortgage-to-income at 18.8%. The trade-off is a car-based suburb, but income ranks at the 67.4th percentile, giving many buyers more buffer than lower-income fringe locations.
For Investors
Old Beach is a narrow rental market because only 11.8% of homes are rented, far lower than the 51.7% mortgaged share. Median rent is $400 a week and vacancy is 3.8%, so leasing conditions look moderate rather than acutely tight. With 0 recorded developments over 12 months, new supply is unlikely to reset rents quickly. The attraction is defensive demand from households seeking 3 and 4 bedroom detached homes, but the small renter pool means investor turnover and comparable rentals may be thinner than in larger Hobart suburbs.
Demographics
Old Beach is older in feel without being older on paper: the median age is 40, exactly in line with the national comparison at 0.0 years difference. It is less migrant-heavy than Australia overall, with 11.0% born overseas, 10.6 percentage points below national, and university attainment of 25.0%, 5.1 points below national. English ancestry is the largest marker at 2,054 people, followed by Irish at 430 and Scottish at 352. Household size averages 2.6, slightly above national by 0.1, because family households remain prominent.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
90.5%
Houses
1.2%
Townhouse
8.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Sale-price context is limited by the absence of a current median house price, so the structure of tenure matters more. Ownership is high: 35.3% own outright and 51.7% are paying a mortgage, compared with only 11.8% renting. The built form is even more concentrated, with 90.5% separate houses and just 8.3% apartments. Family-sized stock dominates because 56.1% of dwellings have 3 bedrooms and 30.3% have 4 or more, making the market less suited to buyers seeking compact or high-density housing.
Mortgage / mo
$1,517
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$400
Census 2021
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$887
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.8%
Unoccupied
64
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
43.2%
Couples with children
42.7%
Couples, no children
12.8%
Single parent
1,318
Total families
Economy & Employment
Employment is solid by fringe standards, with unemployment at 3.5%, participation at 68.1% and 1,459 residents working full time. Healthcare leads resident industries at 20.7%, above Public Admin at 12.7%, Construction at 11.8%, Education at 10.9% and Professional/Tech at 6.3%. Occupations are mixed: Clerical/Admin 418, Professionals 383 and Trades 381 sit close together. SEIFA shows why the suburb can feel comfortable without being elite: IRSD decile 8 and IER decile 8 are higher than IEO decile 5 and IRSAD decile 6.
Unemployment
3.5%
Labour Force
2,426
Unemployed
84
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.3%
Part-time
32.0%
Participation
68.1%
Employed
2,342
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
25.0%
Postgraduate
5.8%
Born Overseas
11.0%
Dwellings
1,619
Transport to Work
Daily life is highly car-oriented because 85.0% drive to work, compared with 2.1% using public transport and 0.3% walking or cycling. Work-from-home at 7.2% helps some households, but density of 174.6 people per sq km across 25.17 sq km supports a low-frequency, driving-first pattern. For amenities, Old Beach suits households comfortable linking into the wider northern Hobart corridor by car. Crime-rate benchmarking is not available, but SEIFA is relatively supportive, with IRSD decile 8 and IRSAD decile 6.
Drive
85.0%
Public Transport
2.1%
Walk / Cycle
0.3%
Work from Home
7.2%
Population Forecast
+1.99%/yr
(+105 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than speculative. The established-area trend runs at 1.99% a year, and the primary migration driver is Balanced, so demand is not reliant on a single inflow. The 10-year population change is 33.8%, while the shift trajectory is Aging: senior share is up 7.2 points, compared with working share down 4.4 and young share down 1.9. Gentrification is still early, with score 28 and stage Early signs, because income growth of 12.2% is visible but the suburb remains heavily detached and family-oriented.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+14
Net Internal / yr
+32
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +39% since 2011, Accelerating: 15% → 21%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Old Beach compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Old Beach a good suburb to live in?
Yes, for buyers wanting space and a quieter car-based routine. Old Beach has 90.5% separate houses, 85.0% car-driver commuting and household income at the 67.4th percentile, so it suits owner-occupiers more than renters.
What is the median house price in Old Beach?
There is no current suburb-level median house price figure to quote. The clearest affordability markers are $1,517 monthly mortgages, $400 weekly rents, 18.8% mortgage-to-income and 21.4% rent-to-income.
What schools are in Old Beach?
There are 0 schools in Old Beach itself. Families commonly look to nearby Brighton, Bridgewater or Hobart's northern corridor, with the 85.0% car-driver commute share signalling that school travel is likely to be car based.
Is Old Beach safe?
Old Beach does not have a suburb-level crime rate to benchmark, so safety should be checked street by street. Stability is a useful context point: 80.3% stayed at the same address and 7.2% need assistance.
Is Old Beach good for property investment?
It can suit investors seeking steady detached-house demand rather than high rental depth. Renters are only 11.8% of households, median rent is $400 a week, vacancy is 3.8% and the growth trend runs at 1.99% a year.
How is Old Beach's population changing?
Old Beach has 4,394 residents today, and the local forecast trend is 1.99% annual growth. The 10-year shift is 33.8%, with an Aging trajectory, senior share up 7.2 points and the migration driver labelled Balanced.
What is commuting like in Old Beach?
Commuting is strongly car-based: 85.0% drive to work, compared with 2.1% using public transport and 0.3% walking or cycling. Work-from-home is 7.2%, which helps some households reduce daily travel.
What type of housing is most common in Old Beach?
Separate houses dominate, making up 90.5% of dwellings. The bedroom mix is also family-sized, with 56.1% having 3 bedrooms and 30.3% having 4 or more, well above the 8.3% apartment share.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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