Forth, TAS

By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan · Updated 31 May 2026

Forth is a small rural settlement on the north-west coast of Tasmania, set on the Forth River about 11 kilometres west of Devonport and roughly 110 kilometres north-west of Launceston. Once known as Hamilton-on-Forth, it was permanently settled from 1840, the pioneer James Fenton having arrived the year before, and a post office opened in 1856. Potato growing shaped the early district, and the area remains agricultural, with the Forthside research facility supporting the dairy industry nearby. The riverside village is little more than a cluster of houses around the old Bridge Hotel, but it has produced several notable figures, including the writer Bertha Southey Brammall. Its quiet setting makes it a pleasant stop near the coast.

52/100

Suburb Score

Around the national middle

Forth is more socio-economically advantaged than about 52% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 991, where about 1000 is the national average).

A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.

Forth at a glance

Population (2021): 738
Median age: 46
Median weekly household income: $1,592
SEIFA score: 991
Coordinates: -41.2070, 146.2416

Forth demographics (2021 Census)

The figures below profile Forth using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 13% of homes are rented, and 17% of residents were born overseas.

Age profile

Age group	People	Share
Children (0–14)	112	15%
Youth (15–24)	55	7%
Young adults (25–44)	186	25%
Mid-life (45–64)	204	27%
Seniors (65+)	189	25%

Share of the 746 people counted by age.

Housing and households

Tenure	Dwellings	Share
Owned outright	125	44%
Owned with a mortgage	109	39%
Rented	37	13%

Dwelling type	Dwellings	Share
Houses	275	100%
Townhouses & semis	0	0%
Flats & apartments	0	0%

Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 275 occupied private dwellings in Forth.

Median weekly rent: $260
Median monthly mortgage: $1,348
Average household size: 2.4 people
Median weekly family income: $1,910
Median weekly personal income: $758

Community and culture

Born overseas: 118 (17%)
Speaks a language other than English at home: 23 (3%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: 29 (4%)

Work and education

Completed Year 12: 286 (47%)
Labour-force participation: 62%
Unemployment rate: 3.4%
Employed full-time: 190
Employed part-time: 155

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.

Weather and climate in Forth

Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Forth is January (average daytime high around 23.1°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.9°C). The area receives roughly 984 mm of rain across the year.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Rain
Jan	23.1°C	12.9°C	68 mm
Feb	21.9°C	12.5°C	58 mm
Mar	20.2°C	11.5°C	77 mm
Apr	17.3°C	8.9°C	68 mm
May	14.3°C	7.1°C	96 mm
Jun	12.6°C	5.9°C	97 mm
Jul	11.9°C	5.3°C	120 mm
Aug	12.5°C	4.7°C	93 mm
Sep	14.4°C	5.8°C	78 mm
Oct	16.6°C	7.4°C	109 mm
Nov	18.7°C	9.4°C	56 mm
Dec	20.9°C	10.9°C	64 mm

Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).

Common questions about Forth

Where is Forth?

Forth is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.

What is the population of Forth?

At the 2021 Census, Forth had a population of about 738.

Is Forth an advantaged area?

Forth has an ABS SEIFA score of 991, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 52 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 52% of Australian suburbs.

What is the weather like in Forth?

Forth has average daytime highs of about 17°C and overnight lows of about 8.5°C, with roughly 984 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).