Port Sorell, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Port Sorell is a holiday town on the northern coast of Tasmania, set on the Rubicon River estuary where it meets Bass Strait, about 20 kilometres east of Devonport and 79 kilometres north-west of Launceston. Local Aboriginal people knew the place as Panatana. One of the older settlements on this coast, it began as a fishing and sealing port called Burgess before being renamed in 1822 after Governor William Sorell. A post office served the town from 1845, and the present one opened in 1944. The sheltered estuary is recognised as an Important Bird Area for the migratory waders that feed on its tidal flats, and the calm waters and sandy shores make the town a popular spot for boating, fishing and summer holidays. Tourism is now its mainstay.
Less advantaged than the national average
Port Sorell is more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 939, 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.
Port Sorell at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,221
- Median age
- 52
- Median weekly household income
- $1,300
- SEIFA score
- 939
- Coordinates
- -41.1702, 146.5310
Port Sorell demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Port Sorell 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 32%, 20% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 337 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 180 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 391 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 706 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 611 | 27% |
Share of the 2,225 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 405 | 45% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 289 | 32% |
| Rented | 177 | 20% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 799 | 90% |
| Townhouses & semis | 41 | 5% |
| Flats & apartments | 20 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 888 occupied private dwellings in Port Sorell.
- Median weekly rent
- $275
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,356
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,536
- Median weekly personal income
- $666
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 278 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 65 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 114 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 646 (35%)
- Labour-force participation
- 53.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Employed full-time
- 541
- Employed part-time
- 377
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 Port Sorell
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Port Sorell is January (average daytime high around 23°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.8°C). The area receives roughly 898 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23°C | 12.4°C | 62 mm |
| Feb | 21.9°C | 11.9°C | 51 mm |
| Mar | 20.2°C | 10.9°C | 69 mm |
| Apr | 17.3°C | 8.2°C | 62 mm |
| May | 14.2°C | 6.2°C | 86 mm |
| Jun | 12.4°C | 4.7°C | 85 mm |
| Jul | 11.8°C | 4.3°C | 108 mm |
| Aug | 12.4°C | 3.8°C | 84 mm |
| Sep | 14.3°C | 5°C | 73 mm |
| Oct | 16.4°C | 6.7°C | 99 mm |
| Nov | 18.6°C | 8.8°C | 55 mm |
| Dec | 20.8°C | 10.4°C | 64 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Port Sorell
Where is Port Sorell?
Port Sorell is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Port Sorell?
At the 2021 Census, Port Sorell had a population of about 2,221.
Is Port Sorell an advantaged area?
Port Sorell has an ABS SEIFA score of 939, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 24 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Port Sorell?
Port Sorell has average daytime highs of about 16.9°C and overnight lows of about 7.8°C, with roughly 898 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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