Ross (Tas.), TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Ross is a small, beautifully preserved village in Tasmania's Midlands, on the Macquarie River about 78 kilometres south of Launceston. Governor Macquarie named it in 1821 after a Scottish estate; the Tyrernotepanner people are recorded as the traditional owners of this country, which is said to have been known as Makala. The town is famous for the Ross Bridge, built by convict labour in 1836 and ranked among the oldest bridges still in use in Australia, its arches carved with intricate figures by the convict stonemason Daniel Herbert. Around it stand rows of Georgian sandstone buildings and the well-known 'four corners' of the main crossroads — wryly dubbed Temptation, Recreation, Salvation and Damnation. Merino wool built the surrounding estates.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Ross (Tas.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 15% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 912, 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.
Ross (Tas.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 410
- Median age
- 56
- Median weekly household income
- $915
- SEIFA score
- 912
- Coordinates
- -42.0958, 147.5819
Ross (Tas.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Ross (Tas.) 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 seniors (65+) at 36%, 20% of homes are rented, and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 49 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 29 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 53 | 13% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 139 | 33% |
| Seniors (65+) | 151 | 36% |
Share of the 421 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 96 | 52% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 32 | 17% |
| Rented | 36 | 20% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 181 | 96% |
| Townhouses & semis | 4 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 3 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 188 occupied private dwellings in Ross (Tas.).
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $867
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,231
- Median weekly personal income
- $554
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 41 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 0 (0%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 5 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 127 (35%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 6%
- Employed full-time
- 106
- Employed part-time
- 68
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.
Common questions about Ross (Tas.)
Where is Ross (Tas.)?
Ross (Tas.) is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Ross (Tas.)?
At the 2021 Census, Ross (Tas.) had a population of about 410.
Is Ross (Tas.) an advantaged area?
Ross (Tas.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 912, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 15 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 15% of Australian suburbs.
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