Somerset (Tas.), TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Somerset is a town on the north-west coast of Tasmania, at the mouth of the Cam River about 8 kilometres west of Burnie. Named after the English county of Somerset, it sits within the Waratah-Wynyard municipality. A post office opened in the district in 1864, though the locality was not formally renamed Somerset until 1963. For many years the town was home to a large timber-processing operation, at one stage described as one of Australasia's biggest producers of sliced veneers. Today Somerset functions partly as a residential and service town near Burnie, with a beach and foreshore parks along Bass Strait at the river mouth. The Bass Highway runs through the town, linking it to the wider north-west coast.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Somerset (Tas.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 876, 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.
Somerset (Tas.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,067
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,100
- SEIFA score
- 876
- Coordinates
- -41.0586, 145.7980
Somerset (Tas.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Somerset (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 mid-life (45–64) at 28%, 27% of homes are rented, and 9% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 657 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 427 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 818 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,151 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,015 | 25% |
Share of the 4,068 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 682 | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 509 | 30% |
| Rented | 467 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,536 | 90% |
| Townhouses & semis | 114 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 6 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,712 occupied private dwellings in Somerset (Tas.).
- Median weekly rent
- $240
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,192
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,463
- Median weekly personal income
- $602
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 325 (9%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 94 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 324 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 952 (29%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.2%
- Employed full-time
- 940
- Employed part-time
- 607
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 Somerset (Tas.)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Somerset (Tas.) is January (average daytime high around 17.5°C) and the coolest is August (around 8.4°C). The area receives roughly 1006 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17.5°C | 9.7°C | 66 mm |
| Feb | 16.6°C | 9.5°C | 57 mm |
| Mar | 15.2°C | 8.7°C | 74 mm |
| Apr | 12.9°C | 6.7°C | 64 mm |
| May | 10.3°C | 4.9°C | 106 mm |
| Jun | 8.8°C | 3.8°C | 110 mm |
| Jul | 8°C | 3.1°C | 130 mm |
| Aug | 8.4°C | 2.5°C | 94 mm |
| Sep | 9.8°C | 3.4°C | 82 mm |
| Oct | 11.6°C | 4.6°C | 98 mm |
| Nov | 13.4°C | 6.3°C | 60 mm |
| Dec | 15.4°C | 7.8°C | 65 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Somerset (Tas.)
Where is Somerset (Tas.)?
Somerset (Tas.) is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Somerset (Tas.)?
At the 2021 Census, Somerset (Tas.) had a population of about 4,067.
Is Somerset (Tas.) an advantaged area?
Somerset (Tas.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 876, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 8 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Somerset (Tas.)?
Somerset (Tas.) has average daytime highs of about 12.3°C and overnight lows of about 5.9°C, with roughly 1,006 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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