South Hobart, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
South Hobart is widely regarded as Hobart's first suburb, an inner enclave tucked between the city centre and the slopes of Mount Wellington. It was settled early by merchant and professional families wanting to escape the bustle of colonial Hobart Town. The suburb is home to the Cascade Brewery, Australia's oldest, and to the Cascades Female Factory, regarded as the nation's most significant historic site associated with convict women, sitting in the shadow of the mountain. High on the foothills, the famous Keen's Curry sign — white-painted stones first laid out in 1905 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee — still looks down over the rooftops. Henry Hunter's All Saints' Anglican Church dates from 1858, platypus still frequent the Hobart Rivulet, and the acclaimed novelist Richard Flanagan has called the suburb home.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
South Hobart is more socio-economically advantaged than about 87% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1063, 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.
South Hobart at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,886
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,787
- SEIFA score
- 1063
- Coordinates
- -42.8981, 147.2929
South Hobart demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile South Hobart 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 young adults (25–44) at 31%, 32% of homes are rented, and 25% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 883 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 746 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,838 | 31% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,378 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,042 | 18% |
Share of the 5,887 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 791 | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 683 | 29% |
| Rented | 741 | 32% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,632 | 71% |
| Townhouses & semis | 350 | 15% |
| Flats & apartments | 302 | 13% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,311 occupied private dwellings in South Hobart.
- Median weekly rent
- $378
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,648
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,258
- Median weekly personal income
- $891
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,414 (25%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 893 (16%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 101 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,692 (77%)
- Labour-force participation
- 66.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.7%
- Employed full-time
- 1,531
- Employed part-time
- 1,382
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 South Hobart
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in South Hobart is January (average daytime high around 21°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.6°C). The area receives roughly 823 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21°C | 12.8°C | 64 mm |
| Feb | 20.2°C | 12.4°C | 55 mm |
| Mar | 18.9°C | 11.6°C | 74 mm |
| Apr | 16.6°C | 9.9°C | 44 mm |
| May | 13.8°C | 7.8°C | 68 mm |
| Jun | 12.1°C | 6.7°C | 76 mm |
| Jul | 11.6°C | 5.9°C | 52 mm |
| Aug | 12.1°C | 5.6°C | 68 mm |
| Sep | 14°C | 6.8°C | 60 mm |
| Oct | 15.6°C | 8°C | 99 mm |
| Nov | 17.2°C | 9.6°C | 81 mm |
| Dec | 19.1°C | 11°C | 82 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about South Hobart
Where is South Hobart?
South Hobart is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of South Hobart?
At the 2021 Census, South Hobart had a population of about 5,886.
Is South Hobart an advantaged area?
South Hobart has an ABS SEIFA score of 1063, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 87 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 87% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in South Hobart?
South Hobart has average daytime highs of about 16°C and overnight lows of about 9°C, with roughly 823 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is South Hobart?
South Hobart is one of the most populous suburbs in Tasmania — the 17th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 5,886 usual residents).
Does South Hobart have high household incomes?
South Hobart has one of the highest median weekly household incomes in Tasmania — the 22nd-highest among suburbs with at least 1,000 residents at the 2021 Census ($1,787 per week).
Where South Hobart ranks
South Hobart appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in Tasmania
More suburb guides in Tasmania
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.