Dodges Ferry, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Dodges Ferry is a coastal town in south-eastern Tasmania, in the Sorell municipality about 37 kilometres east of Hobart and 13 kilometres south-east of Sorell, fronting Frederick Henry Bay. It takes its name from Ralph Dodge, who ran a ferry across Pitt Water from the 1820s. Gazetted as a locality in 1966, it grew from a cluster of holiday shacks into a permanent residential town from the 1960s onward. The town is best known for its beaches — among them Okines, Park, Carlton, Tiger Head and Red Ochre — with Park Beach popular for surfing. Fishing, boating and swimming in the sheltered bays remain the main draws, and the town fills with visitors over the warmer months.
Less advantaged than the national average
Dodges Ferry is more socio-economically advantaged than about 32% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 956, 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.
Dodges Ferry at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,646
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,412
- SEIFA score
- 956
- Coordinates
- -42.8543, 147.6311
Dodges Ferry demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Dodges Ferry 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 30%, 17% of homes are rented, and 9% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 478 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 275 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 630 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 795 | 30% |
| Seniors (65+) | 470 | 18% |
Share of the 2,648 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 352 | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 478 | 46% |
| Rented | 178 | 17% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,024 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,028 occupied private dwellings in Dodges Ferry.
- Median weekly rent
- $340
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,716
- Median weekly personal income
- $775
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 231 (9%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 76 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 103 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 937 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 61.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.5%
- Employed full-time
- 679
- Employed part-time
- 500
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 Dodges Ferry
Where is Dodges Ferry?
Dodges Ferry is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Dodges Ferry?
At the 2021 Census, Dodges Ferry had a population of about 2,646.
Is Dodges Ferry an advantaged area?
Dodges Ferry has an ABS SEIFA score of 956, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 32 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 32% of Australian suburbs.
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