Dover, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Dover lies on the western shore of Port Esperance in the Huon Valley, in the far south of Tasmania, and is often described as the southernmost town of its size in Australia. The Lyluequonny people are recorded as the original inhabitants of the area. A convict probation station operated here in the 1840s, and shore-based whaling took place along the coast during the nineteenth century. The settlement was first known as Port Esperance, its post office opening in 1856, before it was renamed Dover in 1895, a name of old British origin meaning waters. Sailing on the bay dates back to the 1850s. Today most local work is in agriculture, forestry and fishing, including the salmon farms of the surrounding waterways.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Dover is more socio-economically advantaged than about 12% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 899, 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.
Dover at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 923
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $962
- SEIFA score
- 899
- Coordinates
- -43.2970, 147.0202
Dover demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Dover 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 33%, 14% of homes are rented, and 18% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 106 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 58 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 166 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 308 | 33% |
| Seniors (65+) | 284 | 31% |
Share of the 922 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 210 | 52% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 115 | 28% |
| Rented | 55 | 14% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 387 | 97% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 399 occupied private dwellings in Dover.
- Median weekly rent
- $295
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,170
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,434
- Median weekly personal income
- $501
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 155 (18%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 48 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 118 (13%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 299 (38%)
- Labour-force participation
- 47.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 6%
- Employed full-time
- 183
- Employed part-time
- 149
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 Dover
Where is Dover?
Dover is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Dover?
At the 2021 Census, Dover had a population of about 923.
Is Dover an advantaged area?
Dover has an ABS SEIFA score of 899, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 12 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 12% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Tasmania
More suburb guides in Tasmania
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.