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.
Is Dover a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Lower on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Dover from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
12/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (12/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
48/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $295 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 48% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Dover at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 923
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $962
- SEIFA score
- 899
- Local government area
- Huon Valley
- Coordinates
- -43.2970, 147.0202
Map of Dover
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Dover
What it costs to live in Dover and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $295
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,170
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 80%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 14%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Dover demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
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% 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.
- 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.
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Common questions about Dover
Is Dover a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Dover rates 24/100 overall (Lower on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Dover?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Dover was $295, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,170. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Dover?
Dover is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia, in the Huon Valley local government area.
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.