Forth, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Forth is a small rural settlement on the north-west coast of Tasmania, set on the Forth River about 11 kilometres west of Devonport and roughly 110 kilometres north-west of Launceston. Once known as Hamilton-on-Forth, it was permanently settled from 1840, the pioneer James Fenton having arrived the year before, and a post office opened in 1856. Potato growing shaped the early district, and the area remains agricultural, with the Forthside research facility supporting the dairy industry nearby. The riverside village is little more than a cluster of houses around the old Bridge Hotel, but it has produced several notable figures, including the writer Bertha Southey Brammall. Its quiet setting makes it a pleasant stop near the coast.
Around the national middle
Forth is more socio-economically advantaged than about 52% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 991, 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 Forth 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.
Around the national middle
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Forth 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
52/100Around the national middle
Around the national middle — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (52/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
57/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $260 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 57% 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.
Forth at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 738
- Median age
- 46
- Median weekly household income
- $1,592
- SEIFA score
- 991
- Local government area
- Central Coast (Tas.)
- Coordinates
- -41.2070, 146.2416
Map of Forth
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Forth
What it costs to live in Forth and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $260
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,348
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 83%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 13%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Forth demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Forth demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Forth 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 27% and 17% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 112 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 55 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 186 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 204 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 189 | 25% |
Share of the 746 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 125 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 109 | 39% |
| Rented | 37 | 13% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 275 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 275 occupied private dwellings in Forth.
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,910
- Median weekly personal income
- $758
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 118 (17%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 23 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 29 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 286 (47%)
- Labour-force participation
- 62%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.4%
- Employed full-time
- 190
- Employed part-time
- 155
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 Forth
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Forth is January (average daytime high around 23.1°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.9°C). The area receives roughly 984 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23.1°C | 12.9°C | 68 mm |
| Feb | 21.9°C | 12.5°C | 58 mm |
| Mar | 20.2°C | 11.5°C | 77 mm |
| Apr | 17.3°C | 8.9°C | 68 mm |
| May | 14.3°C | 7.1°C | 96 mm |
| Jun | 12.6°C | 5.9°C | 97 mm |
| Jul | 11.9°C | 5.3°C | 120 mm |
| Aug | 12.5°C | 4.7°C | 93 mm |
| Sep | 14.4°C | 5.8°C | 78 mm |
| Oct | 16.6°C | 7.4°C | 109 mm |
| Nov | 18.7°C | 9.4°C | 56 mm |
| Dec | 20.9°C | 10.9°C | 64 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Forth
Is Forth 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, Forth rates 54/100 overall (Around the national middle). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Forth?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Forth was $260, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,348. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Forth?
Forth is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia, in the Central Coast (Tas.) local government area.
What is the population of Forth?
At the 2021 Census, Forth had a population of about 738.
Is Forth an advantaged area?
Forth has an ABS SEIFA score of 991, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 52 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 52% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Forth?
Forth has average daytime highs of about 17°C and overnight lows of about 8.5°C, with roughly 984 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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