Mount Nelson, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Mount Nelson is a leafy residential suburb in the hills just south of central Hobart, shared between the City of Hobart and Kingborough Council. The mountain it sits on was named in 1811 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie after the brig HMS Lady Nelson, a vessel central to the early European exploration of Van Diemen's Land that had carried Hobart's first settlers in 1803 — and, despite a common belief, not after the admiral Lord Nelson. The suburb's first road was cut in 1908 to reach the historic Mount Nelson Signal Station, which once relayed semaphore messages between Hobart and Port Arthur. Substantial housing came only after 1945, partly to settle immigrants arriving in the wake of the Second World War, and a local post office operated under the name Rialannah before taking the suburb's name. Today Mount Nelson is valued for its bushland, walking trails and outlooks, and is home to Hobart College, one of the city's public senior colleges.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Mount Nelson is more socio-economically advantaged than about 85% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1056, 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.
Mount Nelson at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,749
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $1,687
- SEIFA score
- 1056
- Coordinates
- -42.9192, 147.3203
Mount Nelson demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Mount Nelson 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 27%, 28% of homes are rented, and 27% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 477 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 317 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 741 | 27% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 687 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 529 | 19% |
Share of the 2,751 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 419 | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 325 | 31% |
| Rented | 298 | 28% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 859 | 81% |
| Townhouses & semis | 148 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 55 | 5% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,062 occupied private dwellings in Mount Nelson.
- Median weekly rent
- $320
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,586
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,120
- Median weekly personal income
- $846
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 699 (27%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 491 (19%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 55 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,640 (76%)
- Labour-force participation
- 62.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.5%
- Employed full-time
- 658
- Employed part-time
- 580
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 Mount Nelson
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Mount Nelson 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 Mount Nelson
Where is Mount Nelson?
Mount Nelson is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Mount Nelson?
At the 2021 Census, Mount Nelson had a population of about 2,749.
Is Mount Nelson an advantaged area?
Mount Nelson has an ABS SEIFA score of 1056, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 85 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 85% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Mount Nelson?
Mount Nelson 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).
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