Orford (Tas.), TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Orford is a seaside village on the east coast of Tasmania, set around the mouth of the Prosser River about 73 kilometres north-east of Hobart. The area is the Country of the Paredarerme, or Oyster Bay, people. The town is named after the English title of the Walpole family, after Edward Walpole was granted land nearby in 1831. European settlement grew from the 1820s around whaling stations and a small garrison, and in the late nineteenth century a quarry near the town shipped sandstone to Melbourne. Today Orford is a popular holiday spot, its population swelling in summer with visitors drawn to its beaches and fishing, and it serves as a gateway, through neighbouring Triabunna, to Maria Island.
Less advantaged than the national average
Orford (Tas.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 30% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 952, 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.
Orford (Tas.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 685
- Median age
- 62
- Median weekly household income
- $1,110
- SEIFA score
- 952
- Coordinates
- -42.5752, 147.8631
Orford (Tas.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Orford (Tas.) 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 seniors (65+) at 43%, 16% of homes are rented, and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 54 | 8% |
| Youth (15–24) | 26 | 4% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 84 | 12% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 227 | 33% |
| Seniors (65+) | 289 | 43% |
Share of the 680 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 181 | 59% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 64 | 21% |
| Rented | 50 | 16% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 296 | 97% |
| Townhouses & semis | 7 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 306 occupied private dwellings in Orford (Tas.).
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,363
- Median weekly personal income
- $621
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 68 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 21 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 19 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 235 (38%)
- Labour-force participation
- 40.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.9%
- Employed full-time
- 121
- Employed part-time
- 99
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 Orford (Tas.)
Where is Orford (Tas.)?
Orford (Tas.) is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Orford (Tas.)?
At the 2021 Census, Orford (Tas.) had a population of about 685.
Is Orford (Tas.) an advantaged area?
Orford (Tas.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 952, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 30 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 30% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Tasmania
More suburb guides in Tasmania
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.