Railton, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Railton is a small town in north-west Tasmania, lying about 20 kilometres inland from Devonport and some 58 kilometres west of Launceston. First surveyed in 1853, it grew up around the railway completed in 1885 between Deloraine and Latrobe, and its unusually wide main street was laid out to move droved cattle to the station. Farming, timber and, from 1923, cement-making have shaped the local economy, and a large cement works still operates nearby. Today Railton is best known as the self-styled Town of Topiary, with clipped hedges and figures dotted through its streets and gardens. Close by, the Sykes Sanctuary protects bushland for native birds and wildlife, adding to the town's quiet country appeal.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Railton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 855, 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 Railton 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 Railton 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
5/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (5/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
58/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $255 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 58% 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.
Railton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,079
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $1,091
- SEIFA score
- 855
- Local government area
- Kentish
- Coordinates
- -41.3327, 146.4108
Map of Railton
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Railton
What it costs to live in Railton and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $255
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $975
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 79%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 18%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Railton demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Railton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Railton 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 31% and 8% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 188 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 125 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 225 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 337 | 31% |
| Seniors (65+) | 215 | 20% |
Share of the 1,090 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 178 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 149 | 36% |
| Rented | 74 | 18% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 400 | 99% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 403 occupied private dwellings in Railton.
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,339
- Median weekly personal income
- $539
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 82 (8%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 19 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 105 (10%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 215 (25%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.3%
- Employed full-time
- 223
- Employed part-time
- 136
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 Railton
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Railton is January (average daytime high around 23°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.8°C). The area receives roughly 898 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23°C | 12.4°C | 62 mm |
| Feb | 21.9°C | 11.9°C | 51 mm |
| Mar | 20.2°C | 10.9°C | 69 mm |
| Apr | 17.3°C | 8.2°C | 62 mm |
| May | 14.2°C | 6.2°C | 86 mm |
| Jun | 12.4°C | 4.7°C | 85 mm |
| Jul | 11.8°C | 4.3°C | 108 mm |
| Aug | 12.4°C | 3.8°C | 84 mm |
| Sep | 14.3°C | 5°C | 73 mm |
| Oct | 16.4°C | 6.7°C | 99 mm |
| Nov | 18.6°C | 8.8°C | 55 mm |
| Dec | 20.8°C | 10.4°C | 64 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Railton
Is Railton 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, Railton rates 23/100 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 Railton?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Railton was $255, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $975. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Railton?
Railton is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia, in the Kentish local government area.
What is the population of Railton?
At the 2021 Census, Railton had a population of about 1,079.
Is Railton an advantaged area?
Railton has an ABS SEIFA score of 855, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 5 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Railton?
Railton has average daytime highs of about 16.9°C and overnight lows of about 7.8°C, with roughly 898 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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