Sorell, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Sorell sits just north-east of Hobart in south-east Tasmania, where the Tasman and Arthur highways meet at the head of Pitt Water. The district is the traditional country of the Mumirimina people of the Oyster Bay nation. Europeans reached the area in 1803 and first called it Pitt Water; it was later renamed for Lieutenant-Governor William Sorell by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, was settled from 1808 and became an official township in 1821. Sorell keeps two notable pieces of colonial history: its school, opened in 1821 and described as the oldest continually operating public school in Australia, and the long causeway across Pitt Water, finished in 1872, which shortened the road back to Hobart. Today it anchors a productive farming district on Hobart's eastern edge.
Less advantaged than the national average
Sorell is more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 934, 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.
Sorell at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,597
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $1,317
- SEIFA score
- 934
- Coordinates
- -42.7765, 147.5854
Sorell demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Sorell 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 26%, 27% of homes are rented, and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 634 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 349 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 931 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 802 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 876 | 24% |
Share of the 3,592 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 497 | 35% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 512 | 36% |
| Rented | 382 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,387 | 97% |
| Townhouses & semis | 44 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 3 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,434 occupied private dwellings in Sorell.
- Median weekly rent
- $350
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,628
- Median weekly personal income
- $679
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 402 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 212 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 167 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,133 (40%)
- Labour-force participation
- 55.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.2%
- Employed full-time
- 892
- Employed part-time
- 569
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 Sorell
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Sorell is January (average daytime high around 23.2°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.9°C). The area receives roughly 621 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23.2°C | 12.6°C | 53 mm |
| Feb | 22.1°C | 11.9°C | 41 mm |
| Mar | 20.6°C | 10.8°C | 51 mm |
| Apr | 17.6°C | 8.7°C | 36 mm |
| May | 14.3°C | 6.5°C | 51 mm |
| Jun | 12.3°C | 5°C | 54 mm |
| Jul | 11.9°C | 4.5°C | 36 mm |
| Aug | 12.6°C | 4.3°C | 49 mm |
| Sep | 15°C | 5.8°C | 46 mm |
| Oct | 17°C | 7.2°C | 73 mm |
| Nov | 18.9°C | 9.1°C | 64 mm |
| Dec | 21°C | 10.7°C | 67 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Sorell
Where is Sorell?
Sorell is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Sorell?
At the 2021 Census, Sorell had a population of about 3,597.
Is Sorell an advantaged area?
Sorell has an ABS SEIFA score of 934, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 22 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Sorell?
Sorell has average daytime highs of about 17.2°C and overnight lows of about 8.1°C, with roughly 621 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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