Ulverstone, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Ulverstone is a coastal town on the north-west coast of Tasmania, set at the mouth of the River Leven about 21 kilometres west of Devonport and a short distance east of Penguin. It takes its name from Ulverston in England, which likewise stands at the estuary of a River Leven. European settlement began in 1848 when Andrew Risby and his family arrived from Gloucestershire to take up farmland; the name Ulverstone came into use in 1854 with the opening of a store, and the town was formally declared in 1861. Timber-getting, carried by rail to Burnie, and farming shaped its early growth. Landmarks include the Leven River bridge and a war-memorial clock tower, and the town has developed a waterfront precinct as a coastal destination.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Ulverstone is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 894, 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 Ulverstone 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 Ulverstone 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
11/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (11/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
63/100More affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $250 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 63% 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.
Ulverstone at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,653
- Median age
- 49
- Median weekly household income
- $1,012
- SEIFA score
- 894
- Local government area
- Central Coast (Tas.)
- Coordinates
- -41.1780, 146.1853
Map of Ulverstone
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Ulverstone
What it costs to live in Ulverstone and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $250
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,100
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 70%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 26%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Ulverstone demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Ulverstone demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Ulverstone 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 28% and 9% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 993 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 713 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,300 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,745 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,887 | 28% |
Share of the 6,638 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,266 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 791 | 27% |
| Rented | 776 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,494 | 85% |
| Townhouses & semis | 388 | 13% |
| Flats & apartments | 24 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,934 occupied private dwellings in Ulverstone.
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,427
- Median weekly personal income
- $599
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 588 (9%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 181 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 573 (9%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,755 (32%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.8%
- Employed full-time
- 1,397
- Employed part-time
- 1,045
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 Ulverstone
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Ulverstone 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 Ulverstone
Is Ulverstone 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, Ulverstone rates 28/100 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 Ulverstone?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Ulverstone was $250, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,100. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Ulverstone?
Ulverstone is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia, in the Central Coast (Tas.) local government area.
What is the population of Ulverstone?
At the 2021 Census, Ulverstone had a population of about 6,653.
Is Ulverstone an advantaged area?
Ulverstone has an ABS SEIFA score of 894, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Ulverstone?
Ulverstone 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).
How big is Ulverstone?
Ulverstone is one of the most populous suburbs in Tasmania — the 11th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 6,653 usual residents).
Where Ulverstone ranks
Ulverstone appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Tasmania#11 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Tasmania
More suburb guides in Tasmania
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.