Waratah (Tas.), TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Waratah is a small highland town in north-western Tasmania, lying about 60 kilometres south of Burnie near the edge of the Savage River wilderness. The town grew up around the Mount Bischoff tin mine, discovered by the prospector James Smith in 1871 and for a time one of the richest tin deposits in the world. The settlement took the name Waratah in 1882, and is often said to have been the first town in Australia to light its streets with electricity, in 1886. Mining at Mount Bischoff continued until the late 1940s. Today Waratah is a quiet heritage town of only a few hundred people, known for its mining history and for the waterfall that tumbles through the centre of the town.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Waratah (Tas.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 2% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 792, 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 Waratah (Tas.) 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 Waratah (Tas.) 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
2/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (2/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
64/100More affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $245 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 64% 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.
Waratah (Tas.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 249
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $718
- SEIFA score
- 792
- Local government area
- Waratah-Wynyard
- Coordinates
- -41.4573, 145.5011
Map of Waratah (Tas.)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Waratah (Tas.)
What it costs to live in Waratah (Tas.) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $245
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $547
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 86%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 8%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Waratah (Tas.) demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Waratah (Tas.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Waratah (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 mid-life (45–64) at 36% and 15% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 22 | 9% |
| Youth (15–24) | 16 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 43 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 88 | 36% |
| Seniors (65+) | 76 | 31% |
Share of the 245 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 74 | 71% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 16 | 15% |
| Rented | 8 | 8% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 100 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 6 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 106 occupied private dwellings in Waratah (Tas.).
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $955
- Median weekly personal income
- $432
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 35 (15%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 12 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 35 (14%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 64 (29%)
- Labour-force participation
- 30.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 11.8%
- Employed full-time
- 28
- Employed part-time
- 25
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.
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Common questions about Waratah (Tas.)
Is Waratah (Tas.) 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, Waratah (Tas.) 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 Waratah (Tas.)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Waratah (Tas.) was $245, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $547. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Waratah (Tas.)?
Waratah (Tas.) is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia, in the Waratah-Wynyard local government area.
What is the population of Waratah (Tas.)?
At the 2021 Census, Waratah (Tas.) had a population of about 249.
Is Waratah (Tas.) an advantaged area?
Waratah (Tas.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 792, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 2 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 2% of Australian suburbs.
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