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.
Waratah (Tas.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 249
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $718
- SEIFA score
- 792
- Coordinates
- -41.4573, 145.5011
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%, 8% of homes are rented, 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.).
- Median weekly rent
- $245
- Median monthly mortgage
- $547
- 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.
Common questions about Waratah (Tas.)
Where is Waratah (Tas.)?
Waratah (Tas.) is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
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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