Westerway, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Westerway is a small rural locality in the upper Derwent Valley of southern Tasmania, about 29km north-west of New Norfolk and 65km north-west of Hobart, with the Tyenna River winding through it. The settlement was first called Russell, or Russelldale, after the surgeon J. J. Russell, and was renamed in 1919 to honour W. H. Westerway, a leading resident behind many local improvements. The Derwent Valley Railway reached the area in 1909, the post office opened in 1910 and a school followed in 1920. Timber-getting and sawmilling drove the economy, with logs railed down to Boyer and Hobart. Westerway was once the starting point for pack-horse journeys to the remote Adamsfield osmiridium field.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Westerway is more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 874, 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.
Westerway at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 210
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $949
- SEIFA score
- 874
- Coordinates
- -42.6899, 146.7980
Westerway demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Westerway 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%, 15% of homes are rented, and 9% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 25 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 30 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 44 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 79 | 36% |
| Seniors (65+) | 44 | 20% |
Share of the 222 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 43 | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 37 | 39% |
| Rented | 14 | 15% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 88 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 88 occupied private dwellings in Westerway.
- Median weekly rent
- $285
- Median monthly mortgage
- $921
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,093
- Median weekly personal income
- $493
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 19 (9%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 0 (0%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 36 (17%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 58 (32%)
- Labour-force participation
- 47.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 9.1%
- Employed full-time
- 49
- Employed part-time
- 22
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 Westerway
Where is Westerway?
Westerway is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Westerway?
At the 2021 Census, Westerway had a population of about 210.
Is Westerway an advantaged area?
Westerway has an ABS SEIFA score of 874, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 7 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of Australian suburbs.
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