Derwent Valley

Tasmania · West and North West · 10,599 people · 31 suburbs · 4 postcodes

Derwent Valley at a glance

10,599
Population
#17 of 29 in TAS
1,332
km² area
8/km² density
41.7
Median age
-0.3 vs TAS
874
SEIFA IRSAD
#26 of 29 in TAS
7
Schools
6 gov, 1 Cath, 0 indep
7.8%
Born overseas
22.3%
Renting

Map shows the Derwent Valley LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: 1-2 (most disadvantaged), 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Federal electorate boundaries can be toggled on the map. Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021 CED boundaries.

Derwent Valley is a Local Government Area in Tasmania, in the Hobart region. It covers 31 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 1,332 km². Derwent Valley has a population of 10,599 , ranking #17 most populous in TAS. The most populous suburb is New Norfolk (6,037 residents).About 7.8% of residents were born overseas and 2.1% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (17.8%) 15–24 (11.9%) 25–44 (23.5%) 45–64 (27.9%) 65+ (18.9%)
Show counts
0–14 years1,885 (17.8%)
15–24 years1,258 (11.9%)
25–44 years2,486 (23.5%)
45–64 years2,956 (27.9%)
65+ years1,996 (18.9%)
7.8%
Born overseas
2.1%
Speak a language other than English at home
6.8%
First Nations
2.5
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (36.6%) Mortgaged (41.1%) Renting (22.3%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (97.0%) Semi/townhouse (1.8%) Flat/apartment (1.1%)
$294
Median weekly rent
$1,179
Median monthly mortgage
36.0%
Households with 0-1 cars
64.0%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

7.0%
Unemployment rate
2,484
In full-time work
1,593
In part-time work

Schools in Derwent Valley

7 schools across Derwent Valley: 85.7% Government, 14.3% Catholic, 0% Independent. The TAS average is 72.4% / 14.6% / 13.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 891 (range 881 to 984). TAS median is 965; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

TAS average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (71.4%) Secondary (14.3%) Combined (14.3%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 891 TAS median 965LGA range 881 to 984

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 7 schools in Derwent Valley, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
New Norfolk High School Government Secondary New Norfolk 319 881
Fairview Primary School Government Primary New Norfolk 235 889
New Norfolk Primary School Government Primary New Norfolk 208 894
Glenora District School Government Combined Glenora 203 890
St Brigid's Catholic School Catholic Primary New Norfolk 187 969
Molesworth Primary School Government Primary Molesworth 129 984
Westerway Primary School Government Primary Westerway 54 891

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Derwent Valley. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

874
Ranked #26 of 29 TAS LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

907

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

946

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

853

Suburbs in Derwent Valley

Derwent Valley contains 31 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
New Norfolk 7140 6,037 $1,112/wk 40
Lachlan 7140 953 $1,759/wk 44
Magra 7140 759 $1,617/wk 43
Molesworth 7140 683 $1,583/wk 44
Lawitta 7140 226 $1,525/wk 41
Westerway 7140 210 $949/wk 48
Black Hills 7140 201 $1,468/wk 40
Maydena 7140 198 $791/wk 47
Glenfern 7140 176 $1,166/wk 40
Bushy Park 7140 147 $1,359/wk 43
Hayes 7140 109 $1,375/wk 48
Sorell Creek 7140 95 $1,062/wk 49
Glenora 7140 93 $1,375/wk 44
Rosegarland 7140 92 $1,312/wk 47
National Park 7140 80 $725/wk 45
Mount Lloyd 7140 78 $1,187/wk 38
Malbina 7140 77 $2,416/wk 43
Moogara 7140 67 $1,124/wk 43
Plenty 7140 66 $1,437/wk 50
Boyer 7140 58 $1,375/wk 30
Macquarie Plains 7140 53 $1,187/wk 48
Uxbridge 7140 40 $1,125/wk 39
Fitzgerald 7140 33 $860/wk 49
Karanja 7140 31 $2,050/wk 47
Tyenna 7140 29 $825/wk 60
Strathgordon 7139 8 $1,125/wk 49
Catamaran 7109
Mount Field 7140
Nierinna 7054
Piersons Point 7054
Styx 7140

Postcodes covered

7054, 7109, 7139, 7140

Compare Derwent Valley with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Derwent Valley and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Derwent Valley (TAS) 10,599 41.7 874 22.3% 7.8%
Central Highlands (Tas.) 2,420 47.6 889 18.7% 9.5%
Kingborough 40,205 41.2 1019 20.8% 21.2%
Huon Valley 18,175 45.8 945 16.5% 15.1%
Glenorchy 50,758 36.7 912 36.9% 21.5%
Brighton 19,270 34.8 863 33.1% 6.2%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Derwent Valley

What is the population of Derwent Valley?

The 2021 Census recorded 10,599 people living in Derwent Valley, across 31 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Derwent Valley?

Derwent Valley contains 31 suburbs. The most populous are New Norfolk, Lachlan, Magra, Molesworth, Lawitta.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Derwent Valley?

Derwent Valley covers 4 postcodes: 7054, 7109, 7139, 7140.

How many schools are in Derwent Valley?

Derwent Valley has 7 schools, including 6 government, 1 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Derwent Valley?

Derwent Valley has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 874, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.