Dorset

Tasmania · Launceston and North East · 6,829 people · 39 suburbs · 7 postcodes

Dorset at a glance

6,829
Population
#20 of 29 in TAS
3,206
km² area
2/km² density
48.4
Median age
+6.4 vs TAS
$1,079
Median HH income/wk
#23 of 29 in TAS
900
SEIFA IRSAD
#20 of 29 in TAS
5
Schools
5 gov, 0 Cath, 0 indep
8.9%
Born overseas
21.5%
Renting

Map shows the Dorset 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.

Dorset is a Local Government Area in Tasmania, in the Hobart region. It covers 39 suburbs across 7 postcodes and an area of 3,206 km². Dorset has a population of 6,829 , ranking #20 most populous in TAS. The most populous suburb is Scottsdale (2,408 residents), and the highest median household income is in Boobyalla at $2,750/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,079/week and median age is 48.4. About 8.9% of residents were born overseas and 2.4% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (15.9%) 15–24 (9.1%) 25–44 (20.1%) 45–64 (29.2%) 65+ (25.8%)
Show counts
0–14 years1,075 (15.9%)
15–24 years615 (9.1%)
25–44 years1,362 (20.1%)
45–64 years1,977 (29.2%)
65+ years1,749 (25.8%)
8.9%
Born overseas
2.4%
Speak a language other than English at home
4.2%
First Nations
2.2
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (47.5%) Mortgaged (31.0%) Renting (21.5%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (97.9%) Semi/townhouse (1.6%) Flat/apartment (0.6%)
$220
Median weekly rent
$1,049
Median monthly mortgage
36.1%
Households with 0-1 cars
63.9%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

4.8%
Unemployment rate
1,595
In full-time work
1,057
In part-time work

Schools in Dorset

5 schools across Dorset: 100.0% Government, 0% Catholic, 0% Independent. The TAS average is 72.4% / 14.6% / 13.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 908 (range 859 to 973). TAS median is 965; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

TAS average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (60.0%) Secondary (20.0%) Combined (20.0%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 908 TAS median 965LGA range 859 to 973

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 5 schools in Dorset, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Scottsdale High School Government Secondary Scottsdale 260 908
Scottsdale Primary School Government Primary Scottsdale 233 939
Bridport Primary School Government Primary Bridport 180 973
Winnaleah District High School Government Combined Winnaleah 111 859
Ringarooma Primary School Government Primary Ringarooma 75 881

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 Dorset. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

900
Ranked #20 of 29 TAS LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

932

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

957

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

887

Suburbs in Dorset

Dorset contains 39 suburbs and 7 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Scottsdale 7260 2,408 $965/wk 47
Bridport 7262 1,742 $1,242/wk 51
Ringarooma 7263 337 $900/wk 53
Branxholm 7261 236 $843/wk 53
Winnaleah 7265 225 $933/wk 48
Springfield 7260 224 $1,147/wk 43
Legerwood 7263 204 $949/wk 39
Jetsonville 7260 147 $1,305/wk 50
North Scottsdale 7260 145 $1,312/wk 46
Nabowla 7260 131 $1,031/wk 51
Gladstone 7264 124 $824/wk 51
Derby 7264 109 $900/wk 49
Waterhouse 7262 100 $1,625/wk 32
Pioneer 7264 79 $489/wk 51
Talawa 7263 61 $1,468/wk 47
West Scottsdale 7260 57 $1,312/wk 57
Lietinna 7260 55 $1,781/wk 52
Tomahawk 7262 54 $787/wk 62
Herrick 7264 47 $762/wk 48
Cuckoo 7260 44 $2,250/wk 42
Telita 7264 38 $624/wk 30
South Springfield 7260 30 $1,375/wk 32
Blumont 7260 29 $1,624/wk 49
Rushy Lagoon 7264 29 $1,375/wk 32
Musselroe Bay 7264 28 $900/wk 68
Tonganah 7260 25 $1,374/wk 42
Golconda 7254 22 $866/wk 53
Alberton 7263 14 $575/wk 44
Tulendeena 7260 14 $1,125/wk 63
Forester 7260 11 $1,312/wk 46
Moorina 7264 11 $1,012/wk 60
Cape Portland 7264 10 $2,250/wk 56
Kamona 7260 9 $2,125/wk 41
South Mount Cameron 7264 8 $1,062/wk 64
Banca 7265 6 $450/wk 46
Trenah 7263 6 $1,375/wk 54
Boobyalla 7264 5 $2,750/wk 32
Warrentinna 7261 5 $900/wk 44
Lisle 7260

Postcodes covered

7254, 7260, 7261, 7262, 7263, 7264, 7265

Compare Dorset with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Dorset (TAS) 6,829 48.4 $1,079/wk 900 21.5% 8.9%
Break O'Day 6,794 55.3 $857/wk 882 20.3% 13.1%
Launceston 68,293 38.9 $1,336/wk 923 35.4% 16.1%
George Town 7,080 47.6 $1,074/wk 846 28.3% 11.5%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Dorset

What is the population of Dorset?

The 2021 Census recorded 6,829 people living in Dorset, across 39 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Dorset?

Dorset contains 39 suburbs. The most populous are Scottsdale, Bridport, Ringarooma, Branxholm, Winnaleah.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Dorset?

Dorset covers 7 postcodes: 7254, 7260, 7261, 7262, 7263, 7264, 7265.

What is the median household income in Dorset?

The population-weighted median household income across Dorset is $1,079 per week (2021 Census), ranking #23 of 29 TAS LGAs.

How many schools are in Dorset?

Dorset has 5 schools, including 5 government, 0 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Dorset?

Dorset has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 900, 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.