TAS · Flinders Council

Cape Barren Island, 7257

Est. population · Jun 2025

64

Growth (1 yr)

-1.5%

Growth (5 yr)

-1.5%

Median age

51

Median income

$725/wk

Employment rate

41.2%

University qualified

6%

Work from home

0%

Languages at home

6.9%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Beach
  • Green suburb
  • Regional centre
What Cape Barren Island is known for: Beach, Green suburb, Regional centre

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Cape Barren Island, TAS suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Cape Barren Island, TAS Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/tas/cape-barren-island

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Suburb profile

Cape Barren Island is a major regional centre in Tasmania, in Flinders Council. It is close to the Flinders Island and the Clarke Island.

Recorded road-crash rates are lower than in comparable places, with recorded road crashes 57% below the peer median, and mapped flood cover is another of the suburb's defining strengths. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. The clearer weaknesses are lower school ICSEA scores and household incomes, with household incomes 41% below the peer median.

School ICSEA scores are the most material weakness.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in Tasmania (67)

Strengths

  • Recorded road-crash rates are lower than in comparable places
  • Mapped flood cover is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • School ICSEA scores are a relative weakness
  • Household incomes are a relative weakness

What stands out

  • Cape Barren Island Beach
  • Flinders Island
  • Clarke Island
  • Mount Munro
  • Cape Barren
  • Island

Who it suits

  • StudentsInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Cape Barren Island compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$85/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

64

-1.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

10.0%

Census unoccupied dwellings

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Pop. growth

1st

percentile in TAS

Rented dwellings

40%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

1st

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Population

Estimated resident population

64(June 2025)

-1.5% annual · -1.5% over 5 years · 1th percentile in TAS

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
-1.5%
5-year growth
-1.5%
Change in 1 year
-1
Change in 5 years
-1
Growth rank in TAS
1th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~50), extrapolated at +1.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
64
Median age
51
Median household income / week
$725
Dwelling vacancy
10%
Unoccupied private dwellings
4 of 40
Median monthly mortgage
$0
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$85
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
60% / 0% / 40%
Employment rate
41.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
0% / 0% / 42.9%
Walked or cycled to work
23.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
27 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

6% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Tasmania. 8% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified6% · 21.9% TAS
  • Trade / vocational8% · 18.5% TAS
  • Year 12 or below86% · 51.8% TAS

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Management and commerce50%
  • Society and culture50%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$45,414

16th percentile in TAS · -23% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$41,233

1st percentile in TAS · -37% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
0.0%

0th percentile in TAS · -100% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$23,390

0th percentile in TAS · -63% vs Australia

Residents with business income
10.0%

37th percentile in TAS · -4% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 7257 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
52
Taxpayers reporting net rent
0
Median net rent
$0
Taxpayers reporting business income
5
Taxable income vs state median
-14%
Salary / wages vs state median
-29%
Rental investment vs state median
-100%
Super vs state median
-69%
Business income vs state median
-9%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in TAS, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

6.9% speak a language other than English at home; 5% born overseas

Language at home
54 English only · 4 other
Non-English at home
6.9%
Born overseas
3 (5%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
40 (62.5%)
Australian citizens
56

Religion

70.3%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 70.3%, while Christianity accounts for 25%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion70.3%49.6%
Christianity25%38.4%
Other / not stated4.7%12.1%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Anglican17.2%14.4%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Figures are for the St Helens Police Division, not this suburb alone.

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2024–25)
326
Against the person
84
Against property
221
Rate per 1,000 residents (area)
20.3
State crime-rate percentile
14.6th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+40.3%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
7
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
109.38

Most common offence types

  • Offences Against Property
  • Offences Against The Person
  • Total Offences

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
703
Median ICSEA percentile
1th
School list
  • Cape Barren Island SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 703 · 1th percentile · LBOTE 0% · 10 students · Top SEA quarter 0%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

29 mapped amenities

14 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Sport & outdoors(29)
  • Beach (14)
  • Badger Island Indigenous Protected AreaNature reserve
  • Boxen Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Doughboy Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Forsyth Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Goose Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Gull Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Long Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Low Islets Nature ReserveNature reserve
  • lungatalanana Indigenous Protected AreaNature reserve
  • Night Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Passage Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Ram Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Spike Island Conservation AreaNature reserve
  • Sydney Cove Historic SiteNature reserve
  • Vansittart Island Conservation AreaNature reserve

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
0.5%
Woodland / forest cover
0.5%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
19
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
22°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Flinders Island Multi Purpose Centre (36.8 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0
Aged-care services
1

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Aged-care services
  • Cape Barren Aged CareCAPE BARREN ISLANDNational Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Program

Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
1
Participants per 1,000 residents
15.6

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
22° / 13°
Rainfall
154 mm · ~19 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
18° / 10°
Rainfall
204 mm · ~26 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
13° / 6°
Rainfall
231 mm · ~29 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
17° / 9°
Rainfall
180 mm · ~22 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Goose Island Historic PrecinctBASS STRAIT ISLANDS, 7255Permanently Registered

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via LIST bushfire impact area mapping. Flood cover uses Tasmanian Planning Scheme flood-prone area overlays against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Bass
Member of Parliament
Jess TEESDALE (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
80,378
Turnout (2025)
92.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+9.4 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 42.0%Labor 58.0%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 102.9 km away).

Coalition 49.3%Labor 50.7%

7.4 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +12.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Lady BarronLabor 52.2% · Coalition 47.8% TPP (2025)20.2 km away
  • WhitemarkLabor 46.0% · Coalition 54.0% TPP (2025)34.5 km away
  • GladstoneLabor 52.9% · Coalition 47.1% TPP (2025)65.6 km away
  • WinnaleahLabor 41.0% · Coalition 59.0% TPP (2025)85.2 km away
  • DerbyLabor 65.7% · Coalition 34.3% TPP (2025)91.3 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
1/10
IRSD decile (2021)
1/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Flinders Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.