TAS · Launceston Council

Dilston, 7252

Est. population · Jun 2025

585

Growth (1 yr)

+0.5%

Growth (5 yr)

+6.4%

Median age

47

Median income

$1,795/wk

Employment rate

61.8%

Languages at home

4.5%non-English

Most common: German, Mandarin, Nepali

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

39.1/100
Below average

Top 48% of Tasmania's suburbs

Verified 65% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Excellent transport
  • Heritage area
  • High desirability
What Dilston is known for: Green suburb, Excellent transport, Heritage area, High desirability

Suburb profile

Dilston offers a slower smaller community life in Launceston Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with a strong presence of young families throughout. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.

Everyday basics may be close by, but bigger shopping and services typically require a trip to a nearby centre. Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area.

Homes are relatively cheap compared with the wider market, which keeps entry costs lower. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

Against similar regional towns, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because safety lag behind, despite relative strength in community and employment. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Dilston snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$320/wk

Population (ERP)

585

+0.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

6.3%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#27

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

63rd

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

56th

percentile in TAS

Advantage (IRSAD)

7/10

national SEIFA decile

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

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
39.1/100 — Below average
State standing
Top 48% of Tasmania's suburbs
National rank
3934th in Australia
State rank
156th in TAS
Peer rank
#27 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#86 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
65%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

All types (latest monthly release)
$320
Rental bonds lodged (latest monthly release)
1

Median weekly rent from Tasmanian rental data where available.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)

Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

585(June 2025)

+0.5% annual · +6.4% over 5 years · 56th percentile in TAS

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.5%
5-year growth
+6.4%
Change in 1 year
+3
Change in 5 years
+35
Growth rank in TAS
56th 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 (~600), extrapolated at +0.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
558
Median age
47
Median household income / week
$1,795
Dwelling vacancy
6.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
14 of 223
Median monthly mortgage
$1,603
Employment rate
61.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
206 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Crime & safety

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2024–25)
8,302
Against the person
1,513
Against property
6,472
Rate per 1,000 residents
14,191.5
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 1 residents
State safety percentile
62.8th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+2%

Most common offence types

  • Offences Against Property6472
  • Offences Against The Person1513
  • Total Offences8302

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Public transport

8 public transport stops in this suburb

  • John Lees Dr (Northern End Near Highway)
  • John Lees Dr (Southern End Near Highway)
  • John Lees Dr Cnr Peddie Dr
  • No.1971 East Tamar Hwy
  • Opp. No.408 John Lees Dr (South Of Bridge)

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

2 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access8 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
12/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Sport & outdoors(3)
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (2)

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
4
Parks (OSM)
0

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
Calvary - St Luke's Hospital (14.0 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
11
Participants per 1,000 residents
18.8

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
21° / 12°
Rainfall
152 mm · ~19 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
18° / 9°
Rainfall
218 mm · ~27 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
12° / 5°
Rainfall
299 mm · ~37 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
16° / 8°
Rainfall
200 mm · ~25 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

5 heritage places

  • Burnside Granary728 JOHN LEES DR, DILSTON, 7252Permanently Registered
  • Dilston Lodge408 John Lees DR, Dilston, 7252Permanently Registered
  • Former Dilston Inn30 DILSTON RD, DILSTON, 7252Permanently Registered
  • Landfall and Cottage781 WEST TAMAR HWY, DILSTON, 7252Permanently Registered
  • Rostella135 ROSTELLA RD, DILSTON, 7252Permanently Registered

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via state planning hazard mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState 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 9.5 km away).

Coalition 49.0%Labor 51.0%

7.0 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +7.7 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • DilstonLabor 49.2% · Coalition 50.8% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
  • LeganaLabor 56.1% · Coalition 43.9% TPP (2025)4.6 km away
  • Legana CentralLabor 40.9% · Coalition 59.1% TPP (2025)5.6 km away
  • RocherleaLabor 66.4% · Coalition 33.6% TPP (2025)7.7 km away
  • NewnhamLabor 68.8% · Coalition 31.2% TPP (2025)8.6 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)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
9/10

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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Launceston Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Tasmania.