Thirlstane

Thirlstane has a strong First Nations presence, with 8.3% of residents being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, which is well above the national figure of 3.2%. The typical resident is 44, making the community noticeably older than the Australian average of 38.

English ancestry is the most common at 49.1%, followed by Australian and Scottish heritage. While 13.9% of the population was born overseas—higher than in most similar areas—this is still far below the national figure of 27.7%.

English is the dominant language, with 86.1% of people using it exclusively at home. Only 2.8% of residents use another language, which is far below the national average of 22.3%.

Nearly half of the community (48.1%) reports having no religion, a figure that is well above the national average of 38.9%. Christianity is the next most common affiliation at 36.1%.

Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 9.0% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher, compared to 26.3% nationally. Only 26.3% of residents have completed Year 12, which is far below the national figure of 58.8%.

Typical weekly household income is $1,312, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Similarly, only 3.4% of people earn $2,000 or more a week, a rate much lower than most other areas.

Mental health conditions are reported by only 2.8% of residents, which is well below the national average of 8.8%. However, 29.6% of the population lives with a long-term health condition, such as asthma or arthritis.

Unpaid care is common here, with 19.1% of people providing unpaid care, which is well above the national average of 11.9%. This is higher than the rate of people caring for children, which is well below the national figure.

The First Nations community is young, with a typical age of 20 compared to the national figure of 24. However, typical personal income for First Nations residents is just $450 per week, which is a little below the national average.

Families tend to be larger here, with 2.6 people per home and a high rate of one-parent families (17.9%) compared to the national figure of 14.1%. Conversely, very few people live alone.

Home ownership is very high, with 61.5% of homes owned outright, far above the national figure of 31.0%. Most homes are large, with 89.7% having three or more bedrooms.

The area is entirely car-dependent, with no public transport stops or routes and every single home owning at least one motor vehicle. The drive time to the city is among the highest for similar areas at 166 minutes.

The community is very stable, with only 18.2% of people moving house in the last five years. This is far below the national figure of 40.7%.

The local workforce is active, with 64.0% of adults working or looking for work, and a very low unemployment rate of 0.0%. Many residents work in agriculture, forestry and fishing (32.7%) or construction (17.3%).

Thirlstane is completely car-dependent, with no parks, schools, or shops within a 15-minute walk. This results in a walkability score of 0.0, which is far below the Tasmanian average.