State Electorate · Area profile
Lyons (Derwent)
12,154 km²
Set across a vast 12,154 square kilometres in the Central Highlands, Lyons is a sparsely populated part of Tasmania. It is a young community where children under 15 make up 20.6% of the population, well above the national figure. This family-heavy character is matched by a strong Indigenous presence, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people making up 10.9% of the residents. Overall, it is a place of modest incomes and a high proportion of detached housing.
Families are well catered for: 14 schools serve Lyons (Derwent).
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The area is noticeably younger than the state average, with a typical resident aged 38. This youthful profile is reflected in the high number of children and a rise in de facto relationships, which now stand at 15.6%.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has one of the lowest proportions of overseas-born people in the region at 6.9%. English and Australian ancestries are the most common, making up about 89% of the community.
English is the dominant language, with 89.7% of people using it only. Very few residents speak another language at home, and only 0.3% speak little or no English, which is far below the national figure.
A majority of the community now report no religion, accounting for 50.4% of people. This is a significant shift from 2011, when the figure was just 24.9%.
The area has very low levels of higher education, with only 8% of adults holding a bachelor degree. This is far below the national figure of 26.3%, and only 32.6% of residents have completed Year 12.
Incomes are among the lowest for its level, with a typical family earning $1,374 a week, well below the national figure of $2,120. Only 7.9% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.
Health challenges are more common here than in most areas; 35.4% of people have a long-term health condition. This includes a high rate of mental health conditions at 13.8%.
While 13.5% of people provide unpaid care, which is much higher than most areas, volunteering has fallen sharply since 2011 to just 11.4%.
One-parent families make up 25.5% of households, which is far above the national figure of 14.1%. About 27.4% of people live alone.
The housing stock is dominated by separate houses, which make up 93.2% of dwellings. Renting is more common than in the rest of the state at 32.6%, though typical weekly rents are much lower than the national figure at $255.
Most people rely on cars, with 69% driving to work. Working from home is rare at 5.8%, far below the national figure of 21%.
The population is relatively stable, as the 31.4% who moved in the last five years is much lower than most areas. Recent overseas arrivals account for 9.9% of the community.
Fewer adults are working or looking for work compared to the rest of the state, and the unemployment rate is high at 8.9%. Health care, social assistance, and construction are the main industries.
The area is mostly car-dependent, with a low walkability score of 3.4. Only 20.6% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of health services, far below the state average.