Mawbanna vs Milabena
Mawbanna is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 53 in Milabena. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mawbanna, most households are couple families. On these figures, Mawbanna tends to suit families with children and couples.
Mawbanna and Milabena are both small, remote Tasmanian communities with modest populations and limited walkability. Mawbanna has a notably younger demographic (median age 41 versus 53) and stronger household incomes at $49,348 annually compared to Milabena's $39,624, which may appeal to working families. However, Milabena carries significantly lower bushfire risk (48 versus 68) and sits slightly closer to the CBD at 371.9 km. Rental costs are comparable at around $180 per week, making either suburb's affordability dependent more on your priorities around age profile, income levels, and environmental risk.
Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Mawbanna
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 15%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Milabena
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (270 min vs 283 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (371.9 km vs 383.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Milabena
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 14%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Milabena
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-13.5% vs -37.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mawbanna and Milabena drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Milabena skews older (53 vs 41); Mawbanna has higher household incomes ($49,348 vs $39,624).
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 84 +8% vs other | 77 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -37.8% | -13.5% |
| Median age | 41 | 53 |
| Median household income | $49,348/yr +20% vs other | $39,624/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $180/wk +3% vs other | $175/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.8%).
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $730,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Milabena has more land zoned for conservation (34% vs 16%); Mawbanna has more rural and farming land (84% vs 66%).
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 84% | 66% |
| Environmental | 16% | 34% |
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 7 across Circular Head | 65 across Waratah-Wynyard |
| Approvals change year on year | — | +33% |
Ranking within TAS
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 20% of TAS | Higher than 8% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 38% of TAS | Higher than 30% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 43% of TAS | Higher than 39% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 21% of TAS | Higher than 30% of TAS |
Liveability
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Mawbanna carries more bushfire risk (68 vs 48).
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 68/100 | Moderate 48/100 |
| Crime | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 4 |
| Waterways | 5 | 4 |
Mobility
Mawbanna sits further from the CBD (383.8 km vs 371.9 km).
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Hobart | 383.8 km +3% vs other | 371.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 283 min | 270 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 7321 | 0.4% postcode 7325 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 26 postcode 7321 | 28 postcode 7325 |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.1%).
Setting
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 140 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 329 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 15.2 km | 13.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 25/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 39 premises | 0% 36 premises |
Climate
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,454 mm | 929 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 20.8°C | 21.8°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.2°C | 3.8°C |
Federal electorate
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mawbanna | Milabena | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Mawbanna
Other comparisons with Milabena
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.