Penguin vs West Pine

West Pine is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 47 in Penguin. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Penguin tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while West Pine suits share households.

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

Penguin

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)

Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

West Pine

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 23%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Penguin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $325/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Penguin

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (215 min vs 220 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (310.6 km vs 317.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Penguin

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 16%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Penguin and West Pine drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Penguin West Pine
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Penguin West Pine
Walkability 0 / 0
Penguin — Walkability: 0/100 West Pine — Walkability: 0/100
Low fire risk 85 / 100
Penguin — Low fire risk: 85/100 West Pine — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Penguin has more residents (4,132 vs 142); West Pine rents higher ($325/wk vs $260/wk).

Penguin West Pine
Population 4,132
+97% vs other
 142
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.4% +2.9%
Median age 47 39
Median household income $67,652/yr $81,224/yr
+20% vs other
Median weekly rent $260/wk $325/wk
+25% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Penguin West Pine
0-4 4.2% / 3.5%
Penguin — 0-4: 4.2% West Pine — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 11.9% / 12.7%
Penguin — 5-14: 11.9% West Pine — 5-14: 12.7%
15-19 5.8% / 9.2%
Penguin — 15-19: 5.8% West Pine — 15-19: 9.2%
20-24 4.5% / 11.3%
Penguin — 20-24: 4.5% West Pine — 20-24: 11.3%
25-34 10.4% / 12.7%
Penguin — 25-34: 10.4% West Pine — 25-34: 12.7%
35-44 10.4% / 7.7%
Penguin — 35-44: 10.4% West Pine — 35-44: 7.7%
45-54 13.6% / 15.5%
Penguin — 45-54: 13.6% West Pine — 45-54: 15.5%
55-64 15.7% / 10.6%
Penguin — 55-64: 15.7% West Pine — 55-64: 10.6%
65-74 12.8% / 13.4%
Penguin — 65-74: 12.8% West Pine — 65-74: 13.4%
75-84 7.8% / 2.1%
Penguin — 75-84: 7.8% West Pine — 75-84: 2.1%
85+ 2.9% / —
Penguin — 85+: 2.9% West Pine — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Penguin 36.5% couple families
Penguin — Couple Families: 36.5% Penguin — Lone Person: 43.9% Penguin — One Parent Families: 16.3% Penguin — Group Household: 2.8% Penguin — Other Families: 0.4%
West Pine 43.2% couple families
West Pine — Couple Families: 43.2% West Pine — Lone Person: 32.4% West Pine — One Parent Families: 13.5% West Pine — Group Household: 10.8% West Pine — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Penguin 21.9% renting
Penguin — Owned Outright: 41.1% Penguin — Mortgage: 37.1% Penguin — Renting: 21.9%
West Pine 12.0% renting
West Pine — Owned Outright: 52.0% West Pine — Mortgage: 36.0% West Pine — Renting: 12.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Penguin West Pine
Certificate III & IV 19.4% / 15.5%
Penguin — Certificate III & IV: 19.4% West Pine — Certificate III & IV: 15.5%
Bachelor Degree 9.7% / 8.5%
Penguin — Bachelor Degree: 9.7% West Pine — Bachelor Degree: 8.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.8% / 2.8%
Penguin — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.8% West Pine — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.8%
Postgraduate Degree 2.6% / 5.6%
Penguin — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6% West Pine — Postgraduate Degree: 5.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 2.1%
Penguin — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% West Pine — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).

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.

Penguin West Pine
England 4.1% / 3.5%
Penguin — England: 4.1% West Pine — England: 3.5%
India 0.2% / 3.5%
Penguin — India: 0.2% West Pine — India: 3.5%
Malaysia — / 2.8%
Penguin — Malaysia: not among its largest West Pine — Malaysia: 2.8%
China — / 2.1%
Penguin — China: not among its largest West Pine — China: 2.1%
New Zealand 1.3% / —
Penguin — New Zealand: 1.3% West Pine — New Zealand: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.7% / —
Penguin — Netherlands: 0.7% West Pine — Netherlands: not among its largest
Scotland 0.6% / —
Penguin — Scotland: 0.6% West Pine — Scotland: not among its largest
Philippines 0.5% / —
Penguin — Philippines: 0.5% West Pine — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Penguin 90.5% houses
Penguin — Houses: 90.5% Penguin — Townhouses: 6.6% Penguin — Flats / Apartments: 2.9%
West Pine 100.0% houses
West Pine — Houses: 100.0% West Pine — Townhouses: 0.0% West Pine — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Penguin West Pine
Median house price $632,000 —
Median unit price $537,000 —
Median land price $246,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 57 days
from 73 sales
 —

Zoning mix

West Pine has more rural and farming land (100% vs 70%); Penguin has more land zoned for conservation (20% vs 0%).

Penguin West Pine
Rural and farming 70% 100%
Environmental 20% 0%
Residential 6% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 0%
Parks and recreation 2% 0%
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

Penguin West Pine
New dwellings approved 84
across Central Coast (Tas.)
same for both
Approvals change year on year -38%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Penguin West Pine
Houses 3.3%
$505/wk on $795K
 —
Units 3.7%
$350/wk on $495K
 —

Ranking within TAS

Penguin West Pine
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 49% of TAS —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 50% of TAS Higher than 16% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 70% of TAS Higher than 69% of TAS
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of TAS Higher than 53% of TAS
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 14% of TAS —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 12% of TAS —

Liveability

Penguin West Pine
Grade C —
Score 46/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Penguin carries more bushfire risk (15 vs 0).

Penguin West Pine
Bushfire Low
15/100
 None
0/100
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

Penguin West Pine
Inside the suburb 2 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Penguin

  • North West Christian School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Penguin District School Government · Combined at peers

Schools in West Pine

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Penguin West Pine
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 4 0
Parks & reserves 9 0
Childcare 2 0
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 26 3

Mobility

West Pine sits further from the CBD (317.2 km vs 310.6 km).

Penguin West Pine
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Hobart 310.6 km 317.2 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 215 min 220 min
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 7316
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 7316
same for both

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.

Penguin West Pine
Car (driver) 84.2% / 88.1%
Penguin — Car (driver): 84.2% West Pine — Car (driver): 88.1%
Worked from Home 8.4% / 5.1%
Penguin — Worked from Home: 8.4% West Pine — Worked from Home: 5.1%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 6.8%
Penguin — Car (passenger): 4.1% West Pine — Car (passenger): 6.8%
Walked Only 2.3% / —
Penguin — Walked Only: 2.3% West Pine — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bus 1.0% / —
Penguin — Bus: 1.0% West Pine — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (88.1%).

Setting

Penguin West Pine
Elevation 136 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 215 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.1 km
3.2 km to a named beach
 6.8 km

NBN connectivity

Penguin West Pine
Connectivity score 57/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 25%
2,060 premises
 0%
60 premises

Climate

Penguin West Pine
Annual rainfall 814 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Penguin West Pine
Average residential rate $1,379/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (Tas.)
same for both

Federal electorate

Penguin West Pine
Division Braddon
same for both
Member Anne Urquhart
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Penguin West Pine
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Penguin

Acreage

West Pine

Rural Students

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Penguin

Penguin vs West Ulverstone Penguin vs Sulphur Creek Penguin vs North Motton Penguin vs Riana Penguin vs Preservation Bay

Other comparisons with West Pine

West Pine vs Sulphur Creek West Pine vs Riana West Pine vs Natone West Pine vs Cuprona
Full data on Penguin Full data on West Pine
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or