Penguin TAS 7316
Located in Tasmania, Penguin sits 311 km from Hobart CBD, around 3 hours 35 minutes by car. The town has 4,132 residents, a median age of 47, and a median household income of $67,652 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The town grew 7.4% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $260 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,300. 2 schools sit within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Penguin a good town?
Penguin scores a C (46/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on safety, weaker on transit.
Mixed results
2 schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 310.6 km · 215 min drive to Hobart
Median available
Median $632K
Low all-round risk
Fire 15/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 3/10 · median age 47 · 4,132 residents
Liveability Rating
46 / 100 · Ranked #113 in TASEach bar is Penguin's rank among TAS suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
No crime data is published for Tasmania — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
Flood data for Tasmania covers only the areas mapped there — a blank here is not an all-clear.
How do you rate the liveability in Penguin?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
46 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataPenguin's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $632,000, about 9% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$632,000
Based on 144 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 57 days — median across 73 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 13 sales $518K
- 3 bed 84 sales $592K
- 4 bed 42 sales $715K
Land
$246,500
Based on 20 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 26 days — median across 9 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Penguin are currently listed at around $795,000 on average. Based on 49 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$795K
49 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$495K
5 units listed in the last 6 months.
54 of the suburb's 1,655 dwellings (3.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Penguin rent for around $505 a week on average, based on 18 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$505/wk
18 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$350/wk
3 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
21 rentals advertised against an estimated 362 rented homes (5.8%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Sep 2025–Aug 2026- 3-bed houses
- $475/wk
- 30 bonds
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025105 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 7316.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$505/week ($26,000 a year) on a $795,000 median
$350/week ($18,000 a year) on a $495,000 median
Based on a small sample (3 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Short-Stay Rentals
54 active Airbnb listings: 52 whole homes and 2 rooms. Whole homes are about 2.9% of the town's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Crime in the Central Coast council area
Crime recorded across the whole council area over the 12 months to Jul 2026, not in Penguin alone. Tasmania Police publish by council, not by suburb.
| Type | Count | Per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| All offences | 581 | 24.9 |
| Assault | 121 | 5.2 |
| Assault in a public place | 30 | 1.3 |
| Home burglary | 15 | 0.6 |
| Stolen vehicles | 9 | 0.4 |
| Robbery | 3 | 0.1 |
| Serious crime | 22 | 0.9 |
| Public order incidents | 514 | 22.0 |
| Family violence order breaches | 54 | 2.3 |
| Police family violence order breaches | 49 | 2.1 |
Rates use the council’s 23,378 residents. The latest month is preliminary and may be revised.
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20254 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1991–2011Data Quality
Schools
Two schools serve Penguin, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 799 students across 2 schools (avg 400)
- • Sectors: 1 Independent, 1 Government
- • ICSEA 960-985, median 972 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Penguin District School (676 students)
Combined
Walkability
Penguin is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car. Within the town there are 3 supermarkets, 9 parks and 4 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Penguin.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 12.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 6.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 4.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 13.9 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Penguin.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 25%
- Premises covered
- 2,060
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Central Coast (Tas.): council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 13 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Penguin is home to about 4,100 residents, with a median age of 47, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $68,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
4,132
Median Age
47
Median Household Income
$67,652/yr
Census Median Rent
$260/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,300/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$34,164/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.2%
Total Dwellings
1,655
Owner-Occupier Rate
78.1%
Houses
90.5%
Rental Stress
20.0%
Mortgage Stress
23.1%
Work From Home
8.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
63 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 5 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 347 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 83.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 93.4%
- Employment Rate
- 54.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 30.1%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
43 residents (1.0%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
5.3% of residents (210) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (78).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,960 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (11 of 1,892).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 830 people work here; 1,892 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.4 jobs per working resident. At least 52% of employed residents must work outside the town.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,379 a year through Central Coast (Tas.) based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 70%
- Environmental 20%
- Residential 6%
- Infrastructure and transport 2%
- Parks and recreation 2%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the town around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Central Coast (Tas.)
In the year to August 2026, 84 new dwellings were approved across Central Coast (Tas.). That mix is 77 houses and 7 units. Approvals are down 37.5% on the same period a year earlier.
Climate & Setting
from Forthside Research Station, 19.1 kmModerate rainfall.
- Elevation
- 136 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 3.1 km
- 3.2 km to a named beach
- Near high-voltage lines
- 0.4% of addresses
- 10 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 814 mm
- 83 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the town centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 7316, 40 of 5,941 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.3% (75 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 7316, 844 rooftop-solar systems totalling 5.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,701 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 55 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$20,000 for new homes.
$20,000 for transactions commencing 1 July 2026 - 30 June 2027. THE AMOUNT MOVES EVERY YEAR AND THE SRO PUBLISHES THE TABLE: $30,000 (FY2025-26), $10,000 (FY2024-25), $30,000 (Apr 2021 - Jun 2024). We held $10,000 until 2026-09-18, which was the FY2024-25 figure — two years stale, and wrong in both directions in between. Nothing is published beyond 30 June 2027, so this is due again then regardless of the 1 July sweep. No purchase-price cap is STATED on the eligibility pages (an absence, not an explicit "no cap"); the Grant Guideline PDF was not read. Eligible new builds include substantially renovated homes and kit homes. Completion within 24 months of the transaction start date, or the grant drops to $10,000. Separate from the grant: the first home buyer duty exemption on ESTABLISHED homes up to $750,000 closed for settlements after 30 June 2026.
Mortgage repayments
Property transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with State Revenue Office of Tasmania
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Anne Urquhart Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Anne Urquhart | 57.2% | 42.8% | +15.2 |
| 2022 | Gavin Pearce | 42.0% | 58.0% | +4.9 |
| 2019 | Gavin Pearce | 46.9% | 53.1% | +4.8 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Elected at the 2025 election:
- Jeremy Rockliff Liberal Party
- Gavin Pearce Liberal Party
- Craig Garland Independent
- Felix Ellis Liberal Party
- Anita Dow Australian Labor Party
- Roger Jaensch Liberal Party
- Shane Broad Australian Labor Party
| Year | Seats won |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 Liberal Party · 2 Australian Labor Party · 1 Independent |
| 2024 | 3 Liberal Party · 2 Australian Labor Party · 1 Jacqui Lambie Network · 1 Independent |
A vacancy here is filled by a recount of the original votes, not a by-election, so a member listed may since have been replaced. Results: Tasmanian Electoral Commission.
Looking at a specific address in Penguin?
Every figure above is a town average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 4,132 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
West Ulverstone TAS 7315
Sulphur Creek TAS 7316
North Motton TAS 7315
Riana TAS 7316
West Pine TAS 7316
Preservation Bay TAS 7316
Compare Penguin to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other TAS suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Penguin
Is Penguin a safe place to live?
TAS does not publish suburb-level crime statistics, so there is no crime figure for Penguin.
What natural hazards affect Penguin?
Penguin has a low recorded bushfire history (15/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Penguin a good place to live?
Penguin has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (46/100), ranked against other TAS suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Penguin?
Penguin, TAS had a population of 4,132 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Penguin, TAS?
The postcode for Penguin, TAS is 7316.
How far is Penguin from Hobart?
Penguin is 311 km from Hobart CBD by road, about 215 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Penguin?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Penguin was $67,652 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Penguin?
The median advertised rent in Penguin is $505 a week for houses (18 listings) and $350 a week for units (3 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Penguin?
The median age of residents in Penguin was 47 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Penguin at risk of bushfire?
Penguin has a low recorded bushfire history (15/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the town relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Penguin?
There are 2 schools inside the Penguin boundary: 2 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
What is the weather like in Penguin?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Penguin, Forthside Research Station (19.1 km away), 814 mm of rain a year over 83 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Penguin?
First-home buyers in TAS may be eligible for $20,000 towards new homes. The grant is administered by State Revenue Office of Tasmania; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Penguin belong to?
Penguin sits within the Central Coast (Tas.) local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Penguin?
The average residential rates bill through Central Coast (Tas.) is $1,379 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Penguin?
Across Central Coast (Tas.), 84 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 37.5% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Penguin in?
Penguin sits within the federal Division of Braddon, currently held by Anne Urquhart (Australian Labor Party).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2025
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.