Dunalley, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Dunalley is a small fishing village in south-east Tasmania, set on the narrow neck of land that joins the Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas to the rest of the island, about 53 kilometres east of Hobart. It is almost ringed by water, with Blackman Bay, Norfolk Bay and Marion Bay all close by. The village was first called East Bay Neck, but later took the name Dunalley after Henry Prittie, an Irish peer who held the title Baron Dunalley. Its best-known feature is the Denison Canal, cut across the isthmus in the early 1900s so that boats could pass between the bays without rounding the peninsulas; a swing bridge carries the highway over the channel. Fishing and farming support the small community.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Dunalley is more socio-economically advantaged than about 17% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 920, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Dunalley at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 333
- Median age
- 46
- Median weekly household income
- $1,292
- SEIFA score
- 920
- Coordinates
- -42.8778, 147.7863
Dunalley demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Dunalley using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 12% of homes are rented, and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 64 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 22 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 69 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 87 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 82 | 25% |
Share of the 324 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 61 | 48% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 36 | 28% |
| Rented | 15 | 12% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 123 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 5 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 131 occupied private dwellings in Dunalley.
- Median weekly rent
- $310
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,042
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,569
- Median weekly personal income
- $616
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 33 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 16 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 32 (10%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 108 (41%)
- Labour-force participation
- 55.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 6%
- Employed full-time
- 66
- Employed part-time
- 57
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Dunalley
Where is Dunalley?
Dunalley is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Dunalley?
At the 2021 Census, Dunalley had a population of about 333.
Is Dunalley an advantaged area?
Dunalley has an ABS SEIFA score of 920, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 17 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 17% of Australian suburbs.
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