George Town, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
George Town stands at the mouth of the Tamar River in northern Tasmania, where the river meets Bass Strait. Aboriginal people have lived around the estuary for thousands of years; in the palawa kani language the place is called kinimathatakinta. Colonel William Paterson landed here with settlers in 1804, and Governor Macquarie gave the town its present name in 1811, after King George III. Because it has been occupied ever since, George Town counts as one of the earliest European settlements in Australia. Its history shows along the river at Low Head, where a convict-built pilot station dates from 1805 and a lighthouse guards the entrance, while heritage homes such as The Grove and the 1843 Watch House survive in the town itself.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
George Town is more socio-economically advantaged than about 2% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 790, 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.
George Town at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,536
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $901
- SEIFA score
- 790
- Coordinates
- -41.0911, 146.8846
George Town demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile George Town 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 26%, 35% of homes are rented, and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 812 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 497 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 947 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,187 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,108 | 24% |
Share of the 4,551 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 728 | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 464 | 24% |
| Rented | 659 | 35% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,649 | 87% |
| Townhouses & semis | 212 | 11% |
| Flats & apartments | 27 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,896 occupied private dwellings in George Town.
- Median weekly rent
- $220
- Median monthly mortgage
- $913
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,161
- Median weekly personal income
- $483
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 514 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 128 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 275 (6%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,111 (31%)
- Labour-force participation
- 43.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 13%
- Employed full-time
- 758
- Employed part-time
- 541
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 George Town
Where is George Town?
George Town is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of George Town?
At the 2021 Census, George Town had a population of about 4,536.
Is George Town an advantaged area?
George Town has an ABS SEIFA score of 790, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 2 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 2% of Australian suburbs.
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