Swansea (Tas.), TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Swansea is a small, historic town on the north-west shore of Great Oyster Bay, on Tasmania's east coast about 130 kilometres from Hobart, looking across the water to the pink granite peaks of Freycinet. First settled in the 1820s and once called Great Swanport, it became one of the earliest rural municipalities in Australia, established not long after Hobart and Sydney. That long history still shows in the streetscape, from the colonial Schouten House to the old water-powered bark mill at the edge of town. Today Swansea is a quiet holiday base on the east-coast touring route, with little penguins and shearwaters along the shore and the beaches and walks of Freycinet National Park within easy reach.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Swansea (Tas.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 897, 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.
Swansea (Tas.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 997
- Median age
- 62
- Median weekly household income
- $929
- SEIFA score
- 897
- Coordinates
- -42.1028, 148.0185
Swansea (Tas.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Swansea (Tas.) 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 seniors (65+) at 43%, 20% of homes are rented, and 17% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 70 | 7% |
| Youth (15–24) | 51 | 5% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 155 | 16% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 299 | 30% |
| Seniors (65+) | 425 | 43% |
Share of the 1,000 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 237 | 56% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 85 | 20% |
| Rented | 83 | 20% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 407 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 17 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 434 occupied private dwellings in Swansea (Tas.).
- Median weekly rent
- $238
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,079
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,272
- Median weekly personal income
- $565
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 157 (17%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 54 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 32 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 299 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 44.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.4%
- Employed full-time
- 183
- Employed part-time
- 166
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 Swansea (Tas.)
Where is Swansea (Tas.)?
Swansea (Tas.) is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Swansea (Tas.)?
At the 2021 Census, Swansea (Tas.) had a population of about 997.
Is Swansea (Tas.) an advantaged area?
Swansea (Tas.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 897, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
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