Cygnet, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Cygnet is a small town in the Huon Valley of southern Tasmania, about 56 kilometres south of Hobart, set at the head of a sheltered bay. The bay was named Port des Cygnes — port of swans — by the French explorer Bruni d'Entrecasteaux in 1793, after the black swans he saw on its waters, and the town that grew beside it carried the name Port Cygnet before it was shortened to Cygnet. Long one of the centres of the Huon's apple country, it has become known in recent decades for its artists and craftspeople and for the Cygnet Folk Festival, held each January, which draws performers from around the country to a town of galleries, cafes and weatherboard cottages.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Cygnet 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.
Cygnet at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,742
- Median age
- 46
- Median weekly household income
- $1,041
- SEIFA score
- 920
- Coordinates
- -43.1342, 147.0867
Cygnet demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Cygnet 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%, 22% of homes are rented, and 17% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 323 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 193 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 324 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 466 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 431 | 25% |
Share of the 1,737 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 297 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 207 | 30% |
| Rented | 155 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 641 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 29 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 5 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 688 occupied private dwellings in Cygnet.
- Median weekly rent
- $285
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,280
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,344
- Median weekly personal income
- $526
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 279 (17%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 93 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 306 (18%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 616 (46%)
- Labour-force participation
- 46.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.2%
- Employed full-time
- 311
- Employed part-time
- 265
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 Cygnet
Where is Cygnet?
Cygnet is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Cygnet?
At the 2021 Census, Cygnet had a population of about 1,742.
Is Cygnet an advantaged area?
Cygnet 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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