Koonya, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Koonya is a small rural settlement on the Tasman Peninsula in south-east Tasmania, on the shore of Norfolk Bay about 18 kilometres north-east of Nubeena. Its name is believed to come from an Aboriginal word, although the meaning is disputed. The place was first known as Cascades, an outstation of the Port Arthur penal settlement set up in 1841, where at least four hundred convicts were once held. After the prison era ended the locality was renamed Koonya, and the old officers' quarters still stand as a reminder of those days. Quiet farmland now rings the bay, and each year the district celebrates its produce at the cheerful Koonya Garlic Festival.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Koonya is more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 886, 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.
Koonya at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 138
- Median age
- 61
- Median weekly household income
- $1,010
- SEIFA score
- 886
- Coordinates
- -43.0783, 147.8161
Koonya demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Koonya 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 43%, 10% of homes are rented, and 22% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 11 | 8% |
| Youth (15–24) | 7 | 5% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 9 | 7% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 59 | 43% |
| Seniors (65+) | 51 | 37% |
Share of the 137 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 46 | 69% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 11 | 16% |
| Rented | 7 | 10% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 63 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 67 occupied private dwellings in Koonya.
- Median weekly rent
- $115
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,183
- Average household size
- 1.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,100
- Median weekly personal income
- $493
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 27 (22%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 5 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 5 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 63 (50%)
- Labour-force participation
- 38.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 10.4%
- Employed full-time
- 20
- Employed part-time
- 24
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 Koonya
Where is Koonya?
Koonya is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Koonya?
At the 2021 Census, Koonya had a population of about 138.
Is Koonya an advantaged area?
Koonya has an ABS SEIFA score of 886, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 9 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of Australian suburbs.
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