Newnham, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Newnham is a residential suburb on the northern side of Launceston, in northern Tasmania, about seven kilometres from the city centre on the eastern bank of the Tamar River. The East Tamar Highway runs through it, linking the city with the river towns downstream. The suburb is best known as a centre of learning: the University of Tasmania, the Australian Maritime College and a TasTAFE campus all share grounds here, drawing students from across the state and beyond. Newnham was gazetted as a locality in 1963, having come close to being named Mowbray Heights two years earlier. The waters of the Tamar form its south-western boundary, and the Mowbray Indoor Sport venue adds to the local recreation on offer.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Newnham is more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 873, 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.
Newnham at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 7,073
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $1,223
- SEIFA score
- 873
- Coordinates
- -41.3897, 147.1140
Newnham demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Newnham 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 young adults (25–44) at 32%, 36% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,195 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,032 | 15% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,234 | 32% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,398 | 20% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,203 | 17% |
Share of the 7,062 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 747 | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 794 | 31% |
| Rented | 924 | 36% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,949 | 77% |
| Townhouses & semis | 574 | 23% |
| Flats & apartments | 3 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,540 occupied private dwellings in Newnham.
- Median weekly rent
- $270
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,430
- Median weekly personal income
- $612
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,948 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,795 (27%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 331 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,476 (43%)
- Labour-force participation
- 58.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 8.2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,725
- Employed part-time
- 1,238
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.
Weather and climate in Newnham
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Newnham is January (average daytime high around 24°C) and the coolest is July (around 10.9°C). The area receives roughly 778 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24°C | 12.2°C | 54 mm |
| Feb | 22.6°C | 11.6°C | 53 mm |
| Mar | 20.6°C | 10.3°C | 61 mm |
| Apr | 17.1°C | 7.5°C | 53 mm |
| May | 13.6°C | 5.2°C | 72 mm |
| Jun | 11.4°C | 3.4°C | 72 mm |
| Jul | 10.9°C | 3°C | 89 mm |
| Aug | 11.8°C | 2.8°C | 68 mm |
| Sep | 14.1°C | 4.3°C | 59 mm |
| Oct | 16.4°C | 6°C | 82 mm |
| Nov | 19°C | 8.3°C | 50 mm |
| Dec | 21.6°C | 10.1°C | 65 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Newnham
Where is Newnham?
Newnham is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia.
What is the population of Newnham?
At the 2021 Census, Newnham had a population of about 7,073.
Is Newnham an advantaged area?
Newnham has an ABS SEIFA score of 873, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 7 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Newnham?
Newnham has average daytime highs of about 16.9°C and overnight lows of about 7.1°C, with roughly 778 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Newnham?
Newnham is one of the most populous suburbs in Tasmania — the 9th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 7,073 usual residents).
Where Newnham ranks
Newnham appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Tasmania#9 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Tasmania
More suburb guides in Tasmania
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.