Penneshaw, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Penneshaw stands on the Dudley Peninsula at the eastern end of Kangaroo Island, looking across Backstairs Passage about 107 kilometres south of Adelaide. As the island's ferry gateway, it receives the regular SeaLink service from Cape Jervis on the mainland. The settlement was first called Hog Bay, after pigs left there by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin, and was later renamed Penneshaw by joining the names of two colonial figures, Pennefather and Shaw. Its jetty, first built early last century, was extended in 2012 to take cruise-ship tenders. Visitors come for the little penguins that nest along the shore, the 1803 carving at Frenchman's Rock, and the local maritime and folk museum.
Less advantaged than the national average
Penneshaw is more socio-economically advantaged than about 39% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 968, 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.
Penneshaw at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 269
- Median age
- 54
- Median weekly household income
- $961
- SEIFA score
- 968
- Coordinates
- -35.7287, 137.9443
Penneshaw demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Penneshaw 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 35%, 30% of homes are rented, and 21% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 26 | 10% |
| Youth (15–24) | 16 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 52 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 76 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 93 | 35% |
Share of the 263 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 54 | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 24 | 21% |
| Rented | 35 | 30% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 112 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 112 occupied private dwellings in Penneshaw.
- Median weekly rent
- $215
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,400
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,375
- Median weekly personal income
- $701
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 52 (21%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 12 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 5 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 117 (49%)
- Labour-force participation
- 55.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.3%
- Employed full-time
- 46
- Employed part-time
- 63
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 Penneshaw
Where is Penneshaw?
Penneshaw is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Penneshaw?
At the 2021 Census, Penneshaw had a population of about 269.
Is Penneshaw an advantaged area?
Penneshaw has an ABS SEIFA score of 968, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 39 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 39% of Australian suburbs.
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