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The latest quarterly data from the Regional Movers Index shows that Australia is not going back to the pre-pandemic way of life.
A collaboration between the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) and the Commonwealth Bank, the Regional Movers Index has once again reported that there are far more people relocating to regional areas than making a move in the opposite direction to major cities, with a 27 per cent difference in the three months to the end of June 2024.
This continues the pattern witnessed in successive quarters, following a slowing of the most robust figures of regional growth witnessed during the height of the pandemic when remote work made regional living suddenly more available to the country’s residents.
What the latest figures confirm, according to RAI CEO Liz Ritchie, is that “the population movement we’re seeing is a sustained new trend”, with regional flow stabilising at a much higher rate than was occurring prior to the pandemic.
“Regional Australia has become the nation’s new frontier. The regional Australia we have now, is quite different to the regional Australia of five years ago,” Ritchie commented.
In fact, while the winter months generally bring a lull in the robust figures of regional movers, RAI and CBA noted that the dip was less pronounced this year.
According to CBA’s executive general manager of regional and agribusiness banking, Paul Fowler, the three months to June recorded “the smallest decline we’ve ever seen, highlighting the potential for a new era of year-round relocation”.
The latest data also illuminated a number of specific hotspots that are reaping the benefits of Australia’s romance with the regions.
Lake Macquarie, north of the NSW Central Coast, has emerged as one of Australia’s most popular destinations for movers, securing an almost 5 per cent share of net internal migration over the past year.
Neighbouring local government areas on the NSW coast such as the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla both experienced strong annual and quarterly surges in movement, according to the report.
Fowler attributed the attraction of these areas to their “convenient access to quality healthcare and education services, as well as employment opportunities, further bolstered by major industry investments like the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project in Southern NSW”.
Large centres within a few hours’ drive of capitals remain popular with many movers, however the regions that experienced the biggest population changes over the past 12 months were generally further afield, including Townsville (Qld), Mid-West Regional (NSW), Strathbogie (Vic), Murray Bridge (SA), Greater Geraldton (WA), Coomalie (NT) and George Town (Tas).
Approximately three-quarters of the city dwellers who made the move to the regions in the past three months found new homes in either regional NSW or Victoria, which Richie commented was reflective of capital city net migration data, indicating Sydney continues to shed the highest number of residents, followed by Melbourne.
“With so many people settling in our southern states, it’s critical governments, industry, business and community work together on ensuring regional cities and towns are supported during this phase of expansion,” Richie noted.
But that’s not to say that Queensland’s appeal has waned entirely, with regional Queensland’s share of net city outflows sitting at 19 per cent, even though it was as high as 41 per cent this time last year.
Indeed, the Sunshine Coast retained its title as the nation’s most popular destination for relocators, accounting for a 14 per cent share of net internal migration. The Gold Coast has slipped down in the rankings, however, with the city experiencing a net outflow of people to other regional areas.
Western Australia also proved attractive for relocators, with Albany, Bunbury, Busselton, Capel and Northam all seeing an inflow of new residents.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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