The pull of regional Australia on city slickers hits two-year high

The exodus of city dwellers to regional Australia is flowing at a rate of almost 20 per cent more than the pandemic era.

COVID-19 is often credited for spurring metro residents to sea and tree-change zones.

However, fresh data for the September quarter shows regional migration from the capitals is 19.2 per cent greater than the same movement noted during the “height of lockdowns”.

Most of metro folk seeking greener pastures are from Sydney and Melbourne.

The Regional Movers Index, by the Regional Australia Institute, reveals 35.6 per cent more people are leaving capital cities to reside in country areas than the reserve.

“As a result, city to regional migration now accounts for an 11.3 per cent share of all internal migration flows, compared to 8.3 per cent for regional-to-capital movers,” the report, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Bank, says.

Net regional migration is at a two-year high. Sydneysiders account for 57 per cent of city-to-country migration, and Melburnians clock in at 38 per cent.

The Sunshine Coast is the top destination for the three months to September, when measured by share of total net migration.

This was followed by Geelong in Victoria, Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Moorabool (inland from Geelong) and Maitland, also in NSW.

This is the first occasion Maitland has snuck into the top five. Another significant shift was the Gold Coast, which dropped to eight from fifth position in the previous quarter.

Employment opportunities and corporate hubs emerging in regional areas have driven the departure from cities, Paul Fowler, CBA executive general manager regional and agribusiness banking, said in a statement.

Maitland’s emergence speaks to lifestyle paired with affordable housing, he said.

“The rising attraction of Maitland, a dynamic regional city of over 90,000 people, is due to grow over the coming decade driven mainly by its housing affordability and high standard of living,” Fowler said.

“Located within easy proximity to Newcastle, its size and location allows residents to experience the benefits of strong employment and a full-service city, supported by a robust healthcare industry.

“There is significant development happening around Maitland, with extensive land releases for residential, industrial, commercial and retail fuelling strong employment and construction industry opportunities.”

Regional Australia Institute CEO Liz Ritchie said regional areas are the nation’s “new frontier”, requiring planning to enable their growth beneath demand.

“There are so many opportunities in our regional communities, but likewise we know there are challenges,” she said in a statement.

“Housing for example remains a key ongoing concern in many communities. Regional Australia is growing and for that to continue we need adequate foundations. The time to lay them is now.”

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