Muval data reveals most popular suburbs in Central Queensland
One town has been revealed as Central Queensland’s most popular destination for people looking to move to the region, with twice as many people wanting to move to the area than inquiring to move out. Full details.
Rockhampton
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Rockhampton has been revealed as Central Queensland’s most popular destination for people looking to move to the region, with twice as many people wanting to move to the Beef Capital than inquiring to move out.
According to data sourced by national online removalist booking platform Muval, Rockhampton is where the bulk of people are moving to within Central Queensland, accounting for more than half (51 per cent) of removalist inquiries in the area, mostly from Brisbane.
This is followed by Gladstone at 34 per cent, then the Central Highlands at nine per cent and Banana at five per cent.
The top suburbs where people are moving in Rockhampton are Gracemere, Kawana, Norman Gardens, The Range and Yeppoon, which falls under the Rockhampton banner in the dataset.
The Gladstone region’s top suburbs are Agnes Waters, Tannum Sands, Glen Eden, Calliope and Kirkwood.
The top hot spots in the Central Highlands are Emerald, Blackwater and Tieri, while in Banana it’s all about Biloela.
In its 2022 Index, Muval analysed the most up-to-date national moving data to identify the latest internal migration trends and surveyed hundreds of Australians about their moving intentions to gain a clearer understanding of why Australians move.
The Index revealed the desire to live in a better home or location was the main reason Australians relocated, that rising cost of living had overtaken Covid as a motivating factor to move, that the search for affordable housing was prompting new waves of internal migration from capital cities into the regions and interstate, and that west was a popular direction to go post pandemic.
It also revealed the financial squeeze had become so extreme in recent months that a rent increase of $50 per week would prompt 40 per cent of Australians to consider moving house.
An interest rate rise of two per cent was also enough to make nearly a third (27 per cent) of Australians pack up and move.
According to the new Muval research, while most (61 per cent) Australians moved locally, almost a quarter (24 per cent) were relocating to a regional destination like Rockhampton.
Muval data showed there had been an 80 per cent increase in regional moving inquiries over the past two years, which reached a peak during the June quarter in 2022.
A large chunk of regional movers are people shifting from a rental property into a purchased home (27 per cent) and most people are moving to a region to upgrade their home or area (26 per cent), to achieve a better lifestyle (18 per cent), to downsize (13 per cent) or reduce cost of living (11 per cent) with regional homeowners experiencing less mortgage stress.
“Packing up and moving house is a big decision but Australians have shown relocating is one way they are fighting back against the rising cost of living,” Muval chief executive officer James Morrell said.
“Unwilling to sacrifice the lifestyle they have become accustomed to or refusing to give up on their dream of owning a home, Australians are choosing to pack up their lives in search of a better and more affordable life.
“Internal migration often reflects wider forces at play in our society and the Muval Index shows this year, the cost of living is a major driving force behind house moves.
“The regional trend, which started a couple of years ago with the rise of remote working, is continuing into 2022 as regions offer an affordable option for many Australians.
“Once the domain of retirees or niche groups, our data is telling us tree and sea changes are becoming a common move for all kinds of Australians in search of a cheaper and better lifestyle.
“And this once-in-a-lifetime regional shift is set to change the fabric of Australian society as waves of new residents become part of the community, boost the local economy, and breathe life into regional towns.”
Regional Australia Institute chief executive officer Liz Ritchie said Rockhampton was the third most searched regional Queensland town on the RAI’s Move To More website.
“The National Skills Commission reported a record high 91,000 jobs on offer across regional Australia during August,” Ms Ritchie said.
“Right now, there are almost 2000 jobs in Rockhampton advertised on SEEK.
“Brisbane-based Queenslanders and others are recognising not only the lifestyle benefits of regional centres like Rockhampton but also the career opportunities.
“And, there’s no doubt, one of the biggest incentives of Rockhampton is more value when it comes to that all-important home purchase, when compared to the Brisbane real estate market.”
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