Picture special: Stunning imagery of the changing face of regional Victoria

A report details the challenges facing country Victoria as Melburnians escape the city. See the stunning images which show the pace of our urban sprawl.

Quiet country towns are becoming small cities as Melburnians flock to regional Victoria chasing the life the Covid pandemic suggested they could have.

Last year data showed people living in Melbourne made up almost 50 per cent of all capital city dwellers nationwide who moved to regional Australia.

But now Victoria’s Regional Analysis report has revealed the challenges facing country Victoria as infrastructure including housing and telecommunications struggle to keep up with the increase in population and coastal erosion skyrockets.

Images courtesy of Nearmap show how regional towns have changed over the past decade and highlight the pressure already seen in these towns; and indicate what’s likely to come.

Nearmap is an Australian company which operates across Australia, New Zealand and North America to provide businesses with aerial photography to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects.

The Greater Geelong Shire has been growing for almost a decade, but since lockdowns in Melbourne, that growth has multiplied.

In the financial year which ended in June 2021, the shire saw a significant influx of Melburnians as 26 per cent flocked to the coastal region.

This extended down further to the Surf Coast Shire which recorded a massive 53 per cent increase in the September quarter of last year.

Little River, located 49km southwest of Melbourne, boasts to be “untouched by suburban sprawl”.

Despite the distance from the state’s capital, a train between the destinations means residents aren’t bound to the regional life so it’s the ideal choice for people not ready to let go of city living.

This shows in the population statistics.

Little River recorded a total of 854 residents in 2016.

This number is predicted to increase by more than 1985 people to 2839 by 2026, at an average annual growth rate of 12.76 per cent.

This trend is seen across other regions such as Gippsland, located in the southeast corner of the state.

What was once desolate land is now a bustling residential suburb as the urban expansion spills across the region.

Gippsland is renowned for its natural beauty of coastlines, mountains and extensive farmlands making it one of Victoria’s major food producers and manufacturers.

The region has recently experienced significant population growth which has led to greater pressure on road and transport assets and challenges in the delivery of sustainable social infrastructure.

Last year, Wellington Shire in West Gippsland recorded a 25 per cent increase in migration activity, with Baw Baw growing 18 per cent and Bass Coast 23 per cent.

According to the regional analysis, this also led to impacts on the climate as “coastal erosion, droughts, bushfires and floods pose threats to the future viability”.

Alongside this, the digital infrastructure has also been affected as more people rely on stable connection in the region.

To combat these threats, Gippsland identified building climate resilience and enabling universal access to high speed digital connectivity essential to allow further growth for agribusiness and manufacturing.

The region has also identified the importance of expanding freight rail infrastructure to maintain pace with industry growth, enable greater industry productivity and alleviate pressure on roads.

According to the Regional Movers Index, the largest growth in migration from city dwellers occurred in local government areas within a three-hour drive from the CBD.

Diamond Creek, located 23km from Melbourne’s business district, boasts a tree-change for families and professionals.

From 2010 to this year, the town has drastically changed as urban sprawl shifts the landscape to meet the demand for housing.

Diggers Rest has experienced much of the same shift as the comparison image shows the sheer growth of the town in the past decade.

In 2018 the amount of residential developments spiked from the forecast 135 to 348.

This trend is expected to continue as the amount of dwellings in Diggers Rest will increase by an average of 126 dwellings per annum to 5415 in 2051.

The Yarra Ranges offers residents a perfect place to relax with picturesque views and outdoor delights and more people are noticing.

Since 2011 the shire has grown at a rate of 0.68 per cent each year from 144,541 people to 149,503 in 2016 and shows no signs of slowing down.

In 2051, the annual growth rate is predicted to increase to 0.72 per cent as more people opt for the tree-change the ranges has to offer.

Towns such as Healesville and Cockatoo have already seen the development spread with more houses and supermarkets being built to cater for the increase of residents.

Tooradin, a town 57km southeast of Melbourne, is a part of the City of Casey which is the third fastest growing regions in Victoria, behind Wyndham and Whittlesea.

The population of the shire is expected to grow from 323,604 in 2017 to 514,800 by 2041, making it the eighth fastest growing municipality in Australia.

The Loddon Mallee Region stretches from the outskirts of Melbourne through to the north western corner of Victoria.

The north of the region, adjacent to the Murray River, has a strong influence in irrigated agriculture, particularly horticulture and see the development of utility scale solar farms and mineral sand deposits.

Southern parts, such as Gisborne, Woodend and Romsey, are home to a growing artisanal food and wine industry as well as a gold mining fascination.

As revealed in the regional Victoria analysis, the region's significant population growth has not been evenly distributed as many towns have seen tree changers and internal migration from smaller towns.

This has led to “greater community expectations” around the quality of services, especially in Bendigo and Mildura.

Sunraysia irrigation area has supported the region’s agriculture industry, however climate impacts have become a cause for concern as well as digital connectivity as more people rely on it.

The region is also lacking in skilled workers and is hoping to address this in the future, recognising this will likely require further investment for local tertiary and skills training institutions.

Road and rail infrastructure is also a priority as freight and passenger productivity is being hindered by congestion issues.

The Hume region, on the border of NSW, has also seen significant growth in recent years with evidence of gaps infrastructure struggling to meet the rising population.

This can be seen predominantly in the region’s town, Kilmore as the once isolated landscape is now a dense suburbia.

The region has seen extensive population growth over the last decade, which was recently accelerated by the rise of remote working as metropolitan residents relocate to the region.

According to the data for the government’s regional report, an increased reliance on digital connectivity with greater demands for reliable and high-speed connections was seen due the pandemic.

The transport industry was also affected as the “population growth coupled with tourism growth meant extra pressures on the road network”.

To alleviate pressure on local road in addition to providing better connectivity for residents, the region is hoping to improve their public transport network.

As well as this, the region recognises that network coverage and broadband speed reliability is crucial to supporting future economic and population growth.

Housing shortages have also arisen due to increased “migration from metropolitan regions” and demand for “seasonal and visitor accommodation” which aim to be addressed.