Renewable energy potential fuels far west population boom

People are streaming into the port of Geraldton, a four-hour drive north from Perth, as more Australians vacate capital cities for regional lifestyles.

Geraldton in Western Australia. Picture: iStock

Towns in regional Western Australia are seeing population booms of more than 300 per cent as Australians look to the likes of Geraldton and York for a better life.

The Regional Australia Institute has found sustained strong growth in the regional jobs market and the low cost of housing in more remote parts of the country are helping fuel the interest in growth hotspots such as the industrial port of Geraldton 370km north of Perth.

The crayfishing and farming town of 40,000 is eyeing renewable energy and hydrogen and has experienced a 395 per cent rise in total net internal migration inflows in the past 12 months.

Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn told The Australian that his town is “ the centre of the universe right now”. In recent days, Mr Van Styn has had meetings with several of the biggest players from the worlds of renewable energy and hydrogen, all of whom, he says, are keen to get into an area that has been identified as abundant in wind and solar energy potential.

Regional WA has three of the top five locations for internal migration in the June quarter. Geraldton is the biggest hotspot – the number of internal migrants climbed 6 per cent since the March quarter – but there were also big influxes recorded in Waroona, 100km south of Perth, and York, 86km east of Perth. Waroona saw net migration spike by 206 per cent, while York grew by 152 per cent.

The other big leaps in net migration in the quarter were Townsville, with a 164 per cent spurt, and mid-western regional NSW, with the second-biggest net migration leap of 236 per cent.

The Regional Australia Institute says that in 2020, 67 per cent of people thought regional living would give them more time for themselves. In 2023, this jumped to 74 per cent. At the same time, net dissatisfaction with city life is up, and more people are now worried about cost-of-living pressures in the city.

Cost-of-living pressures in Sydney and Melbourne in particular were cited as a reason for people moving.

RAI chief executive Liz Ritchie said the shift to WA’s bush towns show “the love affair with regional living is far from over”.

“In June, there were more than 87,000 jobs advertised online in regional Australia. The old myth that there aren’t any jobs in the regions just isn’t true,” she said on Monday. “The inflows we’re seeing into regional areas, particularly in those Western Australian hotspots, shows people know they won’t compromise, and can often advance their careers in a regional context.”

​Moving from cities to regions took on a new desirability during the lockdowns of 2020-21, but RAI chief economist Kim Houghton said the latest data showed regional migration still sits higher than pre-pandemic levels.

“It’s not just a flash in the pan,” Dr Houghton said. “We expect regional areas to continue to attract city movers as commercial businesses in core sectors and agribusinesses alike step up their push for workers.”