Great escape: the new paradigm for travellers and tree-changers

As internal borders open we’re finally getting out and about. So which regions will be able to capitalise on this boom?

How will Covid-19 reshape domestic travel patterns? We’re already seeing the trends – regional towns and cities once off the well-worn tourist trails are heaving as Australians explore their backyard or return to the holiday spots of their youth. You’ll know this if you tried to find accommodation in the last school holidays, or if you’re looking to get away at Christmas. As internal borders open we’re getting out and about, and for some regions (but not all) it’s boomtime.

As journalist Greg Bearup started calling around for today’s story, one town kept popping up: “Orange: everyone’s going there.” And so Greg visited this small city in the central west of NSW. Its secret? It’s small enough to feel like the country, but big enough to attract young, entrepreneurial families who want to live there. They then create shops, bars, restaurants and other enterprises that tourists want to visit. It could be as simple as this: a great place to live is a great place to visit.