FOR all the iconic Australiana images of bush-bashing, duck-diving, outback-driving folk, we in Australia are primarily city dwellers.
In fact, 86 percent of Australians live in cities.
For the lucky remaining 14 percent (that’s us) no one needs to convince us why regional living is infinitely superior.
The thing is though, city folks are catching on too. Spurred on by the pandemic, people are heading to the regions – a trend covered in this newspaper.
Research released by ME Bank has revealed the top 20 regional towns in Australia for first home buyers looking for an affordable lifestyle boost after the COVID-19 pandemic. And Victoria has dominated with eight of the top 20 town, and a local locale gets a special mention.
ME Bank designed the list following a survey in June 2020 that found two-thirds (60 percent) of first home buyers were more likely to consider buying in a regional area due to COVID-19, to save money and improve their lifestyle.
ME commissioned the research from Ethos Urban, a national planning and urban economics consultancy, who deployed two rounds of filtering. Towns that were too small, too big or with demographics less suited to first home buyers were initially excluded.
A shortlist of 83 towns were then ranked on categories most relevant to someone working from home, such as internet quality, health and education facilities, the town’s character and vibrancy, physical attractiveness of the area, population growth, employment rate and proximity to a major population centre. Housing affordability was also applied to the list with a double weighting.
The top 20 regional towns in Australia for first home buyers are:
1. Nairne, South Australia
2. Bungendore, New South Wales
3. Margaret River, Western Australia
4. Mount Barker, South Australia
5. Kiama, New South Wales
6. Woodend, Victoria
7. Beechworth, Victoria
8. Dunsborough, Western Australia
9. Tatura, Victoria
10. Lennox Head, New South Wales
11. Kilmore, Victoria
12. Byron Bay, New South Wales
13. Tanunda, South Australia
14. Nuriootpa, South Australia
15. Mansfield, Victoria
16. irlie Beach – Cannonvale, Queensland
17. Wangaratta, Victoria
18. Port Fairy, Victoria
19. Mullumbimby, New South Wales
20. Castlemaine, Victoria
ME’s consulting demographer, Chris McNeill from Ethos Urban, said the definitive list of Australia’s top 20 regional towns would help first home buyers narrow their property search and find their ideal home outside of metropolis.
“We did a thorough search right around the nation, looking for towns with just the right mix of lifestyle, amenities, housing market and natural beauty,” Mr McNeill said.
“Like many Australians cooped up the city, I spent hours during the pandemic trawling through property websites, daydreaming of a refreshing sea or tree change. This list can help make those dreams reality. With working from home on the rise, now is a perfect time to escape to the country, not only to improve your lifestyle, but save money and buy your first home.
“All the towns in our top 20 list are ideal for first home buyers, in different ways. Some are cheaper for the bargain hunters, while others have the ideal beach lifestyle for those with bigger budgets.”
