The Sunshine Coast has topped the list of Queensland’s fastest growing regions over the past 20 years, according to new research by Propertyology.
The popular beachside stretch north of Brisbane has seen its population increase by a whopping 70 per cent in two decades.
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Aerial photo of Alexandra Heads beach on the Sunshine Coast.
The Gold Coast is not far behind, with 62 per cent growth in that time, followed by Livingstone, northeast of Rockhampton, at 54 per cent, the Fraser Coast at 53 per cent, and Brisbane at 52 per cent — the second fastest growing capital city after Perth.
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The Lockyer Valley, Cairns, Gympie, Somerset, Scenic Rim, and the Whitsundays were also in the top 30 cities for population growth.
This house at 35 Okinja Road is in Alexandra Headland on the Sunshine Coast.
The total national population has increased from 19.7m to 26.6m in the past 20 years — a growth rate of 35 per cent.
The research conducted by Propertyology ranked Australia’s 120 cities and municipalities with a population greater than 20,000.
Propertyology’s head of research Simon Pressley said the main drivers of population growth over the past two decades had been lifestyle seekers, employment chasers, housing affordability, immigration policy, and urban planning.
Propertyology head of research Simon Pressley.
“While we do find great interest from reviewing population patterns, the patterns of the last 20 years is another major parcel of indisputable evidence that there is no direct correlation between population growth rates and real estate capital growth rates,” Mr Pressley said.
“From the eight capital cities, Hobart produced the highest average annual capital growth rate over the last 20 years, followed by Adelaide, yet they had the lowest population growth rate over the same period. There are many similar examples among Australia’s 400 regional townships.”
The Gold Coast saw the most population growth in Queensland over the past 20 years.
Mr Pressley said the, Sunshine Coast added almost 100,000 extra people just from internal migration in that time.
“Much of this came from former residents of Melbourne and Sydney,” he said.
With the crowning glory of Australia’s best weather, the popular retirement hotspot of Fraser Coast consistently attracts higher volumes of internal migration than metropolitan Brisbane, Mr Pressley said.
“The median house value more than tripled, from $175,000 at the start of the 20-year period to $570,000,” he said.
This home at 6 Avery Crt in Dundowran Beach on the Fraser Coast recently sold for $722,500.
“Whitsunday’s 39 per cent population increase over the last 20 years meant it ranked 30th in Australia, and above Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide and Darwin.
“The local economy, population and property market of the beautiful township of Airlie Beach stagnated for several years prior to the pandemic. Since then, it has fast become a work-from-home hotspot.”
The idyllic lifestyle location of Noosa (27 per cent) was well below the national
average.