THE regions are increasingly attractive to city people seeking a lifestyle change, but the highest demand for Swan Hill housing is still coming from locals.
The latest Regional Movers Index figures showed people are relocating away from metro areas at a rate 20 per cent more than the pre-COVID average, reaching a 12-month high.
The data, collected by Regional Australia Institute and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, collaborates that of the Prop Track Report which showed that Swan Hill’s average house price increased 6.7 per cent or $28,000 to $444,300 in the same time frame.
RAI chief executive Liz Ritchie said the figures show the nation’s regional renaissance is far from over, with 24 per cent more people moving from the city to regions, than the other direction.
Broad Realty founder Charlotte Broad has noticed an increase in clients looking to relocate to Swan Hill due to current or potential employment opportunities, with a particular increase in medical and law enforcement professionals.
“I would say a big factor is the cost of living in Melbourne and what you get up here as opposed to what you get there,” she said. “I think a lot of people are realising that and going regional.”
It may seem as though regional movers are overwhelming Swan Hill’s housing supply, but Ms Broad told The Guardian that most housing applicants are locally based.
“I think with our entry level properties getting really good sales results, a lot of that has come from first home buyers getting out of their parents’ home and into the market,” she said.
Ms Broad can relate to feeling at home in the regions, having moved to Swan Hill with her now-husband and not planning to move away any time soon.
“I know the benefits of moving from the city to a regional town and now when I go back to Melbourne to see my parents, I’m like ‘get me out of here I want to go back home’,” she said.
“I love it up here, it’s a beautiful community and I’m glad I’m here.”
Ms Ritchie said people were voting with their feet and making a “very conscious decision to live in regional Australia”.
“Whilst the pandemic supercharged this movement, the regional lifestyle is continuing to prove highly desirable for thousands of people, especially those from cities,” Ms Ritchie said.
“This movement in population can no longer be seen as a quirky flow-on affect from the lockdown years.
“A societal shift is underway.
“This sustained trend provides tangible evidence regarding the importance of investing in and supporting the regions, to ensure communities have the services, skills, and infrastructure they need for their growing populations.”
