Regional boom: Geelong leads the great escape

CITY slickers are packing their bags and heading for Geelong, with the region knocking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast off its perch to become the most popular place in Australia for internal migration.

After years of trailing behind the coastal favourite, Greater Geelong has surged ahead to claim the top spot in the latest Regional Movers Index, released last month, accounting for 9.3 cent of all migration to the regions, as more Australians choose to flee the hustle of capital cities.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia acting executive general manager of regional and agribusiness banking Josh Foster attributed Greater Geelong’s jump on the ladder to its employment opportunities, established services and “idyllic location”.

 

“This is underpinned by significant government and corporate investment in the region, including the Geelong convention centre, which is due to be completed in 2026, and the Barwon women and children’s hospital renovation and expansion, expected to be completed in 2026-27,” he said.

“Geelong’s close proximity to Melbourne’s CBD, airports, ports and freeways eases accessibility to and from the region and offers businesses an enticing proposition, enabling them to relocate or scale their operations, while benefiting from the area’s growing skilled workforce and steady, dynamic economy.”

The shift away from capital city living, while supercharged by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been underway for more than a decade, and according to Regional Australia Institute chief executive Liz Ritchie shows “no signs of abating”.

 

“Contemporary regional Australia has what people are looking for and it’s clear cliched images and misconceptions about regional living are well and truly a thing of the past,” she said.

Locally, the Armstrong Creek growth area – which encompasses the surrounding towns of Mount Dunned, Charlemont and parts of Marshall and Grovedale – has experienced a rapid increase in population in recent years, fuelled in large part by strategic development, with the area expected to eventually house between 55,000 and 65,000 people in 22,000 dwellings.

 

Aerial images captured a decade apart by Australian location intelligence company Nearmap reveal the transformation, driven by shifting migration patterns, of these once-undeveloped suburbs.

M’Shenda Turner, the firm’s senior director of survey and geospatial content operations, said Geelong’s rise as the country’s leading regional migration destination had come as no surprise.

“Its coastal lifestyle, strong job market and proximity to Melbourne continue to attract new residents,” she said.

 

“Through our aerial imagery and location intelligence, we’ve seen suburbs like Charlemont evolve from open paddocks to high-density housing in just a few years.”

But as the tide turns from city living to regional expansion, areas such as Armstrong Creek are under pressure to deliver the infrastructure needed to support their swelling populations, experts have warned.

 

“It’s imperative that regional Australia is on the radar of decision-makers at all levels,” Ms Ritchie said.

“There are big economic gains to be made by supporting, facilitating and nurturing growth across the regions. Those benefits can only be achieved though by ensuring communities have the infrastructure, facilities, funding and support they need to continue to welcome all those who are actively choosing a regional life.”