More than ever making the move to regional

You’ve likely been hearing about a COVID-19 induced exodus out of Sydney and Melbourne to regional cities like Albury Wodonga. It’s a trend Invest Albury Wodonga were monitoring prior to the pandemic, but which has recently accelerated. With overseas migration virtually ceasing since March 2020, population growth throughout Australia is currently reliant on natural increase (births) and internal migration (people moving inter and intra state).

The latest estimated figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate both Albury and Wodonga are growing at about 1.4% per annum, with a total 2020 estimated population of 97,717 people. While much has been written about our unprecedented residential property boom, it is likely that ex city dwellers as new residents is just part of the story. In addition to more young people choosing to stay in their hometowns, the prevailing theory is that the broader Albury Wodonga catchment has reached a sustainable population ‘tipping point’, that is approaching 250,000 people in around a 100km radius. This is about where Canberra’s population was 40 years ago. Now that we’ve reached this population milestone, Albury Wodonga is even closer to the original vision of Albury Wodonga as a national growth centre with a self-sufficient population level of around 300,000 people.

A new multi-million dollar ‘Move to More’ awareness campaign was recently launched by the Regional Australia Institute to encourage decentralisation away from capital cities and into regional cities like Albury Wodonga. Similar to the Evocities and Riverina Country Change campaigns, Move to More emphasises how regional Australia offers new residents career opportunities, improved quality of life and more bang for their buck when it comes to real estate.

Market research findings, from the RAI national awareness campaign, indicates that the top three factors drawing people to regional Australia are a sense of space, connecting with the natural environment, and an overall sense of improved wellbeing.

Now live, the Move to More website provides key statistics on multiple featured regional cities, including Albury and Wodonga.