Repeat buyers are one of the strongest measures of confidence in any apartment development.

At <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/era-newcastle-west-124-126-bull-street-newcastle-west-nsw-2302">ERA</a> in Newcastle West, some purchasers are returning to <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/gwh">GWH</a> after living at the developer's One Apartments. Their decision to purchase again was driven by the quality of life they found after moving into their first GWH home.

Keith Wilton had spent years living in a house in East Maitland before deciding it was time for a change. Apartment living had always been on his radar, but he was selective about what he wanted.

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"I had some boxes I wanted to tick," he says.

Keith points to the open-plan design, generous outdoor areas and considered inclusions as key reasons One Apartments worked for him.

“One of those things was a nice indoor open plan area, but also I wanted a nice outdoor open area that I could entertain on in summer or Christmases or birthdays,” he says.

He also found value in the smaller details, from integrated appliances to shared resident spaces including the pool, cinema and rooftop areas.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356818]

After comparing several developments, he chose One Apartments because of GWH's longstanding local reputation and his own experience working with the developer on a commercial project more than a decade earlier.

"I knew that they were local, that the quality of the build was going to be up there. I'd looked at other apartment complexes around and close by, and I just knew that here was a better decision location wise."

Today, Keith says the move has completely changed how he experiences Newcastle.

"I enjoy living in this location because it's more of a lifestyle change. That Newcastle city living where you can walk to restaurants and bars and even beaches and parks and even shopping across the road."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356828]

Beyond the location, he says it's the sense of community that has surprised him most.

"Everyone loves living here because they chose to live here, but everyone looks out for each other. It's a real great community feel here."

For Aimee and Lyle Goodman, the journey started almost by chance.

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The couple happened to be having coffee in Newcastle when they noticed the site where One Apartments was about to begin construction.

"We were aware GWH was planning a development," Aimee says. "We made one phone call and things moved pretty quickly after that."

As busy business owners, they initially thought apartment living would simply reduce the maintenance that came with larger homes. Instead, it fundamentally changed how they spent time together.

"We actually catch up more as a family now," Aimee says.

"We've had homes with big yards and lots of space, but everyone ended up in different rooms. Here we'll have dinner together, the kids can play, and we spend far more quality time together."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356829]

Lyle says their confidence came from GWH's reputation within Newcastle's building industry.

"I know people who've worked across different apartment projects, and whenever GWH came up the feedback was always the same. They're rock solid. They're quality."

That confidence only grew throughout the buying process.

"One of the things that really impressed us with GWH was the whole process, was the communication," Lyle says. "It was consistent, it was regular, there was no problem if we had some weird questions, there was no problems in getting answers."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=351104]

Aimee says one moment stood out.

"The project actually finished on time. We realised we needed to hurry up and sell our house because everything was happening exactly when they said it would."

The positive experience at One Apartments ultimately gave all three buyers the confidence to purchase again with GWH, this time at ERA.

Their confidence reflects what many buyers are seeking in today's apartment market. Location remains important, but so too does certainty around delivery, quality and long-term liveability.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356822]

ERA builds on those foundations with 280 one, two and three-bedroom apartments across two landmark towers in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/newcastle-west-nsw-2302">Newcastle West</a>.&nbsp;

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fk-australia">Fender Katsalidis</a>, the project will include more than 2,000 square metres of resident amenities, including a resort-style pool, gym, sauna, private cinema and rooftop entertaining spaces overlooking the harbour and coastline.&nbsp;

The development is also within walking distance of the Newcastle Interchange, Honeysuckle, Darby Street, the harbour foreshore, restaurants, retail and the city’s beaches, continuing the walkable lifestyle that existing GWH buyers say has transformed how they live.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356826]

For Keith, the appeal remains straightforward.

"You feel at home even before you've moved into your home."

For Aimee, the change is measured in time.

“I just felt like I had more time,” she says.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=351102]

Construction at ERA is now underway, with more than half of the residences already sold and limited two and three-bedroom apartments remaining in the East Tower release. Priced from $980,000 for two-bedroom residences and $1.46 million for three-bedroom residences, buyers can secure an apartment with a 10 per cent deposit, with premium homes offering ocean views from Level 8 and harbour views from Level 10.

ERA is also backed by Resilience Insurance's 10-year Latent Defects Insurance policy, providing protection against structural or waterproofing defects for 10 years after completion. The project is anticipated to be completed in early 2028.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=135096]

Joel Robinson

From ONE to ERA: Why buyers are choosing GWH again in Newcastle West

Virgate Property Group is preparing to commence construction of Verdé, its new apartment development in Melbourne's Arts Precinct at Southbank, following a strong run of sales that has seen more than half of the project's 173 apartments secured.

Verdé has attracted a broad mix of first home buyers, owner-occupiers upgrading from nearby inner-city suburbs and investors, with younger owner-occupier couples aged between 28 and 45 accounting for the strongest enquiry. Many are already living in Southbank, South Melbourne, Albert Park, Port Melbourne, South Yarra and the CBD.

"Verdé is located in one of the most desirable pockets of southern Melbourne," Blair Property Group Director Darren Blair, who is managing sales at Verdé, said.

"It's within walking distance of the Arts Centre, Royal Botanic Gardens, Albert Park Lake, and Southbank's restaurants and retail. It's a great lifestyle location with strong amenity and liveability, which made it a very attractive choice for the project."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4661 project_image_fid=372549]

Virgate was already familiar with the precinct, having previously delivered the successful Domain House development in neighbouring South Melbourne. That experience gave the developer confidence to acquire the Coventry Street site and continue expanding its presence in Melbourne's inner south.

"We had been keeping an eye on the site and the broader precinct for a few months before deciding to move forward with the acquisition," Virgate said.

The project was ultimately secured in 2020 following feasibility studies, planning assessments and due diligence, with the brief centred on delivering "a high-quality, considered design that feels both refined and fit for purpose."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4661 project_image_fid=314259]

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bruce-henderson-architects">Bruce Henderson Architects</a>, Verdé comprises 173 one, two and three-bedroom apartments priced from $599,000. The architecture is distinguished by a faceted glass façade that responds to both the site's outlook and Melbourne's changing light conditions.

According to Bruce Henderson Architects, the coloured glazing gives the building a distinctive identity while also providing privacy and solar shading, with residences oriented to capture views across the bay, city skyline and surrounding parklands.

Inside, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/designoffice">DesignOffice</a> has created interiors focused on natural light, efficient planning and enduring materials. Apartments feature engineered oak flooring, natural stone benchtops, floor-to-ceiling glazing and SMEG appliances, while a restrained material palette aims to complement the expansive outlooks rather than compete with them.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4661 project_image_fid=372550]

Resident amenity has also been designed around everyday functionality rather than occasional use. Facilities include a concierge-serviced lobby, residents' lounge with fireplace, library and co-working space, gym, terrace garden with barbecue facilities, ground-floor café, and package delivery management.

The project's location continues to be one of its strongest drawcards. Positioned on Coventry Street, Verdé sits within walking distance of the National Gallery of Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne, Royal Botanic Gardens and Albert Park Lake, while Southbank's dining precinct, Sturt Street trams and the new ANZAC Station are all nearby. The surrounding education catchment also includes Melbourne Grammar, Melbourne Girls Grammar, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School and several major university campuses.

The sales team says buyers have responded particularly well to the combination of location, design quality and long-term liveability.

"They're responding really positively to the quality of the design, premium resident amenities and the uninterrupted views. Many also appreciate the location and how connected it is to everything they need."

The ability to secure stamp duty savings before completion has also been a key factor for purchasers, alongside the opportunity to personalise finishes ahead of settlement.

With construction set to commence soon and more than half the apartments already sold, Verdé enters its next phase as one of the Arts Precinct's more established apartment developments, offering remaining buyers an opportunity to secure a residence before construction advances further. Expected completion is scheduled for late 2027.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=4661]

Virgate's Verdé Southbank moves toward construction as sales fly past halfway stage

Downsizer-focused apartment development Kooyongkoot in Hawthorn has been recognised at the 2026 Better Future Melbourne Design Awards, taking home Gold and Silver awards in two categories.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kooyongkoot-hawthorn-1-kooyongkoot-road-hawthorn-vic-3122">Kooyongkoot</a>, currently being delivered by developer PQD and designed by Cera Stribley, received Gold in the Interior Design – Proposed category and Silver in the Architecture – Proposed category.

The dual recognition reflects the design approach behind the boutique development on prestigious Kooyongkoot Road, where the focus has been on creating homes for downsizers seeking the space, quality and functionality of a detached house within a low-rise apartment building.

Rather than maximising apartment numbers, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/pqd">PQD</a> and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cera-stribley-architects">Cera Stribley</a> limited the development to just 18 residences, allowing for larger floorplans, greater privacy, generous landscaping and expansive communal spaces.&nbsp;The majority of the apartments also benefit from corner aspects, allowing for dual sources of natural light.

Now around 70 per cent complete and on track for completion in November 2026, Kooyongkoot will comprise a mix of garden residences, ter​race apartments, sub-penthouses, and is crowned by two half-floor penthouses with direct lift access and private rooftop terraces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355297]

The Silver Award for Architecture recognised the way the building responds to its prominent corner position at the ent​rance to Hawthorn's Scotch Hill precinct, one of Melbourne's most established residential neighbourhoods.

Rather than competing with the grand homes that line Kooyongkoot Road, the architectural approach focused on restraint and longevity, using curved brickwork, generous landscaping and carefully considered proportions to integrate with the existing streetscape.

"The form feels fluid and timeless, as though shaped by the landscape itself – architecture that belongs, rather than competes," said Chris Stribley, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Cera Stribley.

The judging submission also highlighted practical innovations throughout the building, including lift cores servicing only nine homes each, a central landscaped lightcourt designed to bring daylight and ventilation into the building, and fully enclosed private storage rooms with lighting, power and shelving to better accommodate residents transitioning from larger family homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355293]

The Gold Award for Interior Design recognised the project's focus on long-term liveability rather than display-home aesthetics.

According to the awards submission, the interiors were designed from the inside out, prioritising how homes would function over decades of daily use through generous proportions, practical storage, durable natural materials and flexible layouts.

The specification includes natural stone throughout, upgraded acoustic glazing, V-ZUG appliances and fully enclosed storage rooms, alongside an amenity offering focused on wellness, entertainment and everyday convenience.&nbsp;

Residents will have access to a gym and yoga studio, a wellness centre featuring traditional and infrared saunas, a cold therapy shower and treatment room, as well as a residents' lounge and golf simulator/cinema room for entertainment.&nbsp;Kooyongkoot has also considered the everyday convenience of its residents by offering a private carwash and pet wash facilities on site as well as dedicated parcel lockers and oversized fully enclosed storage rooms.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355303]

The project's attention to detail has already resonated with buyers. Earlier this year, Kooyongkoot recorded one of Boroondara's highest apartment sales when an $8 million penthouse was purchased by a Melbourne CEO downsizing from a nearby family home.

"Every detail feels deliberate, from the overall design down to the smallest touches," the purchaser said.

"The level of quality and refinement is exceptional, but what really sold it was how liveable it felt... It felt like a place where everything had been considered, not just a luxury building."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355304]

Sustainability also formed a key part of both award submissions. Kooyongkoot is targeting a minimum 7.5-star NatHERS rating across all residences, supported by passive design principles, high-performance glazing, EV charging infrastructure, water reuse systems and a wellness model focused on lower-energy dry facilities rather than pools and large wet areas.

Located within walking distance of Scotch College, Methodist Ladies' College, Koo​yong Lawn Tennis Club, Aubur​n Village and Camberwell Junction, Kooyongkoot continues to target owner-occupiers looking to remain in Melbourne's inner east without compromising on space or quality. A limited selection of two, three and four-bedroom residences remains available, with prices starting from $1.9 million.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=102717]

Kooyongkoot wins Gold and Silver at Better Future Melbourne Design Awards

New apartment supply has become increasingly constrained across <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/parramatta-nsw-2150">Parramatta</a> in recent years, with fewer projects progressing through to completion as development conditions have become more challenging.

It makes <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/novm">NOVM</a>'s 2021-completed <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/the-lennox-parramatta-12-phillip-street-parramatta-nsw-2150">The Lennox</a> one of the most recently completed residential towers on the Parramatta River, and among the newest apartment developments in Sydney's second CBD.

With the project largely completed before the sharp escalation in construction costs and inflation following the pandemic, The Lennox is now offering pricing that would be difficult to replicate in a comparable new development in Parramatta today, or across much of Western Sydney.

The majority of the 413 apartments at The Lennox sold before and shortly after completion. A limited release of the remaining apartments has recently been brought to market by capital partner <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/equitifund-group">Equitifund</a>, with entry-level pricing from $700,000 and two-bedroom apartments available from under $1 million.

Rising above the Parramatta River at 12 Phillip Street, The Lennox comprises one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments, appealing to first home buyers, young professionals, families, downsizers and interstate investors seeking a completed apartment in one of Australia's fastest-growing economic centres.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5743 project_image_fid=372394]

Rather than positioning Parramatta as an alternative to Sydney's CBD, Equitifund believes the city has reached a point where it stands on its own merits.

"Parramatta is no longer simply an alternative to Sydney CBD, it's becoming a destination in its own right," Equitifund Executive Chairman Greg Huxley said.

"The Lennox captures that evolution with a level of quality and amenity that's difficult to match at its price point."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5743 project_image_fid=953]

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/marchese-partners">Marchese Partners</a>, the tower responds directly to its riverfront setting through expansive glazing and open-plan layouts that maximise views across the Parramatta River and city skyline. Interiors feature engineered timber flooring, stone benchtops, stainless steel appliances and floor-to-ceiling glazing, while generous balconies extend the living spaces outdoors.

Marchese Partners says the project was conceived to balance high-quality apartment living with practical, long-term functionality, pairing larger, efficient floorplans with amenities more commonly associated with five-star hotels.

That emphasis continues through the resident facilities, which include a 20-metre rooftop swimming pool, fully equipped gym and wellness spaces, full-time concierge, a residents' lounge, function room, private lifts, secure basement parking and rooftop communal areas overlooking the Parramatta River. Ground-floor boardwalk retail and dining further activate the riverfront and integrate the building into the surrounding public realm.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5743 project_image_fid=925]

Australian housing and finance group Equitifund has secured the remaining apartments, believing there are few completed apartment opportunities in Parramatta that offer the same combination of location, amenity and pricing.

Equitifund National Sales Director Ben Hamblett says buyers are increasingly recognising that premium apartment living no longer needs to come with Sydney CBD pricing.

"The Lennox is where aspirational living becomes attainable," Hamblett said.

"Wake to river and mountain views, step into Sydney's Second CBD, and arrive home to resort-calibre amenities, all without the harbour price tag."

Hamblett says owner-occupiers are also attracted by the convenience of having Westfield Parramatta, Church Street's dining precinct, Parramatta Park, Riverside Theatres, Western Sydney University and major transport connections all within walking distance.

"At The Lennox, lifestyle is not an afterthought, it is the foundation."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5743 project_image_fid=5374]

The Lennox places residents within walking distance of Parramatta Square, Westfield Parramatta, Church Street Eat Street, Parramatta Station, the ferry wharf, Light Rail, the future Sydney Metro West, Parramatta Park and CommBank Stadium, reinforcing Parramatta's position as one of Australia's most connected metropolitan centres outside Sydney's CBD.

Equitifund says buyers visiting the display suite consistently comment on the quality of the finishes, generous floorplans, river and skyline views, and the walkability of the location. The project has attracted a broad mix of local professionals, upsizers, downsizers, buyers relocating from Sydney's inner suburbs and interstate investors seeking long-term growth opportunities.

That demand aligns with Parramatta's continued evolution as an economic powerhouse. Equitifund Research and Market Insights specialist John Bekiaris says sustained population growth, infrastructure investment and expanding employment opportunities continue to support long-term housing demand across the city.

"Parramatta has evolved from a satellite city into one of Australia's most important economic centres. Population growth, infrastructure investment and employment are all supporting sustained long-term housing demand."

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=5743]

The apartment price gap drawing Sydney buyers west

A luxury beachfront apartment at Rainbow Bay has more than doubled in value since it sold off the plan six years ago, setting a new local apartment record in the process.

The three-bedroom apartment in the Flow development on Petrie Street, the first of four new projects locally by Paul Gedoun's S&amp;S Projects, has sold for $7.4 million, after originally selling for $3.27 million when the project launched in 2020.

The seventh-floor apartment, comprising 187 sqm of internal living space and a 54 sqm balcony overlooking Froggies Beach and Snapper Rocks, was purchased by a local family.

The transaction was negotiated by Pezet Matheson director Kerry Pezet and equates to more than $30,000 per sqm.

Pezet said the sale reflected the limited opportunities to buy into the boutique beachfront development.

"The sale highlights the rarity of opportunities within the boutique beachfront development, where residences seldom become available," Pezet said.

"Flow is one of the Gold Coast's most tightly held buildings. Buyers from our database move quickly when residences become available, and achieving an off-market sale at $7.4 million demonstrates the depth of demand for property of this calibre."

<img alt="Flow" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c585b206-2130-4eee-a50c-3f27c51a7c70" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-06%20at%208.33.25%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=m3pHRDV62Y3fvN.XQuQHq.52ilTWpRLf" />

Flow was the first of four luxury apartment developments delivered by Paul Gedoun's S&amp;S Projects at Rainbow Bay and was completed in 2023.

Positioned on the beachfront overlooking Snapper Rocks, the residence includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a powder room and views stretching north along the coastline towards Surfers Paradise.

Pezet Matheson Residential principal Mitchell Lambert said buyers continued to prioritise quality beachfront apartments in tightly held locations.

"Flow Residences offers a rare combination of elevated beachfront positioning, architectural excellence, comprehensive resident amenity and premium finishes, which is exactly what discerning purchasers are seeking," Lambert said.

"The transaction further reinforces Rainbow Bay's reputation as one of Australia's premier coastal lifestyle destinations, where limited supply and growing demand continue to support strong market performance."

Pezet Matheson originally marketed and sold out Flow off the plan, making the latest transaction a return to one of the project's original buyers.

Paul Gedoun is selling his third project, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/radia-rainbow-bay-271-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Radia Rainbow Bay</a>, after recently completing, and selling out, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/esprit-217-227-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Esprit</a>. He has plans for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-s-s-projects-proposes-88-apartment-wellness-tower-at-coolangattas-boundary-street">fourth building</a>, 88 apartments on <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/209-213-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Boundary Street</a>.

Rainbow Bay apartment doubles in price since off the plan sale during pandemic

Regional Markets

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EXPERT OBSERVER
Regional Victoria is the stand-out market in Australian real estate. Against a backdrop of Regional Australia providing the leading growth markets across the nation, Regional Victoria has large numbers of towns and suburbs with rising buyer demand and the strongest price growth anywhere in Australia. 
Our Summer survey of sales activity has identified 51 markets in Regional Victoria with rising demand, the highest since we started our quarterly sales surveys four years ago. Only Adelaide among the nation’s market jurisdictions has more growth markets than Regional Victoria – which also has another 90 locations with steady buyer demand.
The uplift in markets in Victoria outside Melbourne has created exceptional price growth: our latest survey has found 118 locations with median house price growth above 5% in the past 12 months, including 85 above 10% - of which 25 have grown more than 20%. A key factor is that most of these places have delivered price growth in the most recent quarter, as well as the past year, which means prices are still growing.
The leading locations are Clunes and Macedon (top) up 36%; Bunyip and North Wonthaggi 32%; Norlane 29%; Trentham 28%; Port Fairy 27%; Corio and Newcomb 26%; Warragul 24%; Officer, Cockatoo, Romsey, Whittington and Indented Head 22%; Inverloch, Loch Sport, Maryborough and Golden Point 21%; Avoca, Beveridge, Broadford, Maddingley, St Leonards and Woodend all 20%.
Bendigo, which overtook previous market leader Ballarat in our Spring 2018 survey, has increased its lead in the Summer survey. It now has 10 suburbs with rising demand, making it one of the leading LGAs in the nation. Growth suburbs include California Gully, Golden Square, Kangaroo Flat, Long Gully, Maiden Gully and North Bendigo.
The recent surge in sales activity is starting to create solid price growth, with California Gully, Eaglehawk, Flora Hill, Heathcote, Kennington and North Bendigo all up 6-8% in the past year. Like Ballarat, Bendigo is attracting both investors and home-buyers from Melbourne and elsewhere.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/subscribe" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/2/Subscriber%20strip%20ad.jpg" alt=""></a>
Growth markets in Ballarat, which is ahead of Bendigo in the market cycle, have reduced to five and there are now 10 suburbs classified as “plateau” markets.  The previous uplift in demand has created a climate where most Ballarat suburbs are delivering big price growth: 14 suburbs are up by more than 5% in the past year, headed by Golden Point (21%), Buninyong (15%), Ballarat North (15%), Redan (16%) and Wendouree (17%).
A new contender has emerged in our past two quarterly surveys: the towns of the Latrobe Valley. Traralgon, Churchill, Moe, Morwell and Newborough all have growth markets. Quarterly sales in Churchill have been rising steadily, with the median house price up 9% in the past 12 months – but still below $200,000.
Quarterly sales have also risen in Moe in the past year and its median has grown 3%, but also remains below $200,000. This high level of affordability is a key drawcard for this market, which is being boosted by government investment to mitigate the impact of power station closures.
Geelong remains a strong market – one of the nation’s most prolific – but sales activity is no longer growing the way it has over the past two years. It now has more plateau markets than rising ones. But the strong demand of the past two years continues to deliver price growth – 24 suburbs of Greater Geelong have risen more than 10% in the past 12 months, with Corio, Norlane, Newcomb, St Leonards, Whittington and Indented Head all above 20%. 
Other regions where demand has passed its peak but price growth remains high include the LGAs of Cardinia (Pakenham, Officer, Bunyip and Emerald), Baw Baw (Warragul, Drouin and Trafalgar), Mitchell (Broadford, Beveridge and Kilmore), Surf Coast (Anglesea, Apollo Bay and Torquay), Bass Coast (Cowes, Inverloch and Wonthaggi) and Macedon Ranges (Gisborne, Kyneton, Romsey and Woodend).
But new growth markets are now occurring right across Victoria. At Portland in the far south-west of the state – quarterly sales have been on an upward trajectory for the past two years.
Also in the south-west, there’s rising activity in Warrnambool, with median prices up 14% in Koroit and 7% in Warrnambool, while in nearby Port Fairy the median house price has risen 27% to $620,000.
In the Central Goldfields, quarterly sales in Maryborough have increased in the past 12 months and its median house price has grown 21% to $225,000.
In the far east of the state, three locations in East Gippsland have rising demand – Bairnsdale, Eastwood and Lakes Entrance. Quarterly sales in Bairnsdale have grown from 50-55 12-18 months ago to 70-75 more recently. The median price in Lakes Entrance has grown 12% to $320,000 in the past year, while Metung is up 7% to $365,000.
Other markets with growing signs of uplift include Shepparton, Wangaratta and Wodonga. 
Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au
<a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au">ryder@hotspotting.com.au</a>
twitter.com/hotspotting
</body></html>

terryryder-YECXbqmri2

Regional Victorian leads the nation in house price growth: Hotspotting's Terry Ryder

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GUEST OBSERVER
I’ve been charting to rise of regional markets throughout this year and it’s now a trend worthy of note by property watchers.
New South Wales and Queensland both have large numbers of growth markets outside the capital cities. Victoria has more than a few as well and even laggard states like South Australia and Western Australia are starting to show some life in their regional markets.
Perhaps the most significant trend is that NSW and Queensland have more growth markets in their regions than in their capital cities. This is a strong feature of the research I conducted for the Winter Edition of The Price Predictor Index.
The Sunshine Coast has more growth locations that any other municipality in Australia. When combined with neighbouring Noosa Shire, this region is the most upwardly-mobile market in the nation, in terms of trends with sales activity.
Noosa Heads and its neighbours have delivered little growth in the past decade but are now rising, with both sales levels and prices increasing. Noosaville is the local star: sales levels in the past two years, quarter by quarter, have been: 111, 124, 154, 156, 152, 162, 186 and 188. A little further south, Coolum Beach is also rising strongly.
But a regional challenger has emerged: following the merger of the Wyong and Gosford LGAs to form the Central Coast council area, this municipality is now the leading individual LGA in NSW: it has eight locations with rising markets, as well as 21 with steady sales performance.
Markets with forward momentum include Blue Haven, Gosford, Hamlyn Terrace, Point Frederick, Wyoming and Wyong.  Sales in Hamlyn Terrace have increased from 37 to 42 to 45 to 59 in the past four quarters.
The strength of the NSW Regional market has grown, with the number of rising markets increasing steadily in the past five quarters. In terms of growth in sales activity, NSW Regional has more to offer investors now than Sydney does.
While the Sydney market is past its peak and has relatively few growth markets compared to 2015, Regional New South Wales is rising, with the number of growth markets increasing from 30 to 49 to 51 to 55 to 61 in the past five quarterly surveys for The Price Predictor Index.
This is reinforced by other research, such as Time On Market statistics, which shows the fastest-selling locations in NSW are outside Sydney, in locations such as Newcastle, Gosford and the Blue Mountains.
The city of Newcastle, and the locations surrounding it (including the municipalities of Port Stephens, Lake Macquarie Maitland, Cessnock, Singleton and Muswellbrook) continue to be a stand-out region.  Jointly they have 17 rising markets, such as the Newcastle suburb of New Lambton, where sales have lifted from 44 to 49 to 59 to 61 to 63 in recent quarters.
Surrounding LGAs, such as Maitland, Cessnock and Port Stephens, all have growth markets. Hunter Valley locations like  Muswellbrook and Singleton continue to improve after the previous downturn caused by over-development.
There are still no challengers to Geelong‘s status as the No.1 market in regional Victoria. The City of Greater Geelong also has more growth suburbs than any of the LGAs of Melbourne. The Geelong economy is performing strongly and its property market thrives as a cheaper alternative to Melbourne.
But there are a number of other busy markets in regional Victoria, most of them just outside the footprint of the Melbourne metropolitan area. They include towns like Pakenham and Officer in the far south-east, as well as the Macedon Ranges and Mitchell LGAs north of Melbourne.
Usually the last place you’d expect to find multiple growth markets is regional South Australia, where there’s little in the way of economic or population growth. But several country regions of SA are rising, headed by the Goolwa district, where sales have risen from 76 to 88 to 110 in the past three quarters. Nearby Strathalbyn is also rising.
Similar growth patterns have been seen in the seaside town of Victor Harbor and the regional centre of Murray Bridge.
There are growing signs that some regional markets impacted by the resources sector have passed the worst and showing evidence of recovery.
Places where demand is rising again include NSW towns impacted by the coal industry (Muswellbrook, Singleton and Mudgee), WA centres for the iron ore and gas sectors (Port Hedland and Karratha), and Queensland towns impacted by coal (Emerald, Mackay and Moranbah).
There is, for example, a definite upward trend in sales activity in both Karratha and Port Hedland, although price levels remain extremely low, at a fraction of their boom-time levels. Port Hedland has seen its median house price fall from above $1 million to $370,000.
Investors should continue to be wary of buying in such places. Markets like this are always volatile and high-risk. Far safer to buy in regional cities with diversified economies, such as recovering Townsville in Queensland or Wagga Wagga, Dubbo and Tamworth in NSW.
Terry Ryder is the founder of <a href="https://www.hotspotting.com.au/" target="_blank">hotspotting.com.au</a>. You can <a href="mailto:%20%3Cscript%20type='text/javascript'%3E%20%3C!--%20var%20prefix%20=%20'ma'%20+%20'il'%20+%20'to';%20var%20path%20=%20'hr'%20+%20'ef'%20+%20'=';%20var%20addy38821%20=%20'ryder'%20+%20'@';%20addy38821%20=%20addy38821%20+%20'hotspotting'%20+%20'.'%20+%20'com'%20+%20'.'%20+%20'au';%20document.write('%3Ca%20'%20+%20path%20+%20'/''%20+%20prefix%20+%20':'%20+%20addy38821%20+%20'/'%3E');%20document.write(addy38821);%20document.write('%3C//a%3E');%20//--%3E/n%20%3C/script%3E%3Cscript%20type='text/javascript'" target="_blank">email him</a> or follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/hotspotting" target="_blank">Twitter.</a>
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No challengers to Geelong‘s status as the No.1 market in regional Victoria

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EXPERT OBSERVER
While mainstream media obsesses over the inevitable downturn in the major markets in Sydney and Melbourne, somehow turning that into a national crisis, the rest of the nation is overlooked, especially regional Australia.
This is a shame for property investors because, right now, many of the best opportunities to buy well for future growth and good rental returns are in regional Australia.
While media’s focus remains firmly on the capital cities, the reality is that the strongest price growth in the past year has been recorded in regional centres.
The best-performing markets this year, based on our analysis of all the research, have been Geelong in Victoria, the towns of Cardinia Shire just outside Melbourne, the NSW Central Coast and the Newcastle region (pictured above).
It’s significant that while the average price outcome for the capital cities is a negative figure, dragged down by Sydney’s decline, the result for regional Australia is positive. This is according to latest data from CoreLogic, which says that the average total return for regional Australia is 6.2%, compared to -0.6% for the combined capital cities.
While four of the eight capital cities have price levels lower than a year ago (according to CoreLogic - other sources disagree), five of the six major state regional markets have prices higher than 12 months ago.
The latest figures from SQM Research have annual price for the capital cities (the average for the eight capitals) slightly in the negative, but the national average including the regions is solidly in the positive.
Returns are better in the regions: yields in the capital cities average 3.5%, while the regions average 5% (CoreLogic figures).
And, of course, the prices are much more affordable: the median dwelling price for the cities is $643,000, compared to $368,000 in the regional areas.
Looking forward, the markets I see as having the best potential for upside for investors include locations like Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria, the Hunter Region of NSW and the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, with recovering Townsville another market likely to provide great value and potential for future growth.
I note that the latest McGrath Report puts forward the view that regional property markets are the “new black’’ in residential real estate.
The report says leading regional hubs like the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Geelong and Newcastle are undergoing significant price growth on the back of strong demand.
It suggests improved infrastructure has made commuting times faster between regional areas and capital cities - and when coupled with the NBN rollout making access to technology better, these regions have become even more appealing to buyers.
“Massive infrastructure investment across Australia is also boosting employment in regional centres,’’ the report says.
Most investors overlook the regions, believing that all the economic and property growth potential lies in the capital cities. It simply isn’t so.
To increase awareness of the potential in our regional areas, consider what Jack Archer, chief executive of the Regional Australia Institute, said in a recent newspaper column:
“Many believe one of the problems with plans to decentralise our population is too few jobs in rural and regional Australia. Not true. Permanent skilled and unskilled migrants are needed in many areas.
“And simple reforms to immigration policy with support from rural communities to settle new permanent migrants will help take pressure off major cities.”
He notes Federal Government moves to channel jobseekers into regional work and the possibility of a five-year regional visa to connect migrants with permanent regional jobs.
Data from the Federal Government’s Internet Vacancy Index shows why new permanent migration to regions is critical. In July there were 46,000 job vacancies in regional Australia. This is up 23% from February 2016. Capital city vacancies rose only 12%.
Archer says: “This need is not about temporary farm work. Today’s vacancies are a mix of high-skill and low-skill jobs — everything from labouring, to sales, trades and professions. In the Pilbara, there are about 1,600 vacancies including 553 trades (automotive), 332 professionals (engineering and health), 238 machinery operators, 155 labourers and 128 clerical staff.”
Australia has many strong, diverse regional economies supporting property markets which are affordable, have much better yields than the cities and have strong potential for capital growth.
That’s why I see buying in good regional cities as a win-win-win scenario.
John McGrath recently said regional is the new black, rivalling the likes of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne with their new improved lifestyle, population growth and growing economy's.
Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au
<a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au">ryder@hotspotting.com.au</a>
twitter.com/hotspotting
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It's time to focus on regional city property markets: Hotspotting's Terry Ryder

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EXPERT OBSERVER
Anyone who reads my reports will know I’m finding many of the best markets across the nation in Regional Australia.
Most of the strongest markets for sales activity and price growth in the past two years have been found outside the capital cities and the regional areas of Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and Queensland continue to present large numbers of growth numbers.
I tell seminar audiences around Australia this is a good thing for investors, because the regions have lower prices and higher rental yields. And, if you choose your locations well, you’re well-placed for good capital growth as well.
It’s a message that most Australians haven’t been getting, because the major research firms focus primarily on the capital cities and major media obsesses over the markets in Melbourne and Sydney.
As I told seminar audiences in Mackay recently, Central Queensland cities will never feature in national media unless there’s a cyclone or flood. Mackay, in fact, is a growth market with low vacancies, strong rentals and rising prices, boosted by positive events in the local economy.
But gradually, it seems, Australia is waking up to the opportunities presented by markets in Regional Australia. 
Agency network PRDnationwide published an August report which predicted that regional centres are set to outperform capital cities over the next six months as affordable prices and higher returns lure buyers.
It said regional areas generally had fared better than metropolitan markets recently and that performance would continue over the second half of the year.
PRDnationwide’s national research manager Asti Mardiasmo said: “Regional areas are more insulated than bigger cities due to the increased infrastructure developments, cheaper house prices and big businesses moving their head offices to regional areas,” Mardiasmo said.
This correlates with Hotspotting research which has identified rising sales activity and good price growth in many of the regional markets in the major eastern states, as well as Tasmania and Western Australia.
The monthly reports of national valuation firm Herron Todd White have also recorded uplift in many of the nation’s regional markets. 
Its latest National Property Clock suggests that markets are rising or recovering in regional centres such as Tamworth, Dubbo, Albury and Bathurst in NSW; Townsville, Mackay, Cairns, Gladstone, the Sunshine Coast, Hervey Bay and Emerald in Queensland; Karratha and Port Hedland in WA; Shepparton and Wodonga in Victoria; and Launceston in Tasmania.
Markets at the bottom of the cycle ahead of recovery include Alice Springs, Rockhampton and Toowoomba.
Hotspotting would add a number of key regional cities to the list of strong markets, including Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria, and Orange, Wagga Wagga, Goulburn, Queanbeyan, the Hunter Valley and the Tweed region in NSW.
In the Winter edition of the Price Predictor Index, 30 of the National Top 50 Super-charged Suburbs list were regional locations.
Brisbane-based researcher Propertyology published an analysis of population trends across the nation and suggested the areas where property markets benefited the most from interstate and intrastate migration were regional cities like the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Geelong.
A recent report by the Regional Australia Institute, based on a research project by the University of South Australia and Southern Cross University, urged Australians to consider the regions as an alternative to the major cities - it says many regional towns offer jobs, affordable housing, lifestyle and scope for economic growth, as well as less congestion and a lower cost of living.
The university research project compared wages, employment, congestion and house prices among outer suburban and metropolitan areas, and the regions.
The study found that while wages might be less in the regions compared to cities, job prospects are often at least as good and the cost of living is lower than the big cities. 
Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au
<a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au">ryder@hotspotting.com.au</a>
twitter.com/hotspotting
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Australian investors waking up to regional property market opportunities: Hotspotting's Terry Ryder

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Almost 100% of the market analysis and media focus in real estate is devoted to the capital cities. But in two major states the regional markets are outperforming their capital cities.
And they’re not just any old cities that are being outdone by their country cousins. Sydney is one of them, which will amaze many people, and Brisbane is the other one.
I explained in a recent column why Sydney has passed its peak and is slowly losing its heat. You won’t be reading about it in mainstream media because journalists lack expertise and are reliant on press releases from research companies. And those research companies base their market analysis on median price movements. And median prices are six months behind the market.
The real story of markets is told by sales volumes. And sales activity has been gradually falling across metropolitan Sydney – to the extent that I count just 36 growth suburbs (compared to 114 six months ago).
Regional New South Wales has almost double the number of growth markets of Sydney. The momentum that started with regional areas close to the state capital – like Wollongong and Gosford – has spread throughout the state.
The Gosford LGA remains the most buoyant regional NSW market, followed by nearby Wyong. The Newcastle region – where the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock and Port Stephens LGAs all have multiple growth suburbs – is also on a positive trajectory.
The Southern Highlands market has more recently sprung to life, with Moss Vale, Bowral and Mittagong all looking strong.
Further afield in NSW, Port Macquarie looks really good and the Tweed region at the Queensland border is joining the growth party. At the opposite end of the state, the twin cities of Albury and Wodonga on either side of the Victoria border are attracting growing attention from investors.
Dubbo continues to be one of the strongest regional economies in the state and the nation, while Goulburn and Orange also look good.
Everywhere I look in New South Wales there are markets percolating, without (with the exception of Gosford) having delivered price growth of Sydney proportions.
Brisbane is still producing plenty of growth markets, although the limelight has switched from the north to the south. While the Brisbane City Northside precinct was the first to burst into life with elevated activity and good price growth in 2014, the leading markets are now Brisbane City Southside and, a little further south, Logan City.
But there busy markets across Brisbane, with upwardly-mobile suburbs springing up in the Redland, Ipswich and Moreton Bay LGAs around the periphery of the metropolitan area.
And regional Queensland is matching the Greater Brisbane area for the number of growth locations. The regional action is headed by the Gold Coast, which continues to gather momentum and has now overtaken Logan City to be the No.1 LGA in Australia, in terms of the number of growth suburbs.
Fortunately, most of the growth markets in Gold Coast City are genuine residential markets – i.e. inland housing markets, rather than the high-rise precincts along the glitter strip. Let’s hope that’s where investors focus their attention, because the new mega towers will return the Gold Coast to its grand tradition of apartment over-supply.
The Sunshine Coast, which continues to progress as a more well-rounded regional city, is the next biggest growth market, while resurgent Cairns is still featuring strongly. 
But there’s a new contender – the Fraser Coast region based on Hervey Bay is now producing more growth suburbs than Cairns and almost as many as the Sunshine Coast. Townsville is slowly spluttering back to life.
Toowoomba, which was the first regional city in Queensland to get on a growth path, looks to have had its run. This is demonstrated by the high number of “plateau” markets among the Toowoomba suburbs. The big infrastructure investment happening in and around the city should keep its market solid, but sales activity has undoubtedly tapered off in Toowoomba.
No other states have regional markets as prominent as NSW and Queensland, although there are good possibilities for investors in Victoria and Western Australia – but that’s another story.
TERRY RYDER is the founder of <a href="https://www.hotspotting.com.au/" target="_blank">hotspotting.com.au</a>. You can <a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au" target="_blank">email him</a> or follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/hotspotting" target="_blank">Twitter.</a>
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Capital cities outdone by country cousins: Terry Ryder

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EXPERT OBSERVER
As reported in the latest CoreLogic home value index results, the national property market slowdown is having a wider impact with regional dwelling value growth experiencing the flow-on effect.
I examined how values have changed over the past 12 months outside of the capital cities.
Overall, regional dwelling values recorded a 1.6% capital gain over the twelve months ending August 2018.
Although values have still increased over the past year, the pace of capitals has been slowing and the 1.6% increase is the slowest annual growth rate since September 2013.
Over the past year, dwelling values have increased across the non-capital city markets of every state except Western Australia (-4.4%).
In regional NSW (+1.4%) value growth is the slowest it has been since April 2013 while in regional Tas (+8.0%) annual growth is the strongest it has been since March 2010.
Drilling down, the sub-regions highlight the diversity of property market conditions across the broad regional areas of Australia.
Of the 42 regional SA4 regions, 24 recorded an increase in dwelling values over the past year with the remaining 18 recording a fall.
Geelong (11.8%) was the only region to record double-digit growth while Tasmania’s South East (9.9%) and Launceston / North East Tasmania (9.3%) were the only two others to record growth in excess of 7.5%.
Of those regions that have recorded growth over the year, nine are in NSW, five are in VIC, three are in QLD, two are in SA, one is in WA, three are in TAS and one is in NT.
Central Queensland (-7.7%) had recorded the largest value fall over the year followed by Bunbury I WA and Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday (both 5.4%).
Unsurprisingly, WA along with Qld, dominates the list of regional areas in which values have fallen the most over the past year.
In general terms, the regions linked to the resources sector have continued to record value falls over the past year while lifestyle markets and those close to capital cities have recorded increases.
The main exceptions are Mid North Coast and Illawarra, which are slowing as Sydney slows and Toowoomba just to the west of Brisbane.
On a quarterly basis, the number of regions recording value falls is larger than the number recording a fall over the year, indicating a worsening in regional housing market conditions over recent months.
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2018/9/13/Tim%20CL%20PP.JPG" alt=""><img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2018/9/13/Tim%20CL%20PP%202.JPG" alt="" width="635" height="610">
Tim Lawless is the head of research at CoreLogic
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How the shift in dwelling values have affected regional areas of Australia: Tim Lawless

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After a long period of soft housing market conditions post the 2008 GFC, we’re seeing a pick-up in housing demand across regions, according to CoreLogic research analyst Cameron Kusher.
Buyers are looking outside the capitals for "more affordable options,” he said after analysis of the 50 most populous non-capital city council areas.
“While a majority of the regions are showing an upward swing, areas linked to the mining and resources sector are continuing to see values fall.”
Of the non-capital city council areas analysed, areas close to Sydney are seeing the strongest growth in New South Wales.
As an example, the Wollongong council area is the most expensive for houses ($730,427) and units ($530,170).
The area also recorded the greatest increase in house values, and now holds the fourth highest increase in unit value over the past year.
“Places like Wollongong are on the rise as demand ripples away from Sydney where affordability constraints are more pressing.”
Regional areas in Victoria which are close to Melbourne are experiencing value growth, however, Mr Kusher said.
“It is nowhere near the magnitude to which values are growing in those locations close to Sydney.”
“Although values are rising, the softer growth can be linked to the fact that values have not risen as sharply in Melbourne as they have in Sydney and subsequently affordability hasn’t deteriorated as severely in Melbourne,” he said.
For Queensland, the results are more mixed with the south-east corner generally seeing values rise, while across the remainder of the state, growth is extremely mild or values have fallen.
Stripping the spotlight from Brisbane, CoreLogic confirmed that the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Noosa are now seeing more rapid value growth than for Brisbane.
“It seems as though much of the demand across these regions is coming from an acceleration in internal migration to Queensland, and where buyers from Sydney and Melbourne are using substantial equity earned to secure lifestyle properties in the state.”
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/06/22/Screen%20Shot%202017-06-22%20at%2011.42.30%20am.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/06/22/Screen%20Shot%202017-06-22%20at%2011.42.30%20am.jpg" alt="">
Of the areas observed by CoreLogic, each of the 24 regions highlighted in New South Wales have recorded value growth for houses over the past year.
For units, only 4 of the 24 regions have recorded value falls over the past 12 months.
In Victoria, of the 10 regions analysed, two recorded value falls over the year for houses and 2 regions also recorded falls for unit values.
Greater Shepparton was the only council area of the state which recorded value falls for houses and units.
Of the 13 regions highlighted for Queensland, five have recorded value falls for houses over the past year and seven have recorded declines for units.
Each of the regions highlighted in Western Australia have recorded value falls over the past year for houses and units.
Launceston was the only region analysed in Tasmania and it has seen house and unit values rise over the past year.
It should be noted while values have increased they have done so at a more moderate pace than those in Hobart.
Mr Kusher said, “Overall, we’re seeing housing demand in regional areas of the country is rising.
“While many regions are seeing values increase, the strongest demand appears to be in those areas within relatively close proximity to capital cities, particularly those which are coastal and tap into lifestyle demand.”
Cameron Kusher is research analyst for CoreLogic. You can contact him <a href="https://blog.corelogic.com.au/about/">here</a>.
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Regional areas showing home values rising: Cameron Kusher

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There are growing signs that some regional markets impacted by the resources sector have passed the worst and are starting to improve.
These are locations where increased dwelling supply coincided with a downturn in demand as the mining investment boom subsided (or miners built workers camps), causing sales and prices to fall.
Places where demand appears to be rising again include NSW towns impacted by the coal industry (Muswellbrook, Singleton and Mudgee), WA centres for the iron ore and gas sectors (Port Hedland and Karratha), and Queensland towns impacted by coal (Emerald, Mackay and Moranbah).
But that’s not a signal for investors to start buying in these places again. I would hope the many boom-bust scenarios that occurred over the past 4-5 years has left a lasting impression on investors across Australia.
Before the end of the resources investment boom, far too many investors jumped into these markets without understanding the extreme volatility of them and/or their own risk profiles.
The extent of the slump in some of these locations is demonstrated by these figures: at the pinnacle of the resources investment boom, the median house price for Port Hedland in WA was well above $1 million. The latest figures shows a median price around $400,000, following a further 33 percent decline in the past year.
In the coal-mining town of Moranbah in Central Queensland, the median house price has fallen from above $700,000 at the peak of the boom to around $160,000 today.
These are some of the most extreme examples of decline but there are many others, including Queensland centres like Gladstone, Mackay, Emerald and Surat Basin towns such as Chinchilla.
In many cases the downturn in local markets was not caused by any decline in the key resources industry (in many cases it was the CSG/LNG sector which continued to create jobs and economic activity in the affected locations) but by a fundamental switch in the approach of the mining companies to accommodating personnel in workers camps.
Developers who built lots of new product in these places found out, too late, that there was not the expected demand for local dwellings. Places like Gladstone in Queensland and Newman in WA had a boom economy but a doom property market.
Now there is evidence that sales activity is rising in some of these places, after slumping significantly in the past three years. In 2015, each quarter had fewer than 45 sales for Port Hedland and South Hedland combined. But the past three quarters have each had more than 60 sales, with a pattern of rising sales numbers.
In Karratha, residential sales numbered fewer than 55 in most quarters throughout the three years covering 2013 to 2015. But sales activity rose noticeably in 2016, with the past three quarters each delivering more than 75 sales. The general trend is up and we await evidence that 2017 will continue the pattern.
In the meantime, I urge extreme caution for investors considering dipping a toe in these dangerous waters. Resources-related markets are at the high-risk end of the spectrum - there are periods of sharp rises, often followed by catastrophic decline.
I would never buy in these places, because the risks are too high. And the modern trend of workers camps mean that the dwelling demand generated by major mining projects is considerably lower than in the past.
A warning is timely because there is renewed confidence in the resources sector. New projects are being planned and mothballed ventures are being reactivated, particularly in Queensland and WA. As sales activity rises in resources centres, the industry will be pumping out press releases suggesting the boom days are returning.
Hopefully the massive price and rental decline of recent years will live long in the memories of investors.
Terry Ryder is the founder of <a href="https://www.hotspotting.com.au/">hotspotting.com.au</a>. You can  <a href="mailto:%20%3Cscript%20type='text/javascript'%3E%20%3C!--%20var%20prefix%20=%20'ma'%20+%20'il'%20+%20'to';%20var%20path%20=%20'hr'%20+%20'ef'%20+%20'=';%20var%20addy38821%20=%20'ryder'%20+%20'@';%20addy38821%20=%20addy38821%20+%20'hotspotting'%20+%20'.'%20+%20'com'%20+%20'.'%20+%20'au';%20document.write('%3Ca%20'%20+%20path%20+%20'/''%20+%20prefix%20+%20':'%20+%20addy38821%20+%20'/'%3E');%20document.write(addy38821);%20document.write('%3C//a%3E');%20//--%3E/n%20%3C/script%3E%3Cscript%20type='text/javascript'%3E%20%3C!--%20document.write('%3Cspan%20style=/'display:%20none;/'%3E');%20//--%3E%20%3C/script%3EThis%20email%20address%20is%20being%20protected%20from%20spambots.%20You%20need%20JavaScript%20enabled%20to%20view%20it.%20%3Cscript%20type='text/javascript'%3E%20%3C!--%20document.write('%3C/');%20document.write('span%3E');%20//--%3E%20%3C/script%3E">email him</a> or follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/hotspotting">Twitter.</a>
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Growing signs resources-heavy regional property markets on the improve

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EXPERT OBSERVER
Australia is strongly tilted towards the capital cities. That’s where the bulk of the population lives, where economies are strongest (generally speaking) and where the greatest share of property sales take place. So, usually, the quarterly editions of The Price Predictor Index published by Hotspotting feature more city locations with growing sales momentum than regional ones. 
But the Winter 2019 edition has the regions are out-performing the capital cities. Regional NSW has far more rising markets than Sydney, Regional Victoria has way more growth than Melbourne and Regional Queensland is outdoing Brisbane. 
Nationally, it’s line ball: we have identified 137 growth markets in the capital cities and 137 in the regional areas. This is a very strong performance by regional Australia and explains why so many of the nation’s growth markets are found in the regions - places like Ballarat, Bendigo, Wagga Wagga, Orange, Mackay and the Sunshine Coast.
Most of the outstanding individual locations currently are in regional areas. They dominate our National Top 50 list of Supercharged Suburbs. Thirty of the featured locations are in regional areas and only 20 are in capital cities. 
Regional NSW provides 13 of the Top 50 locations and Regional Queensland provides 10. There are no contenders from Melbourne and only two from Sydney (but Adelaide provides eight suburbs to the list and Perth six). 
Examples of country NSW centres that have strong growth momentum include the Port Stephens area, Wagga Wagga and Ballina. Regional Queensland areas to feature include Rockhampton and Toowoomba, as well as the buoyant Sunshine Coast market. 
As I observed in this column last week, Regional NSW is not following Sydney’s trend. While most sectors (but not all) of the Sydney market have been in decline, the cities and towns of Regional NSW have delivered many growth markets in the past two years.
The Winter edition of the Price Predictor Index also builds on previous versions in providing hints of recovery in Regional Queensland markets. When the resources boom was raging, investors piled into markets like Gladstone, Moranbah, Emerald, Mackay and Rockhampton - and enjoyed big growth for a short period, before the bubble burst. Now many of these locations are rising again. 
Our National Top 50 list includes Mackay, Rockhampton, Emerald and Toowoomba - indeed, the list has three locations from the Rockhampton LGA. This report also contains further evidence of recovery in Gladstone. (but I continue to urge caution about investing in places where the local economy is largely driven by the mining sector).
Regional Australia also contributes strongly to our National Top 50 list of most consistent markets: half of the locations featured for the steady demand they attract are in the regions outside the capital cities.
They include places like Mildura, a regional centre in rural Victoria that you would seldom hear about: in most quarters in the past three years, Mildura has delivered between 200 and 220 house sales – occasionally slightly fewer and sometimes a little more. Its median house price rose 11% in the past year.
The Raymond Terrace market in the Port Stephens LGA in NSW has recorded between 60 and 76 sales in every quarter for the five years – and its long-term capital growth average is 5% per year, confirming that consistent markets deliver steady growth.
Regional markets also stand out in our analysis of price data. Australian consumers seldom hear about it because media focuses so much on the biggest cities and because most of the data published is generalised in nature: a single growth/decline figure to describe the entire nation or a single figure which purports to depict the market in massive cities like Sydney and Melbourne. 
Behind those sweeping generalisations lie the real stories about markets - and in many cases there’s a lot more real estate growth going on than anyone realises. 
Nine out of ten locations in Tasmania have median prices higher than last year. It’s similar for 60% of Regional NSW, 61% of Regional Queensland and 80% of Regional Victoria.
Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au
<a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au">ryder@hotspotting.com.au</a>
twitter.com/hotspotting
 
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Regional Australian property outperforming capital cities: Hotspotting's Terry Ryder

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This is the strongest Regional Queensland market in the six years that Hotspotting has been conducting its quarterly surveys of sales activity and prices. The number of rising markets is the highest recorded, by a considerable margin, and property values are growing.
We have identified 72 locations with rising sales activity, a remarkable result in the year of the pandemic. Locations across the state are benefiting from the Exodus to Affordable Lifestyle and/or the improvement in the resources sector. Vacancies are ultra-low in most of these places. 
There are seven regional cities with five or more suburbs with forward momentum in sales activity: the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Mackay, Rockhampton, Gladstone and Townsville. These cities, plus smaller regional centres like Gympie, Emerald, Warwick, Kingaroy and Dalby, all have markets trending in the right direction for sustained price growth.
The Sunshine Coast is again the standout location, but other regional markets are emerging, notably the important inland city of Toowoomba. And we are seeing recovery in resources-related centres which have spent several years in downturn, including Gladstone, Mount Isa and Emerald.
The exceptions to the trend of upwardly-mobile markets are Cairns and the Fraser Coast, neither of which appear to be experiencing the uplift seen elsewhere. 
The Sunshine Coast continues to be one the nation’s outstanding property markets. There are 14 suburbs with rising sales activity and seven with consistent sales volumes. Neighbouring Noosa has two growth suburbs.
The Sunshine Coast is outperforming the Gold Coast, which is a much larger city but has only seven growth suburbs, as well as 12 consistent ones.
Toowoomba is the new contender, as its economy rises on the back of significant new infrastructure. Eight suburbs have rising sales activity and we expect prices to rise considerably.
Rockhampton, Gladstone, Mackay and Townsville each has between five and seven suburbs with rising momentum.
Gladstone’s re-emergence as a growth market is notable, after half a dozen years in downturn: vacancies are now low, sales activity is picking up and prices are now responding.
Markets across Regional Queensland are performing well on price growth: almost three-quarters of locations across Regional Queensland have had annual growth in their median house prices and a similar number of towns and suburbs have had uplift in the most recent quarter.
The Sunshine Coast continues to impress as one of the nation’s strongest markets, with price uplift in particular in the top end of the markets. 
Sunshine Beach, the most expensive suburb on the coast, has recorded a 33% annual rise in its median house price, now $1,750,000. The canal-based suburb of Minyama has increased 29% in the past 12 months to $1,190,000. Yandina (median house price $730,000) has increased 30%.
The market in and around Noosa is a particular standout, with Sunshine Beach up 33%, Sunrise Beach up 17% and Noosaville up 12%. Mooloolaba (median price $900,000) has risen 10% and Moffat Beach (median price $910,000) is up 12%.
The Gold Coast has some notable growth performances also, with Worongary (30%), Runaway Bay (14%), Miami (12%), Arundel (15%) and Burleigh Heads (15%) all recording growth annual growth.
A number of Central Queensland are rising, including Mackay (where Andergrove, Blacks Beach, South Mackay and North Mackay have all recorded double-digit annual growth) and Rockhampton (where Berserker has led the growth with a 27% increase).
Gladstone continues to deliver evidence of recovery from a lengthy downturn, with median house price growth in suburbs such as Calliope (10%), Clinton (12%), West Gladstone (18%) and Tannum Sands (11%). 
Central Queensland resources towns like Moranbah (up 23%) and Clermont (up 10%) are also recovering, albeit from a very low base. Chinchilla on the Western Downs is in a similar position, with its median house price rising 15% in the past year after several years of decline.
TERRY RYDER is the founder of hotspotting.com.au 
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