Australian property is once again in the midst of a growth cycle. After prices cooled in late 2024, 2025 has, aside from a flat January, delivered consistent gains. Much of this momentum is being fuelled by the Reserve Bank of Australia’s ongoing easing cycle, which has yet to reach its “terminal rate,” with several more rate cuts expected through the remainder of 2025 and into 2026.

Affordability has become the defining challenge in the residential real estate market. First home buyers are struggling to break in, squeezed by high entry prices, while many investors have stayed on the sidelines in recent years amid elevated interest rates and intense competition.

Yet the hunt for the next property hotspot never stops. It might not have the glamour of Bondi or Byron Bay. Still, a number of pockets within Australia’s largest capital cities are outperforming the broader market — and they’re attracting growing attention from buyers and investors alike.

We’ve looked at the best-performing SA4 regions from property data analytics firm Cotality.

Brisbane

Brisbane has been the strongest capital city property market over the last two years. The market has been supercharged by the announcement of the 2032 Brisbane Summer Olympics, but the market has been on fire since 2020, when there was an exodus from the southern states to the Sunshine States, which drove Brisbane to Australia’s second most expensive capital city.

Over the last 12 months, Brisbane dwelling values have risen by 7.3%, only bettered by growth in Darwin. There are some pockets around the city which have outperformed the market. The top five SA4s (regions) are:

Nundah (North)
Median value $988,394
Annual change +11.8%
Ipswich Hinterland (Ipswich)
Median $790,119
Annual +10.7%.
Redcliffe (Moreton Bay – North)
Median $903,286
Annual +10.0%.
Caboolture Hinterland (Moreton Bay – North)
Median $888,571
Annual +10.0%.
Ipswich Inner (Ipswich)
Median $726,560
Annual +9.9%.

Brisbane is not only posting solid citywide gains, but the strongest pockets are outside the CBD. Growth is concentrated in Moreton Bay, Ipswich and northern corridors (Nundah/Redcliffe). That pattern points to ongoing demand for more affordable family housing and lifestyle submarkets within commuting distance of the city.

Melbourne

Melbourne has been the polar opposite to Brisbane in the last few years. It has been one of the worst-performing property markets, slipping to the sixth most expensive capital city in the rankings with a median dwelling value of $803,000. Only Hobart and Darwin media dwelling values are lower.

Dwelling values are only up 0.5% year to date; however, 2025 has been more positive since the RBA started cutting rates. Dwelling values are up 2.4% year to date, and growth is becoming more consistent, something which Melbourne has struggled with since being the most locked-down city in the world during the pandemic. Struggling to respond from then.

There have been some pockets, however, where growth has been stronger over the last 12 months. The top five SA4 regions have been:

Frankston (Mornington Peninsula)
Median $793,152
Annual +6.0%.
Tullamarine–Broadmeadows (North West)
Median $709,167
Annual +5.0%.
Knox (Outer East)
Median $942,980
Annual +4.5%.
Dandenong (South East)
Median $757,195,
Annual +3.8%.
Sunbury (North West)
Median $694,151
Annual +3.8%.
These top performers show growth focused on middle-ring and growth-corridor suburbs (Mornington Peninsula, northwest and outer east). For Melbourne readers, the implication is that recovery is geographically uneven — steady gains in commuter and lifestyle belts rather than a broad inner-city surge.

Sydney

Sydney, Australia’s most expensive capital, sits somewhere between Brisbane and Melbourne in its performance. The Harbour Capital is often the most impacted during a downturn, given the relative affordability of Sydney compared to the other capital cities. But then when there are good times, Sydney usually is the strongest beneficiary.

Dwelling prices are 2.6% up year to date, but the house market is largely outstripping the unit growth. Houses were up 0.8% in April, the strongest performing capital city house market on the eastern seaboard.

Sydney’s best-performing regions have been found well outside of the postcard suburbs Sydney is known for. The five best-performing SA4s in Greater Sydney by 12-month growth are:

St Marys (Outer West & Blue Mountains)
Median $1,024,688
Annual +7.4%.
Fairfield (South West)
Median $1,189,601
Annual +7.0%.
Liverpool (South West)
Median $1,123,438
Annual +6.8%.
Richmond–Windsor (Outer West & Blue Mountains)
Median $945,556
Annual +6.7%.
Bankstown (Inner South West)
Median $1,408,088
Annual +6.6%.
Sydney’s strongest performers are dominated by the western and south-western corridors — affordable family suburbs and growth-area precincts where demand and price momentum remain strong. The much larger median values in some of these SA4s also show that even within growth suburbs, prices are high relative to national benchmarks.

The Sydney developer-builder, which typically retains its projects, is offering 54 residences off the plan on Spencer Street, with prices starting at $3.9 million.

HSN Property Group has launched Maison Jolene in Rose Bay, giving buyers a rare opportunity to purchase off the plan from a developer-builder that has spent more than two decades building a predominantly build-to-hold portfolio in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. HSN values that portfolio at $4 billion.

Located at 2–16 Spencer Street, Maison Jolene comprises 54 residences, including house-sized two- and three-bedroom apartments, sub-penthouses and penthouses. Prices start at $3.9 million, according to HSN, with many residences designed to capture views across Rose Bay, Sydney Harbour and the city skyline.

James Nixon, head of projects at The Rubinstein Group, is handling the sales campaign alongside agency founder Gavin Rubinstein. He says the launch is an unusual opportunity for buyers who have followed the developer’s work.

“HSN is renowned for building entire projects and rarely selling a single apartment to the open market, so Maison Jolene really is a first for potential buyers who have been following the brand across previous projects,” Nixon says.

HSN worked with architecture practice MHN Design Union and interiors studio The Unlisted Collective on the development. A rhythm of arches and deep-set openings gives the building its presence on Spencer Street, while the residences are positioned to make the most of natural light, privacy and outlook. Landscaping frames the arrival and carries through to the shared outdoor spaces.

“Maison Jolene was conceived to bring a touch of European elegance to Rose Bay, drawing on the understated charm of Mayfair and the romance of Paris while remaining grounded in the relaxed character of Sydney’s eastern suburbs,” says Rafi Assouline, founder and director of HSN Property Group.

The apartments were designed with established Rose Bay downsizers in mind. Large kitchens, generous storage and flexible living areas are intended to ease the move from a family home, with layouts that can also accommodate families and professionals looking for more space in an apartment.

The shared amenities are designed as an extension of those homes. Residents will have access to a lounge, private dining room and landscaped alfresco entertaining area. A wellness retreat brings together a magnesium pool, cold plunge, sauna, steam room and heated stone recovery bench, alongside a gym and dedicated space for Pilates and yoga.

Inside the apartments, the curves of the façade recur in the cabinetry and balustrades. Custom wall sconces, tapware and patterned parquetry sit alongside carved marble basins, hammered-glass shower screens and recessed stone niches. Timber veneer wardrobes have leather-clad drawers, while an Art Deco-inspired motif appears in the raised ceiling detail, joinery and built-in velvet bedheads.

“Maison Jolene is at once contemporary and old world, with custom-designed parquetry flooring and an art deco-inspired motif juxtaposing with the curvature of the arched facade, balustrade and internal cabinetry,” Assouline says.

The kitchens bring several of those ideas together in a sculptural, bubble-shaped island. Assouline helped design and engineer the curved form and personally selected the marble, which is bookmatched so the veining mirrors across adjoining pieces.

“With each of our projects, I look for symmetry in design,” he says. “Crafting the apartments is like solving a puzzle of one thousand pieces; one little detail wrong could mean the picture doesn’t translate correctly once it’s finished.”

HSN will develop and build Maison Jolene, overseeing the project from design through to construction. The family-owned company says it has delivered more than 270 homes, has 200 apartments under construction and has a 100 per cent completion record.

“As a private, integrated developer-builder, we maintain close control over every stage of a project,” Assouline says. “We see our projects as collaborative partnerships with our architects, interior designers and specialist trades with whom we have refined a very unique aesthetic, to ensure every detail is considered for those who will live there.”

For Nixon, the developer’s involvement in both design and construction is part of the pitch to buyers. “The attention to design excellence, combined with HSN’s proven track record in delivering ultra-high-end developments, ensures a level of rarity and enduring quality seldom seen in today’s market,” he says.

“To purchase an HSN property is to acquire a property that will not just hold its value but stand the test of time as a timeless piece of Sydney real estate.”

The Spencer Street address puts residents close to Rose Bay’s village cafés and restaurants, foreshore walks and ferry service, with beaches, golf courses and schools nearby. Maison Jolene is now selling off the plan through James Nixon and Gavin Rubinstein.

Where to Invest in 2025: Top-Performing Suburbs in Australia’s Property Market

Australia’s market is on the move again, and not always where you’d expect. We’ve found the surprise suburbs where prices are climbing fastest.

Brisbane

Melbourne

Sydney