The 1% Club: What It Takes To Be Rich In The Lucky Country

The pathway to growing wealth in Australia is changing, with new research revealing that the amount of money you need behind you to be in the top one percent of wealthiest people in Australia has doubled over the past two years.

While many households across the country are battling the rising cost of living pressures, it has been revealed that 2.2 million Australians have amassed at least $8 million in money and assets, up from $4 million in 2021. This status places them in the list of the nation’s High Net Wealth Individuals.

The data, revealed in this year’s Knight Frank’s Wealth Report, gives anyone interested in wealth fascinating insights into just how much money it takes to reach the one percent threshold across the world. The report reveals that Australia now ranks as third for the money required to be in the top one percent, up from seventh in 2021,

sitting behind Monaco in top place and then Switzerland.

In Monaco, it takes $18.1 million to be considered rich, but bear in mind that the nation has long been considered a tax haven, with residents avoiding income and capital gains taxes.

Finance experts are adamant that the fundamentals that help you get rich haven’t changed — the wealthy purchase property, pay down their debt, stick to a budget and utilise the tax offsets that exist within the nation’s superannuation system to build their wealth.

Sounds simple enough, but amid a cost of living crisis, it’s not quite so straightforward.

The power of money

Rachael Evans entered the realm of HNWIs a few years ago, admitting that she takes a structured approach to building and managing her wealth.

Money isn’t just a functional, tangible thing. There’s energy associated with it, she says.

“The first thing that you have to get your head around is that money wants structure, so if you don’t have rules that govern your money, it will not stay with you, no matter how much you earn,” she says.

The CEO of four-day work week consultancy, 4 Days 4 All, and business coach always pays herself first as the owner of her business, and then allocates what’s left over back to the business.

“Most business owners do it the other way around, which leaves owners with a very small portion left over, if anything,” Evans says.

Evans and her husband aim to be debt free by the time they reach 55 years of age, and have reverse engineered their finances based on that to allocate what’s needed to pay off her investment properties.

She has a team of experts

< to help her achieve that goal. “What’s changed over the past five years is the value that I place on the people we hire to advise us, such

as our property adviser, financial adviser and our accountant. There’s far too many financial advisers out there advising others on how to handle their money based on theory because they don’t actually have any skin in the game.”

Investing in herself is also critical, so she sets aside up to 10 percent
of her annual revenue in business- related coaching for herself and her team.

Millionaire status

Melbourne businessman Ryan Watson has reached the HNW status. The founder of financial advice firm Tribeca Financial admits that it dawned on him that he had reached a financial milestone that he considered to place him among other wealthy Australians about four years ago. He’s since stepped down to working four days a week and likes to spend his money on buying experiences, like travelling with family when he can.

The business has nearly 1,000 clients and has an annual turnover in excess of $5 million. Being in a position to build the financial literacy of his clients spurs him on.

“I have been able to build my personal wealth from receiving a small inheritance in 2002 to today where I’m now worth 8 figures,” he says.

A key plank in wealth-building has been his focus on diversifying his investments. He’s also not risk averse, buying shares in lithium companies nine years ago.

“It’s certainly not been an overnight success, the shares have gone up and down over the years, but with the advent of electric cars, they make a lot of sense at the moment,” Watson says.

The forced discipline of structuring his finances so that he’s always paying something off also appeals to him. Right now, he and his wife pour a minimum off 33 per cent of their income into paying off their principal residence.

“The responsibility and commitment of paying back debt works well for us,” he says.

Rich getting richer

The mega-rich are also getting richer. People with a net worth of more than $43.8 million is a category of wealth expected to grow by 40.9 percent over the next five years from 17,456 in 2022 to 24,589 in 2027. That’s almost 3,000 additional UHNWIs than the 31.1 percent growth over the past five years.

A large contributor to the top one percent wealth doubling in Australia over the past two years has been prime residential property performance recording an upward trajectory, resilient despite the rising cost of finance, with half of this cohort tending to be cash buyers.

“The level of wealth required to reach the wealthiest one percent varies extensively, depending on where you live in the world, but it has risen across the board … reflecting the growth in wealth portfolios over the past two years, despite the dip in 2022,” Knight Frank’s head of residential research Australia, Michelle Ciesielski says.

“We can’t underestimate how much the pandemic brought forward decision making, rebalancing of portfolios and re- evaluating how much time is spent in Australia going forward, given many spent longer periods of time grounded at home than they had over the past decade,” she says.

“On average, the UHNWI population in Australia owns 2.9 homes, or equivalent to 36 per cent of their total wealth is in primary and secondary homes.

“For their investible wealth, 94 percent of their portfolios tend to be held in Australia, 34 percent is in some form of commercial property ownership, while 21 per cent is in equities.”

From late 2026 and into 2027, PONANT Explorations Group will base two ships in French Polynesia, offering travellers a choice between a culturally immersive classic and a far more exploratory deep-Pacific experience.

The move builds on more than 25 years of operating in the region with the iconic m/s Paul Gauguin, while introducing the expedition-focused Le Jacques Cartier to venture into lesser-known waters.

Together, the two vessels will cover all five Polynesian archipelagos — the Society, Tuamotu, Austral, Gambier and Marquesas Islands — as well as the remote Pitcairn Islands.

THE PAUL GAUGUIN: CULTURAL IMMERSION, POLYNESIAN STYLE

Long regarded as the benchmark for cruising in French Polynesia, m/s Paul Gauguin will remain based year-round in the region.

Renovated in 2025, the ship continues to focus on relaxed, culturally rich journeys with extended port stays designed to allow guests to experience daily life across the islands.

A defining feature of the onboard experience is the presence of the Gauguins and Gauguines — Polynesian hosts who share local traditions through music, dance and hands-on workshops, including weaving and craft demonstrations.

The atmosphere is deliberately intimate and internationally minded, catering to travellers seeking depth rather than distance.

Across the 2026–27 seasons, the ship will operate 66 departures, primarily across the Society Islands, Tuamotu and Marquesas, with select voyages extending to Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands.

LE JACQUES CARTIER: EXPLORATION AT THE EDGE

Le Jacques Cartier introduces a more adventurous dimension to PONANT’s Polynesian offering, with itineraries focused on the least visited corners of the South Pacific.

The ship will debut three new “Discovery” itineraries, each 14 nights in length, which can also be combined into a single, extended 42-night voyage — the most comprehensive Polynesian itinerary currently available.

In total, the combined journey spans six archipelagos, 23 islands and the Pitcairn Islands, a British Overseas Territory rarely included on cruise itineraries.

Unlike the Paul Gauguin’s cultural focus, Le Jacques Cartier centres on exploration.

Each day includes one guided activity led by local experts, with excursions conducted via tenders, local boats and zodiacs. Scuba diving is available on board, supported by a resident instructor.

Across the 2026–27 period, the ship will operate nine departures, offering a deliberately limited and low-impact presence in some of the Pacific’s most isolated communities.

THREE NEW DISCOVERY ITINERARIES

The new itineraries aboard Le Jacques Cartier include:

– Secret Polynesia: Unexplored Tuamotu, the Gambier Islands and the Austral Islands
– From Confidential French Polynesia to Pitcairn Island
– Polynesian Bliss: Marquesas and Tuamotu

Each voyage departs from Papeete, with prices starting from $15,840 per person.

SCOUTING THE PACIFIC’S MOST REMOTE COMMUNITIES

In preparation for the new itineraries, PONANT Explorations Group undertook extensive scouting across the Austral and Tuamotu Islands to develop activities in collaboration with local communities.

José Sarica, the group’s R&D Expedition Experience Director, worked directly with residents to design experiences including welcome ceremonies, cultural workshops and visits to marae, the region’s sacred open-air temples.

Six new ports of call have been confirmed as part of this process, spanning both the Tuamotu and Austral archipelagos.

SIX NEW PORTS OF CALL CONFIRMED

New stopovers include:

– Mataiva, known for its rare mosaic lagoon
– Hikueru, home to one of the largest lagoons in the Tuamotus
– Makemo, noted for its red-footed boobies and frigatebirds
– Raivavae, famed for its crystal-clear lagoon pools
– Tubuai, rich in marae and spiritual heritage
– Rurutu, known for limestone caves and seasonal humpback whale sightings

A DUAL EXPERIENCE, ONE DESTINATION

By pairing its long-established cultural voyages with expedition-led exploration, PONANT Explorations Group is positioning French Polynesia not as a single experience, but as two distinct journeys — one grounded in tradition and comfort, the other pushing into the furthest reaches of the Pacific.

For travellers seeking either immersion or discovery, the South Pacific is about to feel both familiar and entirely new.