The Australian regions where property buyers are cleaning up
Affordability and lifestyle factors are driving home buyers to these regional areas, but it’s still a case of buyer beware
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Savvy property investors might do well to head to the regions for their next purchase, if market trends are correct.
That’s the news from CoreLogic’s quarterly regional Market Update, with data showing regional housing markets continuing to outperform properties in capital cities.
Mining regions in Queensland and Western Australia lead the charge once again, with regional towns in those states taking out the top 10 spots.
The Queensland town of Mackay was the top performer over the quatter, with 8.3 percent growth, followed by Geraldton in WA (8.2 percent) and Townsville (6.6 percent). Geraldton also experienced the strongest annual growth, up 28.7 percent. Western Australian regional towns also delivered the highest gross rental yields.
Report author and CoreLogic Australia economist Kaytlin Ezzy said affordability was a strong factor in the growth these areas had experienced.
“Regions like Mackay, Geraldton, and Townsville are seeing exceptional growth, driven
by affordability advantages compared to our major cities, as well as lifestyle appeal,”
Ms Ezzy said.
“This will have contributed to the strong demand but even with the impressive growth,
for those with the capacity to service a mortgage, they still remain attainable with
medians less than $600,000.”
However, CoreLogic noted that not all regional housing markets were showing signs of growth with Batemans Bay on the NSW far south coast the worst performer, seeing a fall in housing values of -2.7 percent. The Victorian town of Warrnambool was right behind, down -2.6 percent. The once-prosperous gold rush town of Ballarat in Victoria experienced the greatest fall over the year, down -6.3 percent.
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
His stallion once won the Melbourne Cup, now this late legendary horse owner’s thoroughbred harbourside home is on the market.
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A perfectly-positioned harbourside residence, formerly the home of a late Melbourne Cup-winning horse owner, has come to market with $14 million price expectations for its February 22 auction.
Sitting in one of Sydney’s most coveted enclaves on Waiwera St in Lavender Bay, the duplex with never-to-be-built-out gunbarrell views of both the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House was home to championship thoroughbred owner Michael Fergus Doyle. The Irish-born entrepreneur was part owner of Protectionist, the 2014 Melbourne Cup winner.
Bought by Doyle in April 2020, in an off-market deal totalling $11 million according to CoreLogic data, the two-storey Lavender Bay property is being sold by the racing legend’s family through Atlas Sydney & East Coast. Doyle, a prominent character in Sydney’s Irish community for more than 50 years after arriving down under in the 1960s with a 10 pound boat ticket, sadly passed away in November 2023 at the age of 77.
Doyle built his fortune by building a construction company from the ground up that eventually employed more than 300 people and had a contract with Sydney Water worth A$100 million a year. By 2009, Doyle sold the business to a company owned by the Singapore Government and breeding horses through Doyles Breeding & Racing became his next passion.
The contemporary four-bedroom three-bathroom property features 304sq m of internal living space with additional outdoor entertaining areas on both levels.
Beyond the impressive grand entrance foyer with a personalised floor medallion, the layout opens up to reveal a large everyday living level with a formal lounge room and casual sitting space featuring walls of windows to frame the Harbour City’s top icons. Thanks to a central skylight tower, this main living zone is also flooded with natural light.
A spacious chef-grade kitchen anchored by a long island bench is equipped with Gaggenau appliances, gas burners, dual ovens, and a grill plate. The adjoining dining area spills out onto a terrace with an integrated bar table plus a Luna Park and bridge backdrop. The entry level also houses a home office or guest bedroom with a Juliette balcony and integrated desks opposite a full bathroom.
In the main bedroom suite upstairs there is a deep full-width balcony with more landmark views, a vast walk-in wardrobe, plus a spa ensuite complete with twin vanities, heated floors and warming towel racks. Two more bedrooms on the upper level each have access via French doors to a shared street-facing terrace and built-ins with a common family-friendly bathroom.
Added extras include automatic awnings and privacy screens to the outdoor areas, marble floor tiles, and a double lock up garage with storage.
The designer duplex is located close to harbourside dining venues, foreshore parks such as Bob Gordon Reserve and Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Gardens, Kirribilli Markets and North Sydney’s bustling CBD.
Property 2 at 9-11 Waiwera St is on the market with Adrian Bridges and Daniel Chester of Atlas Sydney & East Coast with a price guide of $14 million. It is set to go under the hammer on February 22.
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
