Young, female and living in the city: the face of Australia in 2024
As planners consider the future of our cities and regional centres, clear patterns are emerging of where people of all ages and sexes choose to live
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Our cities are home to more women than men and there are more younger people choosing the capitals over regional areas, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics has shown.
The Regional Population by Age and Sex Report revealed Darwin was the capital with the lowest median age at 34.6 years, as well as being the only capital with a higher proportion of males to females.
Once known as the city of churches, Adelaide had the oldest population by median age at 39.2 years. The breakdown by town or suburb is even more revealing, with Acton and Duntroon in the ACT recording the lowest median age at 20.8 years and 21.8 years respectively. One area is popular with university students while the other is home to a high number of military personnel.
At the other end of the scale, the retirement hotspots of Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest in NSW (66.2 years), Bribie Island (63.6 years) and Cooloola (62.4 years) in Queensland and Point Lonsdale-Queenscliff (62.2 years) in Victoria had the highest median ages in the country.
Higher median ages were also reflected in the male to female ratios, with women’s higher life expectancy resulting in more women relative to men in some areas. In the Sydney suburb of Woollahra, there were 80.9 males to every 100 females and in Mornington West in Melbourne, there were 82.4 males to every 100 females.
Areas with extremely high proportions of males to females were either mining communities (274.2 males per 100 females in East Pilbara), male correctional facilities (278.1 males per 100 females in Wacol near Brisbane) or military training centres (227.0 males per 100 females at Duntroon in the ACT).
The 1860s Darlinghurst mansion Stoneleigh could become Sydney’s most expensive home ever sold under the hammer when it goes to auction. Clint Ballard is giving buyers a $28 million guide for the heritage-listed mansion on Darley Street, opposite Iona, the former home of Hollywood royalty Baz Luhrmann. Stoneleigh is being offered for sale for the …
Set on one of the city’s last absolute riverfront sites, The Riversdale by Mosaic combines irreplaceable waterfront ownership with one of Brisbane’s most significant residential opportunities.
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A landmark Watsons Bay residence formerly owned by businessman Mark Bouris has returned to the market, bringing one of the harbourside village’s most distinctive homes back into play.
The five-bedroom property at 23 Robertson Place occupies 654 square metres opposite Robertson Park, within footsteps of Watsons Bay Beach, the ferry wharf and the celebrated restaurants lining the foreshore.
Its position places the home at the centre of one of Sydney’s most recognisable harbour villages, yet its substantial proportions, private outdoor areas and garaging give it a degree of separation rarely found so close to the waterfront.
The residence was previously owned by Bouris, the founder of Wizard Home Loans and chairman of Yellow Brick Road. Property records show it last changed hands in November 2013 for $7 million, having sold for $890,000 in 1995.
That 2013 transaction was handled by prestige agent Bill Malouf through Highland Double Bay. Bouris was the vendor when the home last sold.
Architect Malcolm Sholl designed the contemporary residence around a fluid connection between its interiors and outdoor entertaining areas. Extensive glazing draws natural light into the principal rooms, while district views take in the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Travertine flooring extends through the principal living areas and out towards the terraces, reinforcing the relationship between the home and its coastal setting.
At the centre of the residence is a marble kitchen equipped with Gaggenau gas appliances and an integrated Miele coffee machine. It connects to expansive open-plan living and dining areas designed for both family life and large-scale entertaining.
Five double bedrooms are accompanied by three bathrooms and a guest powder room. Informal living spaces include a home cinema.
Outside, there’s a 23-metre lap pool and an alfresco entertainer’s terrace. Internal access from the garage and accommodation for four cars are especially valuable in the tightly held village location.
The address also carries an unusual fragment of local architectural history. Woollahra planning material identifies portions of an early Victorian cottage dating from about 1839 within the contemporary three-storey residence, placing the property within the wider Watsons Bay heritage conservation area.
The home made headlines for another reason in January 2025, when a Ferrari left the road and struck the property. Two occupants of the vehicle were taken to hospital following the incident.
The Agency’s Ben Collier has a $20 million guide.
Watsons Bay remains one of Sydney’s smallest and most tightly held prestige markets. There have only been two house sales in the suburb so far in 2026. The suburb record was set late last year when yachtie Linda Goddard paid $35.5 million for a Pacific Street waterfront.
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