Thousands of people traded coastal lifestyles in Sydney for the warmer waters of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast during the five years to 2021 as an exodus from southern states boosted populations across south-east Queensland.
“That housing affordability draw is definitely part of it,” he said. “You can cash in your property in … Bondi and get something cheaper and/or larger in Burleigh Heads or Noosa,” he said. “When I got offered the opportunity to work [from home] and be able to live on the Gold Coast, we jumped at it.”“It’s so much more laid-back,” Harris said. “I’ve got literally everything, whether it be hospitals, shopping centres or restaurants, all within 10 minutes.In the Gold Coast neighbourhood of Coolangatta, which borders NSW, 18.6 per cent of the population moved from NSW and Victoria between 2016 and 2021, the highest share of any Queensland neighbourhood.
It was a similar story for the Sunshine Coast, where around 6 per cent of the population moved from NSW and Victoria during the five years to 2021.Sydney’s northern beaches was the biggest source of departures to the Sunshine Coast from the NSW capital between 2016 and 2021, led by Mona Vale–Warriewood , Freshwater–Brookvale and North Narrabeen .