Regional Movers Index shows Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast top destinations for sea change

Australia's capital-city dwellers are fleeing the urban grind at a rate not seen since states still had COVID restrictions in place — and Queensland's beachside centres are proving the most attractive.

The Regional Movers Index chronicles how many people change location, including the places they leave and where they make a new life.

Sydney, Melbourne head north

The report, which was released on Wednesday, found 65 per cent of people choosing a sea change or tree change were leaving Sydney, followed by Melbourne

Queensland's Sunshine Coast drew the biggest portion of these "internal migrants", whether from regional or metro areas.

Its popularity has eclipsed the Gold Coast for the fifth quarter in a row.

Hairdressers Shaun and Natalie Neal, along with nine-year-old son Arik, uprooted their lives in Greater Melbourne to move to the tourism hotspot.

To read continue :https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-28/regional-movers-index-sunshine-coast-gold-coast-destinations/103518840