Invest
Top 12 ‘resilient’ regions revealed
New research has pinpointed the 12 most resilient regions across Australia’s east coast.
Top 12 ‘resilient’ regions revealed
New research has pinpointed the 12 most resilient regions across Australia’s east coast.
The PRD Resilient Regional Areas report examined regional areas in Queensland, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania to highlight the most resilient regions.
Five points were used to select the top 12:
• Affordability – the Local Government Area (LGA) has a median price below the maximum affordable property sale price (average state loan + 20 per cent deposit).
• Property trends – to ensure statistical reliability, the LGA will have 20 transactions or more in 2018 and 2019, with positive price growth within that time period.
• Investment – to ensure solid investment opportunities, the LGA will have an on-par or higher rental yield than its capital city, as well as an on-par or lower vacancy rate compared with its capital city.
• Project development – the LGA will have a high estimated value of future project development, with a higher concentration of commercial and infrastructure projects to ensure a positive economic outlook.
• Unemployment rate – as of the December quarter 2019, the LGA will have an on-par or lower unemployment rate than the state average, to ensure there is local job growth.
Based on the above criteria, the top 12 most resilient regions, according to PRD, are:
1. Douglas Shire (Qld)
2. Cairns Region (Qld)
3. Tablelands Region (Qld)
4. Livingstone Shire (Qld)
5. Upper Hunter Shire (NSW)
6. Singleton Area (NSW)
7. Greater Hume Region (NSW)
8. Greater Bendigo City (Vic)
9. Moyne Shire (Vic)
10. Bass Coast Shire (Vic)
11. South Gippsland Shire (Vic)
12. Kentish Municipality (Tas)
“The Australian property market is made up of many ‘micro markets’, each performing at its own individual pace dependent upon demographics, population growth, economic structure and fundamentals, and local/state government policies,” the PRD report noted.
“Regional property markets tend to be more resilient compared to their capital city counterparts due to being slightly more insulated from economic shocks, and many local/state governments prioritising regional areas growth over the past five years.
“For first home buyers and investors, finding an affordable option in capital cities can be challenging. This is especially true as the state average loan only makes up between 51.9 per cent (Sydney) to 76.1 per cent (Brisbane) of the median house price in the capital cities.”
RELATED ARTICLES
Property
Cautious bidders, smarter sellers: a Queensland auction case study on repricing risk
Queensland’s auction market has hit a caution cycle as buyers price in higher borrowing costs, global uncertainty and cost-of-living pressure. Clearance softness is forcing agencies to re-engineer ...Read more
Property
Trust, technology and triage: what NSW’s ‘name and shame’ signals for real estate governance
NSW’s latest enforcement action on real estate trust accounts isn’t a one-off embarrassment; it’s a stress test of sector governance. With licences suspended and penalties applied, the message is ...Read more
Property
Vacancy is rising, demand is resilient: A case study in defending yield as Australia’s rental cycle rebalances
After a blistering run, Australia’s rental market is loosening at the edges. Vacancy is edging up off historic lows, rent inflation is set to moderate into 2026, yet underlying demand remains ...Read more
Property
Don’t lose the deposit: A case study in stopping real estate payment fraud — and the ROI for doing it
Deposit redirection scams are quietly eroding buyer savings and agency reputations in Australia’s property market. This case study unpacks how a mid-tier real estate group redesigned its settlement ...Read more
Property
The $12m threshold: Why portfolio value, not property count, now defines Australia’s investor elite
The old yardstick of six properties as shorthand for investment success has been overtaken by a harsher reality: in today’s market, elite status is defined by balance-sheet strength, not asset countRead more
Property
From intuition to instrumentation: How a "two-stakeholder" sales playbook lifted close rates and cut cycle times
High-stakes consumer purchases are increasingly joint decisions. When one partner is under-served, deals stall. This case study follows an Australian real estate group that rebuilt its sales motion ...Read more
Property
Selling in 2025: How to spot bad agents fast—and build an ROI-first vendor playbook
In Australia’s property market, choosing the wrong listing agent isn’t just inconvenient—it’s a textbook principal–agent failure that can wipe tens of thousands off your sale outcomeRead more
Property
Selling in 2026: How to de‑risk your agent choice and protect tens of thousands at settlement
Choosing the wrong selling agent isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a balance‑sheet risk. In a market where digital discovery is concentrated and AI is recasting how listings are priced and promoted, ...Read more
Property
Cautious bidders, smarter sellers: a Queensland auction case study on repricing risk
Queensland’s auction market has hit a caution cycle as buyers price in higher borrowing costs, global uncertainty and cost-of-living pressure. Clearance softness is forcing agencies to re-engineer ...Read more
Property
Trust, technology and triage: what NSW’s ‘name and shame’ signals for real estate governance
NSW’s latest enforcement action on real estate trust accounts isn’t a one-off embarrassment; it’s a stress test of sector governance. With licences suspended and penalties applied, the message is ...Read more
Property
Vacancy is rising, demand is resilient: A case study in defending yield as Australia’s rental cycle rebalances
After a blistering run, Australia’s rental market is loosening at the edges. Vacancy is edging up off historic lows, rent inflation is set to moderate into 2026, yet underlying demand remains ...Read more
Property
Don’t lose the deposit: A case study in stopping real estate payment fraud — and the ROI for doing it
Deposit redirection scams are quietly eroding buyer savings and agency reputations in Australia’s property market. This case study unpacks how a mid-tier real estate group redesigned its settlement ...Read more
Property
The $12m threshold: Why portfolio value, not property count, now defines Australia’s investor elite
The old yardstick of six properties as shorthand for investment success has been overtaken by a harsher reality: in today’s market, elite status is defined by balance-sheet strength, not asset countRead more
Property
From intuition to instrumentation: How a "two-stakeholder" sales playbook lifted close rates and cut cycle times
High-stakes consumer purchases are increasingly joint decisions. When one partner is under-served, deals stall. This case study follows an Australian real estate group that rebuilt its sales motion ...Read more
Property
Selling in 2025: How to spot bad agents fast—and build an ROI-first vendor playbook
In Australia’s property market, choosing the wrong listing agent isn’t just inconvenient—it’s a textbook principal–agent failure that can wipe tens of thousands off your sale outcomeRead more
Property
Selling in 2026: How to de‑risk your agent choice and protect tens of thousands at settlement
Choosing the wrong selling agent isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a balance‑sheet risk. In a market where digital discovery is concentrated and AI is recasting how listings are priced and promoted, ...Read more
