Study Reveals Top 5 Cities for Domestic Migration in Australia

City slickers are leaving Sydney and Melbourne in droves, with one town taking the crown for the most popular migration hotspot.

People cross a road near Pitt Street Mall in Sydney CBD, Australia, on Dec. 24, 2024. Roni Bintang/Getty Images

Australians continue to uproot themselves from the big city in favour of smaller regional towns, putting less pressure on their collective hip pockets.

The newest data from the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) shows the Sunshine Coast in Queensland is no longer the top dog when it comes to internal domestic migration between cities, and that Geelong, south-west of Melbourne has now become the most popular.

The RAI’s Regional Movers Index, created in conjunction with the Commonwealth Bank, showed relocations from city to country increased by nearly 11 percent in the March quarter.

Overall, this trend sits at 20.5 percent higher than the the pre-COVID average.

Sydney and Melbourne the Biggest Losers

In the year ending June 2024, Sydney was still the biggest loser in terms of population, accounting for 64 percent of all outflows to the regional areas, with Melbourne accounting for 38 percent.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates 41,086 people left Sydney in the past year, while 7,581 people left Melbourne.

In contrast, Brisbane and Perth gained in terms of net domestic migration, seeing a 2 percent and 6 percent increase respectively.

“The nation’s love affair with regional living is showing no signs of abating with 25 percent more people moving from capital cities to the regions, than back in the opposite direction,” RAI CEO Liz Ritchie said in a statement.

“Further, net migration to regional Australia is now sitting 40 percent higher than the prevailing level in the pre-pandemic era.”

The beautiful town of Maleny, located in Queensland's Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Courtesy of Crystal-Rose Jones

Greater Geelong Now Takes the Crown

Greater Geelong has emerged as the most popular place to move to in the year to March 2025.

A total of 7.4 percent of city movers took to the region, while 1.8 percent came from other regions.

The Geelong region is just an hour from Melbourne and incorporates a coastline.

Sunshine Coast, Queensland

Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, just north of Brisbane, incorporates beaches, hinterland, and city shopping.

The region’s stint as the most popular destination for internal migration was ended in the past year as it fell to the second most popular place to move.

It still attracted 7.2 percent of big city movers and 1.7 percent of those from other regions.

Lake Macquarie, New South Wales

Described as a natural playground in the Hunter region north of Sydney, Lake Macquarie is the third most desired location for internal migration within Australia.

The region possesses a vast bush hinterland, as well as 32 kilometres of coastline.

The region attracts 4.3 percent of big city migrants and 5.3 percent of other regional movers.

Moorabool, Victoria

Moorabool is the fourth most popular area for Australians to move to, with 3.9 percent of capital city movers and 3.7 percent of those from other regions.

The Moorabool shire is located in the western part of Victoria, and is a semi-rural town between Melbourne and Ballarat.

The location boasts green hills and vast valleys, along with farms and historic architecture.

Maitland, New South Wales

Maitland is the fifth most popular place for regional movers.

In the 12 months to March 2025, 1.6 percent of capital city migrants made Maitland their home, while 1.9 percent of movers from other regions also got onboard.

Maitland is nestled in the picturesque Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, and had a population of just under 90,000 in the 2021 Census.