Baby boomers are leading an exodus from Australia’s major cities in the search for a better lifestyle, more affordable housing and clearer roads, a new report reveals.
More than one in five over-55s has left the city and relocated to a coastal retreat over the past five years, according to the Super Connected Lifestyle Locations report.
The trend is forecast to spread as Internet connectivity improves, allowing younger people to embrace the so-called “e-change” and work outside of the major cities.
Demographer Bernard Salt, who authored the report, described the shift as “a quiet lifestyle revolution in suburban Australia”. He predicts a rise in Silicon suburbs in regional and beachside areas as entrepreneurs move away from urban centres.
Similar trends have been observed in countries with faster Internet speeds and more advanced digital economies than Australia.
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Top reasons cited by over-55s for moving away from the Australian cities were “a better living environment”, “a slower pace of life”, “housing affordability”, “interests and hobbies” and “an escape from traffic”.
Six hundred “lifestyle towns” were identified across Australia, with an average of 10 new towns emerging each year.
The report was commissioned by the National Broadband Network (NBN), using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and a survey of 1000 Australians.
TOP E-CHANGE TOWNS IN AUSTRALIA
• Kiama, NSW
• Byron Bay, NSW
• Armidale, NSW
• Queanbeyan, NSW/ACT
• Bacchus Marsh, VIC
• Ballarat, VIC
• Creswick, VIC
• Cairns, QLD
• Toowoomba, QLD
• Sunshine Coast, QLD
• St. Helens, TAS
• Triabunna, TAS
• Cygnet, TAS
• Victor Habour, SA
• Kangaroo Island, SA
• McLaren Vale, SA
• Mandurah, WA
• Busselton, WA
• Geraldton, WA
• Howard Springs, NT
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