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SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
SBS Japanese Weekly News Wrap Saturday 9 August
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Japanese-speaking Australians. Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Shock rankings for Victoria's best lifestyle suburbs
A new index confirms the Geelong region offers Victoria's best lifestyle suburbs for people looking to buy a home on a budget. The MCG Quantity Surveying Four-Pillar Lifestyle Index reveals four areas across the Geelong region are among the top 10 lifestyle markets in Victoria. Among the SA2 regions, which are typically bigger than individual suburbs, Barwon Heads-Armstrong Creek tops the list, followed by Winchelsea and Newtown in second and third. Torquay ranked ninth. First-time buyer wins race for former Winchelsea presbytery The suburbs outranked Melbourne bayside areas where home prices were higher. The rankings underscore the region's longstanding lifestyle drawcards of beaches, established urban amenities and family friendliness, but comes out on top when combined with the relative affordability of residential real estate. A median price of about $700,000 across Barwon Heads-Armstrong Creek takes in the higher priced, popular seaside village with the affordability of Geelong's biggest active urban growth corridor, where homes, shopping and schools are all expanding. Landlocked Barwon Heads has a $1.5m median house price, while Armstrong Creek's typical homes sell for $650,000. The index, which uses SuburbTrends data, measures the liveability of every market, scoring beach access, natural environment, urban amenity and community depth before overlaying price metrics such as 10-year median price growth. Beach access is an obvious advantage in Geelong where even Newtown's proximity to the Corio Bay waterfront is seen as a benefit for homebuyers, not to mention world-class surf beaches from 13th Beach to Bells. But MCG Quantity Surveying director Mike Mortlock said features deemed the most desirable and sought out by home seekers year after year included easy access to beaches, amenities, jobs hubs and top schools. 'They're attributes that help markets outperform over the long haul. We know buyers will pay a premium to have them.' Victoria's best lifestyle markets were often more influenced by education than in the rest of the country, Mr Mortlock said. 'Schools make a big difference to the Victorian lifestyle,' he said. 'The proportion of people wanting to go to private or top public schools with a small catchment is much higher and makes a much bigger difference.' Bellarine Property agent Peta Walter said most people relocating to Barwon Heads were seeking a lifestyle change. 'It's a small town and small community and for young families and people who are new to the area I think they do like it being a smaller town because if you don't know anyone it's pretty easy to immerse yourself in the community,' Ms Walter said. 'There's lots to do in terms of sporting or arts, so many different groups that you can join within the town.' But new public and private schools has helped coastal communities such as Barwon Heads and Torquay become even more attractive. 'Obviously you have got your junior years (in Barwon Heads) but for secondary school the bus services are great to any of the schools in Geelong, Catholic, private or other schools that have now just opened up in Armstrong Creek,' Ms Walter said. 'And then you have got all the infrastructure that's going into Armstrong Creek as far as shopping and bigger supermarkets, that's just making it more accessible.' While Oberon High School and Iona and Geelong Lutheran colleges are relatively new secondary schools in Armstrong Creek (with more to come), the city's historic private schools have always been the top reason people buy in inner city Newtown, Whitford agent Heidi Trempel said. Newtown is home to Chilwell, Newtown and St Roberts primary schools, and top private schools The Geelong College, St Joseph's and Sacred Heart colleges. 'When we do speak to people, 90 per cent of the time they're coming to Newtown for the schools,' Ms Trempel said. 'Without a doubt it's the biggest drawcard.' The leafy, blue-chip suburb is known for its vibrant lifestyle, with plenty of parks, cafes – especially along Pakington St – and recreation, such as Barwon River paths. Newtown's $1.1m median house price includes range of housing options, from historic homes to modern developments. 'You do get the bigger homes and you also get that history. It's something that's more sought after,' Ms Trempel said. 'If they're coming to Newtown, they are coming for those schools really. 'If it's primary school and they don't want to go to one of the private schools, they come for the zoning because they've got a great reputation.' There's been a shift in the buying demographics in Torquay, particularly as the state government raised the cost of owning investment and holiday properties, McCartney director Tim Carson said. 'Now it's probably people downsizing and people looking to move,' Mr Carson said. 'The investors and holiday home people have certainly been a lot slower purely because of the interest rates, land tax and compliance laws. We are seeing a real shift to more people that are moving down here.' Mr Carson said the development of more suburban housing and local private schools (both in Torquay and Armstrong Creek) opened the door for more people on the coast. Mr Carson said families often followed each other to the coast, encouraging more downsizing as a new wave was stepping up from Geelong's outer suburbs. 'A lot more people that have lived in Grovedale or Armstrong Creek are taking that next step to sell their place for $600,000, $700,000 and take that leap into the $900,000 to $1m price tag,' Mr Carson said. 'Now that interest rates have come down a little bit, they've got more confidence they can sustain it. 'The schooling is good and the infrastructure is improving all the time, it just seems to be a really good destination.' Winchelsea's surf coast hinterland location 20 minutes southwest of Geelong had created a lifestyle hot spot with affordable housing in town, Hayeswinckle director Michelle Winckle said. 'It's half an hour to everything – it's so central – Winchelsea has got so much potential because it's sitting right there.'
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Townsville punching above its weight in lifestyle stakes
Townsville has been named one of the country's top property markets for lifestyle and price growth potential, beating out all other Queensland regions. Townsville was ranked No. 6 on the MCG Four-Pillar Lifestyle Index, while Southport, the only other Queensland region to make the list, came in at No. 9. When the top 10 was ranked by price, Townsville was in first place with a median house price of $567,000. The research, commissioned by MCG Quantity Surveyors using SuburbTrends data, analysed Australian markets using four key lifestyle factors of beach access, natural environment, urban amenities and family-friendliness, overlayed with long-run price metrics. The ten 'all-rounder' regions in the Four-Pillar Lifestyle Index marry strong lifestyle appeal with some of Australia's most resilient price growth. MCG Quantity Surveyors director Mike Mortlock said this was because markets with more consistent growth had lifestyle components baked in. New South Wales dominated the 'all-rounder' list with Warringah, NSW, first, followed by Stirling, NSW, Wanneroo, WA, Wollongong, NSW, and Easter Suburbs – South, NSW. Townsville was sixth, followed by Shoalhaven, NSW, Easter Suburbs – North, NSW, Southport, QLD, and Newcastle, NSW. 'Gloriously neglected' worst house has roof (mostly intact) Townsville leads property boom as home prices hit shock high Mr Mortlock said Townsville not only emerged as one of the best lifestyle locations in the country, it offered something rarely seen among the other markets that ranked highly – affordable prices. 'A lot of the areas nationally with the best lifestyle are expensive Sydney areas,' he said. 'And in some ways, it's understandable. They are expensive for a reason. 'Townsville offers a much more approachable price point, but it still scores well on all the same metrics.' The report found Townsville was NQ's most balanced housing market, with a $567,000 median house price, reflecting an average 8 per cent annual gain over the past decade and a further 5 per cent lift in the past six months. 'Current values sit roughly 50 per cent above the level implied by the pre-2020 trajectory, underscoring a structural re-rating rather than a cyclical spike,' the report said. 'Lifestyle breadth explains the momentum. 'The palm-lined Strand delivers daily waterfront recreation, while Castle Hill, Jezzine Barracks and Riverway lagoons provide nature trails and shaded parklands.' Jools Munro of Explore Property Munro & Co said buyers making the move to Townsville weren't only chasing bigger homes with smaller mortgages, but looking to regain hours in the day lost to long commutes and peak hour traffic. 'What you can buy in Brisbane for $800,000 you can buy in Townsville for $550,000 and you don't miss out on life in Townsville,' she said. 'Our community is very welcoming, but I also think our lifestyle is more affordable. 'The lifestyle isn't just about the ocean, it's also the bush and those little country towns 35 minutes away. 'But, yes, we also have the ocean, sailing, beautiful golf courses, barra farms and fresh lakes. 'I know people who talk about going to Maggie Island for three hours just to hop on the ferry and leave the mainland behind for less than the price of a steak.' Ms Munro said people came to Townsville chasing affordability as they were priced out of southern markets, but stayed for the community. 'It's not hard to find your vibration, your tribe in Townsville, whether you want to participate in a choral society or an orchid society, whether you want to play lawn bowls, study at the university or take up dragon boat racing,' she said. 'Plus there is work for everybody. Employers are crying out for skilled, trade and professional workers. 'Large industries thrive because staff can get housing for a better price, without a long commute or flying in and out.' Ms Munro said the tight property market, high demand and increasing population would ensure home prices continued to trend up. 'That shortage in the workforce is not allowing us to build the (housing) capacity we need,' she said. Mr Mortlock said the Four-Pillar Lifestyle Index differed from the recent string of buyer's agents' reports swirling the internet. He said many of these reports were shortsighted, uncovering 'spreadsheet darlings': locations that looked good on paper, but were not always sustainable places to own property over decades. 'These reports normally look at short-term, available data,' he said. 'This often gives a range of short-term predictors but they don't always indicate what a good long-term play will be. 'And, given the high costs of transacting in real estate, that's usually what a property purchase is, whether it's a home or an investment. 'It's a very long-term play.' Mr Mortlock said the MCG report considered a range of metrics that had long-term, positive influences on property values, but were factors unlikely to be changed by short-term forces. 'We looked at factors that are always in demand,' he said. 'They're attributes that help markets outperform over the long haul. 'We know buyers will pay a premium to have them.' Features sought out by home seekers year after year included easy access to beaches, amenities, jobs hubs and top schools. 'All the pillars we looked at were attributes that real estate agents have historically highlighted as the most pertinent points for homebuyers,' Mr Mortlock said. MCG Four-Pillar Lifestyle Index Rank SA3 zone Median price 1 Warringah (NSW) $2.56m 2 Stirling (WA) $1.07m 3 Wanneroo (WA) $760,000 4 Wollongong (NSW) $1.28m 5 Eastern Subs – South (NSW) $3m 6 Townsville (QLD) $570,000 7 Shoalhaven (NSW) $840,000 8 Eastern Subs – North (NSW) $3.75m 9 Southport (QLD) $1.14m 10 Newcastle (NSW) $960,000
