Geelong tops Australia's regional migration rankings, overtaking the Sunshine Coast after two years at number one
Regional Queensland has fallen on Australia's migration ladder, while regional Victoria is gaining momentum as people from Australia's biggest capitals ditch city life.
According to the latest Regional Movers Index (RMI) released by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI), Geelong accounted for 9.3 per cent of total net internal migration in the 12 months to March 2025.
The Cat's home turf has knocked the Sunshine Coast off the top of the leaderboard again, with the Queensland city accounting for 8.9 per cent of internal migration.
Migrating Sydneysiders and Melburnians continue to be the main drivers of the population shift.
In the March quarter, 64 per cent of people leaving capital cities for the regions were from Sydney, with Melburnians making up 38 per cent of the shift.
Net migration to regional Australia remains 40 per cent higher than pre-COVID levels.
Lake Macquarie in NSW and Moorabool in Regional Victoria came in third and fourth on the list, respectively, both areas gaining much of their population from capital citiies.
However, Maitland, which came in fifth, is seeing a boom due to both capital city residents as well as people relocating from other regional areas.
RAI CEO Liz Ritchie said the figures show Australians have a willingness to embrace regional living.
'The nation's love affair with regional life is showing no signs of abating with 25 per cent more people moving from capital cities to the regions, than back in the opposite direction," Ms Ritchie said.
"Further, net migration to regional Australia is now sitting 40 per cent higher than the prevailing level in the pre-pandemic era."
'Regional Australia is being reimagined. The regions' enviable lifestyle offerings, buoyant jobs market, position as an economic leader and diverse communities are proving to be an ongoing lure, particularly for those in metropolitan areas.
Ms Ritchie said contemporary regional Australia "has what people are looking for", suggesting negative "misconceptions" abour regional areas were a thing of the past.
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