The best place to raise a family in Australia lies just outside our nation's youngest capital city
Having grown up in Australia, I can confirm it's a pretty epic place to be a kid. I was lucky to have countless green spaces to burn off energy, playgrounds to live out my Tarzan dreams and top-notch educational institutions that made learning actually fun. It's no wonder so many Aussie expats move back home to have kids. But which spots offer the best family-friendly lifestyle?
To find the answer, we've turned to iSelect's recent study on the best places to start a family in Australia. The health insurance experts analysed government data to compare more than 300 of Australia's largest regions across five key factors, including child development, childcare availability and cost, healthcare and fertility rates.
Located just a five-to-ten minute drive from the city centre, South Canberra came out on top as the best place to raise a family in Australia. This leafy locale is surrounded by many of the capital's best nature reserves, from the mountain bike wonderland of Stromlo Forest Park to the wild beauty of Namadgi National Park. But it's not all about greenery – many of the capital's top cultural attractions are just around the corner too, like the Embassy Trail and Royal Australian Mint. Plus, who could forget the Weston Park Railway at Yarralumla Play Station?
In terms of actual data, South Canberra ranks second in Australia for both childcare affordability (averaging 20.5 per cent of household income) and childcare availability (with almost three centres per child). The region also scores well on healthcare (6.8 out of ten), and although its child development rate isn't the highest (76.4 per cent), the overall balance puts it in the top spot.
Overall, Sydney is home to five of the ten best places in the country to raise kids. The semi-rural suburb of Dural-Wisemans Ferry in Sydney's northwest ranked second, outperforming South Canberra on both healthcare and average child development rates. However, it fell slightly behind in terms of affordability and access to childcare, with higher costs (27.5 per cent of income) and fewer centres (1.74 per child).
Leichhardt in Sydney's vibrant Inner West came in third, followed by the seaside city of Bayside in Victoria in fourth, and Ku-ring-gai, another leafy Sydney gem, in fifth. You can check out the full study here or see our round-up below.
These are the 10 best places to raise a family in Australia:
South Canberra, ACT
Dural-Wisemans Ferry, NSW
Leichhardt, NSW
Bayside, VIC
Ku-ring-gai, NSW
Kenmore-Brookfield-Moggill, QLD
Chatswood-Lane Cove, NSW
Cottesloe-Claremont, WA
Stonnington-East, VIC
Manly, NSW
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