General News
12 November, 2026
Tablelands a hotspot for domestic migration
THE Tablelands has emerged as a hotspot for newcomers, with the latest Regional Movers Index revealing the local government area is attracting some of the nation’s strongest growth in net internal migration.
The Index tracks population movements between Australia’s capital cities to regions, and region-to-region migration. The latest results show capital city residents moving to regional Australia continued to outnumber those moving in the opposite direction by 30%.
The Index showed that Sydney (52%) and Melbourne (36%) were the biggest drivers of capital city outflows into the regions.
The below data shows Australians’ search interest for “Atherton real estate” throughout the year and demonstrates peak search periods occurred from around 1 January-22 February, 17 May-14 June, 30 August-20 September, and mid-to-late October.
While established destinations continued to attract the largest share of movers, the quarter also pointed to a broader spread of migration into more regional communities as the benefits of regional living draw people further afield.
Far North Queensland was particularly prominent, with Tablelands and Douglas local government areas among the nation’s fastest growing destinations by annual growth in net internal migration.
The data below confirms the trend, showing top queries in relation to the “Atherton real estate” search included “Atherton Tablelands”, “real estate Atherton Tablelands”, and “First National Real Estate” (Atherton).
Regional Australia Institute chief executive officer Liz Ritchie said movement typically eased during the June quarter as fewer Australians tended to relocate in the cooler months, which made the result particularly noteworthy.
“The Regional Movers Index recorded its equal highest June quarter on record, matching the height of migration reached during the pandemic in 2021,” she said.
“This tells us the appeal of country living remains incredibly strong all year round, even outside the traditional peak moving periods.
“While established destinations such as Queensland’s Sunshine Coast continue to attract the largest share of movers, we're also seeing strong growth spread into other areas of the state including places like the Tablelands, Douglas and Burdekin.
“It shows Australians are increasingly considering a broader range of regional communities when deciding where to live, with the benefits of regional living extending beyond popular coastal towns and inland communities.”
Ms Ritchie said the recent Regional Population Planning report found that regional growth had outpaced government projections by 114,000 people over the past decade.
“With more Australians choosing regional communities, we need population planning that anticipates growth and ensures housing, infrastructure and essential services keep pace,” she said.
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