Fraser Coast Property Brief
Fraser Coast Property Brief is a weekly podcast exploring property, development, investment and business across the Fraser Coast. Hosted by local industry professionals, the show features conversations with developers, agents, investors and decision-makers shaping the region’s future, with insights into market trends, projects and opportunities.
Fraser Coast Property Brief
Winter Series E2: Migration
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THE FRASER COAST IS GROWING — BUT NOT BECAUSE OF BIRTHS
The Fraser Coast’s population growth is increasingly being driven by people choosing to move here.
Forecast data for 2024 to 2026 shows:
- natural population change of approximately minus 751 people
- net migration of approximately plus 3,896 people
Over the three years to June 2024, the region recorded net internal migration of around 8,226 people, with the largest net gain coming from the Gold Coast.
That tells us something important.
The Fraser Coast is becoming a lifestyle migration region, attracting retirees, downsizers, families and people seeking affordability, space and coastal living.
In Episode 2 of the Fraser Coast Property Brief Winter Series, we look at who is moving here, why they are coming and what this means for housing, infrastructure and local services.
One number to remember: 8,226 additional people through internal migration.
Welcome to episode two of our Fraser Coast Property Brief winter series. So we're going through a short demographic on the Fraser Coast. So our first episode we talked about the population, and now on the second episode, I want to jump into migration. The Fraser Coast is still growing, but berths alone do not explain our growth. Migration is now one of the strongest forces shaping the region, and the latest numbers show that people arriving in very large numbers. From July 2021 to July 2025, 37,040 people arrived and moved to Fraser Coast from other Australian local government areas, while 26,451 moved out. That produced a net internal migration of 10,589 people. That's just in those four short years. So the strongest source is from the Gold Coast, which is a change from the past. We come from the southern states over the last few decades. The Fraser Coast gained 2,671 people from the Gold Coast, lost 969 people back in the other direction, producing a net gain of 1,702 people. The next largest gain was the Sunshine Coast, it was 774 people. Bournshire at 715 in the Gimpy area at 465, followed by Logan at 410 people. So it shows a pattern that Southeast Queensland is either getting pushed out or priced out and heading up the coast, and we are the next destination. That pattern tells us something important. Many new residents are not taking a direct leap from overseas or from a completely different lifestyle. They are relocating from larger and more expensive coastal metropolitan areas, often looking for affordability, looking for lifestyle, looking for space or a slower pace. In 2016 to 2021, migration also showed strong interstate movement. Fraser Coast recorded a net gain of 2,921 people from New South Wales and 1,838 people from Victoria. It also gained 2,613 people through movement from elsewhere in Queensland. But migration is not about where people come from. The age of migration matters just as much. Between 2016 and 2021, the Fraser Coast recorded its strongest net migration in people, age 65 and over, with a gain of 3,213. The 55 to 64 age gap added another 2,863 people. People aged between 45 and 54 produced net gain of 1,170 people. At the other end of the profile, uh the region lost 1,335 people aged between 18 and 24. That is the only age group with a large negative result. It reflects familiar pattern in regional Queensland. Young adults, I believe, to go to university, training, employment, broaden their lifestyle and their opportunities. So there is positive gains in children and working age families. The 35 to 44 year age record a net migration of 855 people. The 25 to 34 group gained 556 people. That is encouraging, but it's still much smaller than the gains of the older groups. What does it mean for our region? First, migration is powering housing, demand, new residents, new established homes, vacant land, rentals, retirement accommodation services. When migration rises faster than the housing supply, it puts the rents under pressure. Second, the age profile of the migration reinforces Fraser Coast's older population structure. Retirees and pre-retirees bring spending power, savings, and demand for health, lifestyle, and services. But it's not necessarily add availability to the workforce in the same proportion. Third, the loss of the 18 and 24-year-olds should be treated as an economic issue, not simply the demographic curiosity. Every young person leaves and represents potential skill, entrepreneurship, labor, future family formation, which may occur somewhere else rather than on the Fraser Coast. The opportunity is to turn the Fraser Coast from a place young people leave into a place they can return to or never leave at all. That requires better career pathways, higher value jobs, stronger tertiary education, entertainment, culture, and attainable housing. So the big takeaway from this is the number one thing to remember is net migration of 10,589 in a four-year period to June 2025. Migration is driving growth, but the age balance shows a challenge. Clearly, we are very successful in attracting old Australians, but less successful in taking a young adults. So thank you very much for episode two. Next week we'll talk about households. We'll see you again for our short winter.
