Why thousands of people are leaving Sydney for this one spot in Australia
Sydney is losing its appeal, and fast.
Cash-strapped Sydneysiders are heading out of the state fast due to unaffordable house prices.
Where are they heading? Queensland.
Alysha Sladden and her family have joined the leavers and headed to the Gold Coast. Their family was solely driven by housing affordability.
Speaking to news.com.au she said, “Our two-bedroom unit in Dee Why wasn’t going to be sufficient anymore, so we started looking for somewhere else to live.”
This was due to her falling pregnant with twins. Despite the drop in housing prices, the cost of a home large enough to have a family is driving many people out of Sydney.
“If we stayed and bought a house in Sydney, we would’ve had this huge mortgage hanging over our heads,” Alysha explained.
“I would’ve had to return to full-time work straight away too. You only get one shot at the early years with kids, and it’s nice to be able to spend time with them.”
For one-third of the cost of a property on the northern beaches in Sydney, the Sladden family bought a four-bedroom house with a yard and a pool.
“It was beautiful on the northern beaches but this is something else. It wouldn’t have been as much fun in Sydney with so much debt and far less money,” she said.
“I was a bit sad to leave family, especially when we have young children. I was a bit nervous too. But the fun of it and the huge benefits have surpassed our expectations. It’s such an adventure.
“Of course, we’re not working as much, and so I think we’re not as stressed as we were in Sydney. The kids probably benefit from that.”
The Australian Bureau of Statistics showed 11,490 people moved from NSW to Queensland in the three months to September.