Sydneysider Angus Terry is packing up to move to the Gold Coast. Photo: Gavin Jowitt
Sydneysider Angus Terry is preparing to leave the state he has called home his entire life.
Packing up his job in finance, his house and life, he will move to the Gold Coast with his partner, where the couple have bought a new home and a development site on which Mr Terry will build and run a gym.
The couple are part of a growing movement of young, professional southerners migrating to south-east Queensland.
The Vue Terrace Homes at Robina, where Angus Terry has bought a property. Photo: Robina Group
While retirees and holiday-home buyers have long made up a healthy portion of Gold Coast property purchasers, now there’s a new demographic: young couples and families.
Annual migration to the Gold Coast hit its highest level in a decade at the end of 2017, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show.
Lured by a thriving local economy and, of course, the beach lifestyle, cashed-up migrants are often in the headlines for purchases of multimillion-dollar, ocean-front mansions at Mermaid Beach and Surfers Paradise. But for most southerners, the Gold Coast’s relative affordability is what attracts them.
The Gold Coast lifestyle: the pool at the Vue Terrace Homes. Photo: Robina Group
Mr Terry said he was surprised at the affordability of the Gold Coast and flew up to see it for himself.
“Honestly, what you can find on the Gold Coast is 10 times the value of what you get here in Sydney,” he said.
“A lot of places in Sydney are quite old and they still want over $1 million. I can come to Robina and get a beautiful, three-bedroom brand new terrace with modern styling in a lovely community atmosphere for $600-odd thousand. Affordability was definitely a massive consideration.”
Brand new contemporary homes: Inside one of the Vue Terrace Homes. Photo: Robina Group
Mr Terry will cut his lengthy and crowded train commute to a literal one-minute walk in the park after securing a townhouse in the Robina Group’s Vue Terrace Homes community. He also snapped up a CBD Robina development site with plans to build an Anytime Fitness gym.
“Sydney is a great city but it’s very full-on to get anywhere, it’s very claustrophobic,” he said. “We have always dreamed of living a short drive from the beach. When I was growing up we came to the Gold Coast for family holidays, so I knew the area quite well.
“I’m originally from Bathurst and I wanted a country town feel somewhere on the coast — Robina really was the answer. It has the best of both worlds.
Change is in the air: Mr Terry says he’s excited for his fresh start in a new career and a new home town. Photo: Gavin Jowitt
“We are going to be working hard so we wanted a place that we could come back to and really relax. Vue’s beautiful pool and barbecue area and its direct access into Robina City parklands was a huge drawcard.”
Data from the Domain Group shows that house prices in Robina rose by 6.4 per cent over the past 12 months.
Robina Group sales manager Azura Griffen said Robina had become particularly attractive to interstate migrants. Sydney and Melbourne purchasers recognised the value on offer in the Gold Coast market, she said.
“We are seeing an increasing number of buyers from the southern capitals.”
“Buyers from interstate are attracted to the lifestyle benefits on offer in Robina. Our education facilities in particular are a major drawcard — Robina is home to Gold Coast’s top-two private schools and Bond University.