Drag queens, medical doctors, marketing professionals, financiers – Australia’s regional residents are as professionally diverse as metro consumers, younger than ever, and present a lucrative growth opportunity for brands and agencies willing to rethink their marketing and media investments. Here are just a few of the surprising residents you’ll find if you’re willing to take a fresh look.
Admit it: How often have you pictured regional Australians as either retired, tradesmen with Utes, farmers with a blue cattle dog and a penchant for a wife, or lower income earners?
Abandon such misconceptions right now. Today’s regional Australians are younger than ever, committed and connected shoppers awash with discretionary spend, commonly driving about in European vehicles, and more professionally ambitious than ever. They’re nothing like what you might once have thought them to be.
Australia’s regional migration post-Covid shows no signs of slowing down. Regional Australia Institute figures now show two in five capital city residents are considering relocating to Boomtown – double the number recorded 18 months ago. In fact, the most recent Regional Movers Index (RMI) confirmed regional Australia is the nation’s residential destination of choice, with a growing population of former metro faces complemented by regional consumers increasingly choosing to stay put. According to RMI September 2024 quarterly figures, city-to-regional relocations are 19.8 per cent above pre-Covid figures, and above averages recorded during the height of the pandemic. Boomtown, which represents 9.8 million residents living outside of the nation’s five capital cities, currently makes up 36 per cent of our total population.
But it’s who these people are that should be emboldening Australian marketers, agency strategists and media planners to have second thoughts about their metro-skewed marketing investments and start putting more emphasis on engaging these lucrative, often unexpected citizens.
Young, fun and professionally diverse
For one, the demographic driving this migration surge are millennials, incorporating young professionals and families. Regional growth is projected to remain skewed to those highly attractive 25-45-year-old cohorts until 2033, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
These individuals are demonstrably as career-focused and willing to spend as any metro resident might be. Take Kelli, a 34-year-old finance services manager, who relocated from Perth to Karratha three years ago. She owns her own home plus a three-year-old VW Tiguan, travelled to Sydney for the Taylor Swift concert then a two-week holiday in Morocco, and has a soft spot for Zimmerman and The Iconic for clothing, along with Mecca for skincare.
“We’re more connected and have access to facilities and services than you’d expect. Also, the diversity of the community and different careers/occupations is huge – we’re not just mining,” Kelli says.
On the eastern seaboard is Cath, a 43-year-old global chief marketing and innovation officer, who opted to settle with her husband and two kids in Cairns three-and-a-half years ago after earning her professional stripes in high-flying roles in Seattle. While working remotely, she operates from an office in a WeWork-style space in Cairns every day.
“After spending two decades in international big cities, Sydney or Melbourne seemed like the obvious choices. However, the idea of moving into a small place with a hefty mortgage felt like a step backward,” Cath says.
Today, Cath owns her home, has a household boasting two cars – with a Land Rover on the shopping list – and recently took the family to Vietnam, followed up by South Africa for Christmas. Up next is Japan, the UK and the US. A willingness to shop online also makes Cath a profitable prospect for many businesses, and she counts Bosch, Samsung, Kavari and Flannel as favourite brands while also admitting an obsession with vintage barware.
“A simpler lifestyle doesn’t mean simple people,” Cath advises. “Our group of friends includes doctors, nurses, tradies, property developers, pharmacists and tourism business owners. Everyone here is a hard-working, down-to-earth professional who enjoys life to the fullest.
“We love going out and having a good time, just like anyone in the city. And because we don’t have the big-city costs – our mortgages aren’t sky-high, and a flat white isn’t $7 – we’re able to enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle. We don’t go without the finer things in life; in fact, we often feel we get more because we aren’t burdened by the high costs of city living.”
A similar motivation encouraged Todd, a medical director, to relocate with his wife and son from Sydney to Bateman’s Bay, NSW. The 36-year-old says the quality of life, value of the community and simplicity were too hard to resist.
“Moving regional is not a death knell for professional growth or development. The balance that regional life has afforded me has had a profoundly positive impact on my professional life and a differing perspective I can bring into a metropolitan-based workplace,” says Todd.
Like many Boomtown residents, Todd is an avid online shopper and counts Speedo and RM Williams among his favourite brands. “And we can own a home that we want to raise a family in, surrounded by natural beauty and with the time and space to enjoy all of it,” he adds.
Then there are even more unexpected Boomtown residents like Timberlina, a 32-year-old drag queen based in Newcastle, NSW. “I started drag bingo once a month, then increased to every fortnight and then we got a new venue and started doing other events,” she says. “I expanded in regional NSW and now I’m seven years in. It has just boomed!”
Today, Timberlina’s agency has 11 performers and two staff and is proving a very profitable business. All that disposable income she earns “goes on me”, from Aje clothing to dining out and travel. Experiencing getaways locally is a new pursuit, and Timberlina is also planning a trip to Singapore.
“Newcastle is now home. I don’t like the idea of travelling 50 minutes to the beach when I can travel 5 minutes. And for my business, I don’t see why I would need to take my business to a metro area that’s already over saturated,” she says.
What’s more, Timberlina heartily challenges the idea regional towns lack “creative, crazy, over the top, diverse workplaces or businesses”.
“We welcome everyone that wants to start something or bring their business to Newcastle or relocate,” she says. “People don’t think you can make a living in a regional place in the arts and especially in my industry, because there are no big theatres or there aren’t enough bars. The thing is, if you stay in the right places, there is a lot of work.
“I think a lot of people need to come to regional towns, even if it is just for a weekend, to find their feet and then relocate. People need to do it. Honestly, it’s not over saturated so come and work with us! It’s a great place to live, work, and breathe fresh air.”
