NSW region to boom
A regional hub south-west of Sydney is set to continue to grow in popularity as infrastructure improvements and lifestyle factors attract buyers and renters alike.
Goulburn, 195 kilometres south-west of Sydney and 90 kilometres north-east of Canberra, is increasingly attracting people who are priced out of Sydney and those who are willing to commute, according to Century 21 Australasia’s chairman and founder, Charles Tarbey.
The region’s prospects as an investment location will be further improved if Sydney’s second airport at Badgerys Creek – approximately 160 kilometres from Goulburn – gets underway.
“It’s not far from Goulburn to Badgerys Creek – it’s not a big drive – and it’s all freeway,” Mr Tarbey said. “I can get in my car in the city of Sydney and I can actually be in Goulburn in just over two hours, travelling mostly on freeway. And Goulburn is literally only an hour and a quarter from Badgerys Creek.”
Mr Tarbey said a huge number of Sydneysiders already spend in excess of an hour commuting to work – so if Badgerys Creek becomes an employment hub, the appeal of living in Goulburn will only increase.
“The infrastructure [in and around Badgerys Creek] is going to impact these areas – and Goulburn is going to benefit from that infrastructure,” he said.
Goulburn’s increasing appeal is also having a ripple effect on surrounding areas, according to Mr Tarbey.
“People who are living in Goulburn are buying in Crookwell – whereas previously you would never buy in Crookwell. Now that Goulburn’s gotten stronger, people are quite happy to invest out in these little pockets," he said.
“All these little areas are getting stronger and stronger all the time because Sydney itself has gotten so expensive, and the infrastructure improvements are making living there convenient.”