The Courier Mail
BRISBANE is Australia’s hottest capital city destination for internal migration, netting its highest numbers in a decade as housing affordability begins to bite in the south.
Latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures saw Brisbane notch the highest internal migration net gain of all capital cities (10,149 people) last financial year, at a time when Sydney lost double that number (-23,176).
Brisbane’s north also delivered the strongest net gain of all local government areas in the country off Moreton Bay LGA (6,264), followed by Gold Coast council (6,247) and the Sunshine Coast (6,200). North Lakes saw the strong net gains of Queensland suburbs, followed by Upper Coomera, Pimpama and Dakabin.

Popular windsurfing location, Moreton Bay, had the strongest gains of LGAs in the country.
The capital city breakdown showed that Brisbane’s largest interstate migrants came from Sydney (9,900) in the 2015-16 financial year, as well as 9,200 people from the rest of New South Wales.
The Queensland capital’s biggest source of internal arrivals was the Rest of Queensland which saw a whopping 42,100 people move into the city.
Young people led the charge to Brisbane, according to ABS, with the largest age group net gain coming from 15 to 24-year-olds (4,200 people), followed by 25 to 44-year-olds (2,700) and 0 to 14-year-olds (2,600).

Lifestyle factors saw suburbs in the Gold Coast log strong gains of all Queensland suburbs, though North Lakes in Brisbane’s north did lead the charge. Picture: Queensland Tourism
Brisbane’s net gains were higher than that of Melbourne (8,300) and Hobart (400), while other capitals joined Sydney to log net losses including Adelaide (-6,100), Perth (-3,300), Darwin (-1,200) and the Australian Capital Territory (-180).
BIGGEST GAINS:
- North Lakes – Mango Hill
- Upper Coomera – Willow Vale
- Pimpama
- Dakabin – Kallangur
- Deeragun
- Coomera
- Ormeau – Yatala
- Springfield Lakes
- Caloundra – West
- Murrumba Downs – Griffin
(Source: ABS net internal migration estimates)