Buyers have zoomed in on these affordable areas, with the number of searches more than doubling in some suburbs compared to a year ago.
Analysis of property search trends has uncovered suburbs that are increasingly attracting the attention of buyers, with affordable property prices placing a key role in their appeal.
The list of trending suburbs includes many lesser-known regional towns and localities starting to be discovered for their affordability.
The data, which examines growth in search volumes on realestate.com.au, suggests many buyers are starting to look further afield to secure an affordable property.
Buyers have had their borrowing power crimped by three consecutive rate rises this year that reversed all of last year’s cuts and pushed the market into a nationwide downturn.
But the data suggest many affordable suburbs remain sought-after for their lower entry prices.
Searches have jumped higher in many small regional towns where homes are affordable, such as Julatten in far north Queensland. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
The data compares the number of searches in July 2026 with July 2025 to determine where searches have increased significantly.
An increase in searches can uncover areas where demand is growing, according to realestate.com.au senior economist Eleanor Creagh.
“Rising search activity can be an early signal that buyer demand may be shifting towards a suburb,” she said.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean prices will rise, but if that interest translates into more buyers competing for a limited number of homes, it can put upward pressure on prices.”
Suburbs where buyer searches have increased most - Houses
| Suburb | State | SA4 | Median sale price | YoY % change in searches | |
| 1 | Julatten | QLD | Queensland - Outback | $800,000 | 235% |
| 2 | Biggenden | QLD | Wide Bay | $475,000 | 222% |
| 3 | Apple Tree Creek | QLD | Wide Bay | $660,000 | 210% |
| 4 | Tyers | VIC | Latrobe - Gippsland | $840,000 | 167% |
| 5 | Yallourn North | VIC | Latrobe - Gippsland | $375,000 | 137% |
| 6 | Montefiores | NSW | Far West And Orana | $542,000 | 135% |
| 7 | Gin Gin | QLD | Wide Bay | $540,000 | 123% |
| 8 | Risdon Vale | TAS | Hobart | $535,000 | 122% |
| 9 | Forest Hill | NSW | Riverina | $576,000 | 110% |
| 10 | Oxley | ACT | Australian Capital Territory | $966,000 | 109% |
| 11 | Tumbling Waters | NT | Darwin | $275,000 | 107% |
| 12 | Vale Of Clwydd | NSW | Central West | $495,000 | 105% |
| 13 | Dennington | VIC | Warrnambool And South West | $656,000 | 103% |
| 14 | Glenore Grove | QLD | Ipswich | $900,000 | 102% |
| 15 | Tarlee | SA | Barossa - Yorke - Mid North | $608,000 | 102% |
| 16 | Coongulla | VIC | Latrobe - Gippsland | $478,000 | 102% |
| 17 | Allansford | VIC | Warrnambool And South West | $525,000 | 96% |
| 18 | Geurie | NSW | Far West And Orana | $534,000 | 95% |
| 19 | Holder | ACT | Australian Capital Territory | $930,000 | 91% |
| 20 | West Kempsey | NSW | Mid North Coast | $470,000 | 90% |
| 21 | Winston | QLD | Queensland - Outback | $189,000 | 90% |
| 22 | Childers | QLD | Wide Bay | $564,000 | 88% |
| 23 | Monash | ACT | Australian Capital Territory | $955,000 | 86% |
| 24 | Gagebrook | TAS | Hobart | $471,000 | 86% |
| 25 | Tarago | NSW | Capital Region | $818,000 | 82% |
Topping the list for houses was Julatten, a little-known rural locality near Port Douglas in far north Queensland where acreages can be purchased for less than $1 million.
Real estate agent Shane Wight of LJ Hooker Port Douglas said the area appealed to buyers seeking larger properties and plenty of privacy.
“It’s a cooler climate too and not as humid as Port Douglas,” he said.
The rural community of Apple Tree Creek near Bundaberg has had increased interest from buyers. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
It was followed by Biggenden and Apple Tree Creek – rural towns inland of Hervey Bay that both had populations of less than 1000 people.
In Victoria, the Gippsland towns of Tyers, Yallourn North and Coongulla have attracted higher numbers of buyers searching, as have Allansford and Dennington near Warrnambool.
Small towns and suburbs in regional NSW are also on buyers’ hit lists, including Montefiores, Forest Hill, Vale of Clwydd and Geurie.
Searches for Allansford near Warnambool in Victoria's west have nearly doubled in the past year. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
The majority of suburbs where searches grew the most were found in regional areas, where homes tend to be more affordable than the capitals.
With median house prices close to $500,000 in many of these areas, properties can cost a fraction of what buyers would pay in a capital city.
Ms Creagh said affordability was a key theme among the suburbs where searches increased most.
“With borrowing capacity constrained and housing affordability stretched, buyers are increasingly looking to areas where their budget goes further,” she said.
“For some that means moving further from the capitals, considering regional markets or switching from houses to units.”
Gagebrook is one of Hobart's most affordable suburbs with a median house price of $471,000, and buyer searches for properties there have surged. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
While a rise in search volumes can indicate growing demand, Ms Creagh said significant percentage increases in some suburbs would need to be interpreted with some caution, given the biggest rises were coming from relatively low search volumes.
The few capital city suburbs with big increases in buyer searches included Risdon Vale and Gagebrook in Hobart, which are among the most affordable in the city.
In Canberra, Monash, Oxley and Holder in the city’s southwest were increasingly on buyers’ radars – a result of more achievable property prices, according to real estate agent and Momentum Property director Anthony McCormack.
“We’ve seen more value for money in those areas,” he said. “They’re seen as good areas to live and geographically located pretty well.”
In the unit market, parts of Sydney, Canberra, Darwin and Perth were included in the list of suburbs where searches jumped the most.
Suburbs where buyer searches have increased most - Units
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median sale price | YoY % change in searches | |
| 1 | Farrar | NT | Darwin | $473,000 | 178% |
| 2 | Crace | ACT | Australian Capital Territory | $405,000 | 155% |
| 3 | Queanbeyan West | NSW | Capital Region | $625,000 | 131% |
| 4 | Banksmeadow | NSW | Sydney - City And Inner South | $1,075,000 | 130% |
| 5 | Woodroffe | NT | Darwin | $363,000 | 122% |
| 6 | Berrimah | NT | Darwin | $505,000 | 113% |
| 7 | Somerset | TAS | West And North West | $503,000 | 113% |
| 8 | West Tamworth | NSW | New England And North West | $372,000 | 106% |
| 9 | South Tamworth | NSW | New England And North West | $313,000 | 103% |
| 10 | Nicholls | ACT | Australian Capital Territory | $836,000 | 93% |
| 11 | Middle Swan | WA | Perth - North East | $546,000 | 88% |
| 12 | Karabar | NSW | Capital Region | $650,000 | 80% |
| 13 | Bardwell Valley | NSW | Sydney - Inner South West | $1,250,000 | 80% |
| 14 | Ambarvale | NSW | Sydney - Outer South West | $665,000 | 79% |
| 15 | Queanbeyan East | NSW | Capital Region | $445,000 | 78% |
| 16 | Palmerston | ACT | Australian Capital Territory | $650,000 | 76% |
| 17 | Bradbury | NSW | Sydney - Outer South West | $679,000 | 70% |
| 18 | West Ballina | NSW | Richmond - Tweed | $770,000 | 63% |
| 19 | Shellharbour City Centre | NSW | Illawarra | $800,000 | 62% |
| 20 | Penguin | TAS | West And North West | $544,000 | 60% |
| 21 | Glenfield | NSW | Sydney - Outer South West | $798,000 | 59% |
| 22 | Upper Burnie | TAS | West And North West | $350,000 | 57% |
| 23 | Eastgardens | NSW | Sydney - City And Inner South | $980,000 | 57% |
| 24 | Driver | NT | Darwin | $383,000 | 57% |
| 25 | Jerrabomberra | NSW | Capital Region | $750,000 | 55% |
In Sydney, unit buyers increasingly searched in suburbs in the city’s south such as Eastgardens and Banksmeadow, as well as suburbs in the south west such as Glenfield, Ambarvale and Bradbury.
Canberra buyers were focused on northern suburbs such as Crace, Nicholls, Palmerston and Moncrieff.
More unit buyers have been searching in Eastgardens, a major apartment hub in Sydney's south east. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Four Queanbeyan suburbs – Karabar, Jerrabomberra, Queanbeyan East and Queanbeyan West – all had big increases in search volumes compared to last year, suggesting some Canberra buyers may be seeking better value across the border.
Darwin suburbs Farrar, Woodroffe, Berrimah and Driver have been on the radar of investors lately, given their affordable entry prices and higher rental yields.
Prices in Darwin remain at record highs, with homes still in short supply and the property downturn affecting other parts of the country yet to have a major impact.
Searches for units are rising in Queanbeyan West, where properties are typically more affordable than in most Canberra suburbs. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Northern NSW was also targeted by unit buyers, with searches jumping higher in East Lismore, Mullumbimby and West Ballina.
Units in towns on Tasmania’s north coast, including Somerset, Penguin and Upper Burnie have also been increasingly popular, with growing interest from mainland investors looking to rent out properties now and relocate there later.
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Buyers’ increased focus on affordable areas comes as new research shows that housing affordability in Australia has sunk to its worst level ever, with households on a typical income able to comfortably afford just 12% of homes sold in the past financial year.
With a further rate rise this month looking increasingly likely, affordable suburbs are set to remain hot property among budget-conscious buyers.