A research report by CoreLogic Property Pulse reveals top trends in internal migration by Australians across the country.

CoreLogic’s research analyst Cameron Kusher studied the regional population and migration data for 2016-17 recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

New South Wales is the most popular destination for former Sydney residents with six of the top ten most preferred regions such as Newcastle/ Lake Macquarie and Illawarra located in the state.

The Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Victoria were the other preferred locations. The ACT and Gold Coast recorded more than 5,000 new residents arriving from Sydney over the past year.

Similarly, former Melbourne residents have moved to various places within Victoria including places located in close proximity to the capital city – these include Latrobe-Gippsland (7,259) and Geelong (6,894). Seven of the top 10 regions for arrivals of former Melbourne residents were in Victoria with Qld (Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast) and the ACT accounting for the other three regions.

In Qld, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts recorded a higher number of arrivals from Brisbane than other regions in the state. Also, those migrating away from Brisbane to other areas of Qld tend to remain in the southern areas of the state. Preferred non-Qld regions for former Brisbane residents include Melbourne-Inner, Richmond-Tweed (directly adjacent to the Gold Coast) and the ACT.

Adelaide residents are mostly migrating to the South-East region of South Australia followed by Barossa-Yorke-Mid North. Those moving out of the state prefer Melbourne with the ACT, Darwin, Gold Coast and Parramatta also making the popular list.

Hobart residents are leaving the city to settle down in the surrounding South East region. Popular destinations outside of Tasmania include Vic (four in Melbourne), Qld (two) and the ACT.

According to Kusher, Darwin residents moving away from the city mostly go to other parts of the Territory outside of the capital city, with Qld also a popular destination. A substantial number of Canberra residents move to the Capital Region located adjacent in NSW; of the seven most popular regions in NSW, six are in Sydney.

A key finding of the analysis is that a significant number of those people that moved away from a capital city over the past financial year have moved to an area adjacent to the capital city. Top reasons for migration include affordable housing, lifestyle and a change of scenery.