Retirement made easy in regions
THE most popular place to retire in the state is close by to Townsville in North Queensland.
Hinchinbrook Shire has beaten the likes of Fraser Coast to be crowned the grey capital of the state.
According to CoreLogic, 26.3 per cent of the 10,990 people living in Hinchinbrook are aged 65 or older.
Property analytics company CoreLogic examined data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and paired it with housing data and found the most popular retirement regions in Australia.
Senior research analyst Cameron Kusher said the fact that Hinchinbrook was number one in Queensland was probably due to a few factors.
“Regional areas tend to see a lot of younger residents leave while older residents are settled and stay for many years,” he said. “Being so close to Townsville, younger people are probably more likely to move to Townsville for job opportunities.
“The relatively low cost of housing compared to Townsville may mean that as people retire they are more inclined to move to somewhere like Hinchinbrook to better fund their lifestyle in retirement.”
Retiree Cesare “Reno” Lancini, who lives at Canossa Residential Services, described the Hinchinbrook Shire as like a “jewel in the ocean”.
“I’ve been around the world many times and I’ve never found a place to equal it,” Mr Lancini said.
Although some young people move from the region to larger areas that hasn’t been the case for Mr Lancini’s family. He built a service station 60 years ago in Halifax and his son has been running that for the past 40 years.
“My three daughters are also married with children and have said.
CoreLogic also found the median house price in Hinchinbrook was $ 243,470, down by 4.2 per cent from last year and down 9.5 per cent from five years ago.
Hinchinbrook Deputy Mayor Mary Brown said the shire had a number of the lifestyle features that people looked for when thinking about retirement.
“They want a relaxed lifestyle, easy access to shops and services, affordable housing, comprehensive health services and a safe and friendly community,” Cr Brown said.
“They’re just some shire’s many attractions.
“We have known for a very long time the benefits and opportunities that come with living in the Hinchinbrook.
“We have a number of support services and programs run for ageing residents and welcome retirees and their families with open arms.” settled in the area,” he the