Influx pumps up prices
PATROLS will be increased at known rubbish hot spots and CCTV cameras installed as part of a new anti-dumping campaign across Geelong.
TV presenter Catriona Rowntree (right) is heading up the campaign, which launched online yesterday.
The Getaway host and Lara resident will feature in a series of short videos, billboards and advertising, to encourage people to use recycling centres.
“The local community has had enough of picking up the litter of a lazy few. It’s just not fair, especially when our council offers so many ways to help you get rid of rubbish,” Rowntree said.
The campaign was born after Rowntree sought to tackle the age-old problem. GEELONG’S population boom is pumping up the city’s property market, with new figures showing which suburbs are benefiting most from the influx of buyers.
The region’s population grew nearly 7500 last year to more than 285,000 people.
John McGrath, founder of McGrath Estate Agents, said the number of people moving to Geelong from Melbourne and interstate was lifting demand for houses, as it was in other regional cities such as Ballarat, Wollongong and Newcastle.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show Geelong is among the nation’s top five regions with the highest net migration from within Australia.
More than 27,000 people moved to the region from elsewhere in Australia in 2016, according to the ABS. When accounting for residents leaving, the net population increase was more than 4200.
Mr McGrath said housing affordability concerns and Geelong’s lifestyle and transforming economy were behind the population movement, which was increasing the demand for houses.
“The big east coast capital cities are becoming very expensive for a lot of people,” Mr McGrath said.
“So people are asking where can I have a great lifestyle but also be in an affordable end of the market?” he said.
Residential property sales across Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast jumped 725 in the 12 months to July to a five-year high of 5492 dwellings, CoreLogic figures show.
In that time, Greater Geelong’s median house price climbed 7.5 per cent to $450,000.
But Mr McGrath said the prices were a fraction of those for smaller homes in inner capital city areas.
While urban growth areas such as Armstrong Creek are taking the largest influx of new residents, more than 12,000 people moved to existing suburbs, with Corio, Norlane, Highton, Geelong West and Belmont the most popular.
Analysis of CoreLogic data shows areas that had the biggest lift in transactions had a corresponding price increase.
The best areas were beyond the inner city hot spots and included Bell Post Hill, Lara, Portarlington and Newcomb.
McGrath, Geelong agent Jim Cross said while East Geelong, Geelong West and Newtown remained the favourite for out-of-town owner-occupiers, buyers were increasingly turning to fringe areas such as Herne Hill and Hamlyn Heights and Newcomb.
But he said investors were concentrating on Corio, Norlane and cheaper areas of eastern Geelong. Suburb Bell Post Hill East Geelong Norlane Lara North Geelong Hamlyn Heights Geelong West Portarlington Drysdale Herne Hill Whittington Newcomb Sales growth 22% 17% 17.7% 20.3% 32.1% 19.8% 14.6% 27.1% 27% 23.9% 36.8% 21.9%