Revealed: the surprise top regional destination for Australian movers

The latest Regional Movers Index (RMI), released on May 28, shows that in the 12 months to March, the Greater Geelong local government area had a 9.3 per cent share of total net internal migration.

This compares with the Sunshine Coast's 8.9 per cent over the same period.

The top five regional locations for net migration were:

The RMI also showed a surge of migration from capital cities to regions by almost 11 per cent from the last quarter to 20.5 per cent above the pre-COVID-19 average.

Growth hotspots for net internal migration were found mainly in Victoria and Western Australia.

Latrobe in Victoria's Gippsland region recorded the strongest annual growth in net internal migration.

Murrindindi in Victoria's Hume area, Denmark and Harvey in south-west Western Australia, and Richmond Valley on the NSW North Coast rounded out the top five growth areas.

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RMI chief executive Liz Ritchie said the nation's love affair with regional Australia shows no sign of abating.

"Net migration to regional Australia is now sitting 40 per cent higher than the prevailing level in the pre-pandemic era," Ms Ritchie said. "Regional Australia is being reimagined."

She said regions with lifestyle offerings, buoyant job markets, and variety in communities provided an "ongoing lure", particularly for those in metropolitan areas.

"Contemporary regional Australia has what people are looking for, and it's clear clichéd images and misconceptions about regional living are well and truly a thing of the past," she said.

The Regional Movers Index was launched in 2021.

The Index tracks movements between Australia's regions and capital cities, using Commonwealth Bank data from relocations of more than 14.3 million customers.