NBN to trigger sea change trend: report

A new report commissioned by nbn predicts that the availability of fast broadband will trigger a sea change of city dwellers moving to country and coastal towns to work from home.

The report, conducted by Bernard Salt, identifies more than 600 Australian “lifestyle towns” that are expected to harness fast broadband to allow residents to minimise commute times.

The main reason cited by Australians moving to these towns is the search for lifestyle happiness (72%). Cost of living is another key factor for almost a third of those surveyed.

When making a move to a country or coastal town, having a reliable internet connection is considered the most important for providing access to health services (76%), followed by staying in contact with friends (68%), enabling leisure activities (67%) and employment opportunities (65%).

According to the report, around 16% of Australians are unhappy with their lifestyle due to work commute times. Those who have made a sea change also report being much happier with their work–life balance compared to those who have not made the move.

Baby boomers are leading the charge in terms of the sea change, with 21% of Australians aged 55 or higher having sold up and relocated to coastal towns over the past five years.

This generation of movers is primarily seeking a better living environment (65%), a slower pace of life (55%) or more affordable housing (29%).

“While many of us may be experiencing a post-summer-holiday lull, this research suggests the dream of packing up your home and living in a coastal or country town may not be so far away,” report author Bernard Salt said.

“We are witnessing a quiet lifestyle revolution in suburban Australia. The fusion of a relaxed lifestyle in tree-change and sea-change locations combined with super connectivity provided by the NBN is giving people even greater scope to take greater control of where they live and how they work.”

Image courtesy of Fraser Mummery under CC