According to the HIA Population & Residential Building Hotspots Report 2018, the Mickleham-Yuroke area of Melbourne is Australia’s number one Hotspot, with population growth of 35.3 per cent during 2016/17 and $222.9 million in building approvals.

With a large volume of work still to be commenced, no downturn evident in approvals, and population growth still exceeding 2 per cent, Melbourne and its surrounding areas are likely to produce many Hotspots for building activity going into 2019.

Pimpana on the Gold Coast slipped to second place this year with Melbourne’s Cranbourne East area in third position nationally.

The remarkable performance of Melbourne in this year’s Hotspots report demonstrates how well the circle of job creation, population growth and new home building can boost an economy.

A number of Sydney’s Western and South Western suburbs are also on the move. From Leppington to Parramatta and Blacktown, the large pipeline of new housing will attract significant population growth.

In Queensland, the South Eastern corner is the focus of activity. Population growth in the South East has accelerated over the past year, indicating that Queensland is starting to see solid employment gains.

Coomera is also a regular on the Hotspots list, joined by South Brisbane where the apartment boom has resulted in significant approvals and population growth.

“Even in those parts of the country that are experiencing challenging economic conditions, there are some bright spots on the local housing map. We have identified Hotspots in all states and territories which are underpinned by robust levels of new home building and increases in population,” concluded Shane Garrett.

The HIA Population & Residential Hotspots 2018 report provides a ranking of Australia’s top 20 Hotspots – as well as individual rankings for each of the states and territories. Of the national Top 20:

• 12 of the Top 20 Hotspots are located in Victoria;
• NSW contains 4 of the national Top 20;
• Another 4 of the country’s top Hotspots are in Queensland.

Nationally, an area qualifies as a Hotspot if at least $150 million worth of residential building work was approved during the 2016/17 financial year, and its rate of population growth is faster than the national average.