BATHURST'S recent popularity among Sydneysiders looking for a fresh life is highlighted by a new report on regional migration.
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The report lists Bathurst Regional as one of the top five local government areas (LGAs) for annual growth in migration from the nation's capital cities - though that growth did slow in the last quarter.
The report also indicates Bathurst Regional is performing more strongly, when it comes to attracting new residents from the capital cities, than Orange and Dubbo Regional LGAs.
The statistics are contained in the Regional Movers Index, a partnership between the Commonwealth Bank and the Regional Australia Institute (which describes itself as an independent think tank dedicated to building a better quality of life in regional towns and cities).
The index, which comes out quarterly, breaks down population flows from the nation's capital cities to regional areas with the aim of identifying growth trends.
The latest index, for the quarter ending June 2022, lists Bathurst Regional as the LGA with the fifth highest annual growth in migration from the capital cities - up 39 per cent from 2020/21 to 2021/22.
Number one on the top five list was Mount Gambier LGA in South Australia, which was up 90 per cent from 2020/21 to 2021/22.
Of the LGAs on the top five list, though, four had a quarterly decline in migration from the capital cities - which included Bathurst's 22 per cent reduction from the March 2022 quarter to the June 2022 quarter.
Mayor Robert Taylor told the Western Advocate in April that Bathurst's population growth over the past year was "slightly higher than the 10-year trend, at an estimated 545 person increase".
"This growth rate was not out of character for Bathurst, but was higher than nearby Orange and Dubbo," he said.
He said the flow of Sydneysiders moving to Bathurst had increased due to the "COVID-driven go regional trend" and "discussions with new residents does indicate an increasing number are retaining jobs in Sydney and working from home in Bathurst, travelling to Sydney on an as-needed basis".
The NSW Government, meanwhile, has updated its 2041 projections for Bathurst, with the population expected to hit 57,060 by then.
Its initial projected population for Bathurst for 2041 was 50,050, but the figure was updated after Bathurst Regional Council and the Central NSW Joint Organisation strongly objected to the estimate and lobbied for it to be updated.
The latest quarterly Regional Movers Index showed Bathurst LGA's annual growth in migration (39 per cent) from the capital cities was well above Orange LGA (up five per cent) and Dubbo Regional (up seven per cent).
