Australia's most liveable suburbs revealed
Established and coastal suburbs have come out as the clear favourite among residents voting in a national liveability census.
Inner suburban and coastal areas have dominated a list of Australia’s ten most liveable cities, with a Perth suburb taking out the top spot.
The Liveability Census conducted by data analysts Place Scored named inner west suburb Subiaco the best Australian suburb to live according to votes from locals living in suburbs around the country.
Place Score founder Kylie Legge said the results showed that mixed-density inner-city environments with established landscapes are considered the most liveable.
“New suburbs can’t compete with more than 100 years’ worth of investment and amenity in the older suburbs,” she said.
The census gathered the responses of more than 50,000 residents across the country to rank their living situation via 50 different attributes.
New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia dominated the list, with three top-10 entries each.
South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory failed to make the top ten.
But South Australia still ranked second overall, behind Victoria, as the states with the highest scores.
The top ten comprised Subiaco (WA), Lane Cove (NSW), Hunters Hill (NSW), Boroondarra (Victoria), Surf Coast Shire (Victoria), with Town of Vincent (WA) at sixth, ahead of North Sydney, Cambridge (WA), Port Phillip (Victoria) and Noosa (Queensland) rounding out the top ten.
A surprising outcome for many was Queensland’s poor showing, which eclipsed only the Northern Territory. The sunshine state’s lacklustre rating is put down to a rapidly growing population outpacing the requisite infrastructure upgrades.
Density not a dirty word
Report contributor and YIMBY Melbourne founder of YIMBY Melbourne, Jonathan O’Brien, said inner city living was well entrenched as an attractive living option.
“It’s neither the tall buildings of the inner-city nor the ever-expanding flat suburban fringe that people find most liveable.
“Instead, it’s the happy medium that exists between them,” he said.
The 2023 Liveability Census should be a rallying cry for councils, state governments, and policymakers seeking more sustainable, politically viable housing policies all across the country, he said.
“Density is not a dirty word.
“In fact, the results of the Liveability Census demonstrate that those living in these areas report higher liveability than anywhere else.”
Boomers reported the highest satisfaction with their liveability and 92 per cent reported good levels of mental health.
Those under 25 years of age were among the least impressed with life and only 57 per cent said that they were mentally healthy.
The report noted that some of the country’s fastest growing local government areas are also the poorest performers; the outer ring of suburbia with infrastructure playing catch up with population growth. In many cases these have also seen a significant drop in liveability since 2021.
