PHOTO: Gold Coast. FILE
Not ready to go on an overseas holiday? The best spots to holiday at home have been ranked, and buyers can snap up a bolthole for as little as $240,000.
The Gold Coast took out fourth place on TripAdvisor’s 2022 Travellers’ Choice Awards for the South Pacific, a ranking based on reviews by travellers.
It was followed by Hobart (5), Sydney (6), Port Douglas (7), Cairns (8) and Melbourne (9).
Queenstown in New Zealand took the top spot, and other international destinations included Bora Bora (2), Auckland (3) and Rotorua (10).
Buyers who have the means have been chasing holiday homes or a more permanent move throughout the pandemic, especially in Queensland, amid lockdowns and a shift to working from home. Ultra-low interest rates have supported demand, while a property boom that increased homeowners’ equity enabled plans to move or buy a second home.
“We’ve probably been going full steam ahead for at least the last six, seven months, where we started to see the interest from down south picking up,” Cairns-based Chris Gay Real Estate principal Chris Gay said.
“People are looking at the idea of a lifestyle change, coming up to the tropics – fresh air, lifestyle and not crowded like the capitals are.”
The Cairns local government area had a median house price of $475,000 over the 12 months to September 2021, Domain data showed, up 10.5 per cent from the previous year.
Mr Gay said buyers could find a nice unit starting from as little as $240,000, or units on the foreshore from about $500,000, and prices vary widely by location.
READ MORE VIA SMH/DOMAIN
