Toowoomba is Australia’s second largest regional city and 2020 is shaping up to be another very big year for Toowoomba with massive big infrastructure projects completed and others nearing completition. Investment opportunities abound!
$11 Billion … is the amount currently being invested in the Toowoomba Region creating
10,000 new jobs!
$11 Billion … is the amount currently being invested in the Toowoomba Region creating
10,000 new jobs!
THE NEW 100 MILLION DOLLAR AIRPORT
In 2018 the first international flight filled with produce took off from West Wellcamp Airport heading to China.
Airport general manager Phil Gregory said, “international flights would provide huge economic and social benefits to the community”. The new free trade agreements with China means exports could double in the coming years.
Due to the new export route several large Australian, and International, companies are relocating to Toowoomba from Brisbane to be permanently based in Toowoomba, no wonder Toowoomba has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Australia!
THE 1.7 BILLION DOLLAR TOOWOOMBA BYPASS
The Toowoomba Second Range Crossing (TSRC) is the new bypass route for Toowoomba. At 41km long it will run to the north and west of the city.
It connectS the Warrego Highway (in the east) at Helidon with the Warrego Highway (in the west) at Charlton and the Gore Highway at Athol.
It also provides a second highway crossing of the Great Dividing Range as well as a bypass or partial ring road around the urban area of Toowoomba.
WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2020
Toowoomba continues to outperform the rest of QLD!
- New job opportunities
- Affordable housing is going to be in HUGE demand
- Duplex and dual key projects to provide the best returns for investors
- Low vacancy rates
- Capital growth will continue to climb
- No sign of things slowing in the near future
Read what the experts say below
Toowoomba also is known as the “Garden City” is one of Australia’s fastest emerging satellite cities. Located 125 km west (just 90 minutes drive) from Brisbane and 183 km (130 mins) to the Gold Coast. Toowoomba is one of Australia’s most beautiful cities with some spectacular mountain ranges and a spring bloom that has to be seen to be believed.
The town sits safely 700 metres above sea level on the Great Dividing Range and has a population of just under 180,000 people. Currently, Toowoomba is Australia’s second most populated inland city, and-and many more people are beginning to make the “green change” to the amazing lifestyle that is on offer here. Many property advisers are now predicting that both real estate values and rental returns will rise significantly over the next few years.
According to the 2011 Census, the main occupations of people living in Toowoomba are Professionals 20.7%, Technicians and Trades Workers 13.7%, Labourers 13.2%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 13%, Community and Personal Service Workers 12.4%, Sales Workers 9.5%, Managers 9.3%, Machinery Operators And Drivers 5.8%.
Suncorp bank recently named Toowoomba “The employment capital of Australia” due to its remarkably low unemployment rate of just 1.9% (a full 1.5% below the countries average!). Rental homes and apartments can currently achieve rental yields of 6% but with dual occupancy, it is possible to earn rental yields of 7%+.
Most suburbs in Toowoomba have also benefited from double-digit capital growth over the last 12 months, and all current signs are that this growth is not about to slow anytime soon.
New infrastructure projects include The Wellcamp Airport, a new range crossing, plus plans to build a $300 million convention centre, upgrades to the Toowoomba hospital, and 2 major rail links to the resources sector.
Family life here is second to none with over 150 beautiful public gardens and many amazing sights to be seen on nature walks, bike rides and picnics.
The Surat basin located just outside Toowoomba is a hotspot for mining making Toowoomba real estate in high demand, delivering excellent rental returns and very low vacancy rates. Toowoomba is also renowned for having the best schools in the state of Queensland.
Toowoomba is a winner on all fronts!
Here is another report on “Why Toowoomba”
Toowoomba strongest property market in Australia
Terry Ryder, The Property Observer
Strongest property market right now isn’t where you think
I think there’s a strong argument that the strongest property market in Australia right now is not Sydney, nor Melbourne, but the Queensland regional city of Toowoomba.
This is the market which has not only delivered outstanding growth in the past year but has the credentials to keep on doing it. It has one of the nation’s most vibrant local economies, it has the lowest unemployment in the land, it’s affordable, it has above-average rental yields and there is a massive infrastructure spend under way.
That’s an investment cake with lots of tasty ingredients. And the icing on the cake is the resources activity in the nearby Surat Basin.
A question I always ask when a location is being boosted by exceptional circumstances is this: if all that activity suddenly stopped, would the location still be a good investment?
In the case of Toowoomba, this means: would the cake still be tasty without the icing? If all the coal seam gas and related activity stopped tomorrow, would Toowoomba still be a good buy?
The answer, unequivocally, is yes.
Toowoomba has long been an important regional centre. It’s Queensland’s largest inland city and it has that most important of ingredients, economic diversity – including agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, health & community services, construction and government administration.
I’ve been shouting about Toowoomba for several years now and recently the city has been widely recognised for its many qualities.
A recent report by the Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry rated the Toowoomba region as the backbone of the state economy. The chamber’s Queensland Pulse Report ranked the south-west region, centred on Toowoomba, as the leader in all key criteria except one. The region led the state in business confidence, general business conditions, sales and revenue, employment levels and capital spending.
A report by Suncorp Bank rated Toowoomba as the employment capital of Australia. It had the lowest unemployment rate at 1.9%, ahead of Darwin 2.1% and Canberra 2.9%. This was reinforced in a report which found Toowoomba’s unemployment rate was 1.5 percentage points below the national average. Toowoomba was also rated the third most “family friendly” of Australia’s 30 largest cities.
Affordability and strong rental returns are a big part of the Toowoomba appeal for investors. The standard house purchase is something in the high $300,000s or low $400,000s, with apartments in the mid $300,000s. It’s fairly easy to find 6% gross yields on houses and 6.5% on units. Vacancies are consistently low.
According to Australian Property Monitors, there has been exceptional capital growth in the past 12 months. Most suburbs have had double-digit growth in their median prices, with several recording 15% to 18%.
Prospects for ongoing performance are strong. The infrastructure spend is considerable and there is the bonus of resources activity via the coal seam gas which is feeding the new processing plants at Gladstone.
The Wellcamp Airport is well advanced in construction, there is massive investment in roads (including the $1.6 billion second range crossing, which has state and federal funding), there are plans for two major new rail links to serve the resources sector, a $300 million convention centre is in the offing and there are upgrades to medical facilities including Toowoomba Hospital.
Property developers are active, with projects that include a $350 million re-development of inner-city retail facilities, major industrial estates and an array of housing and apartment projects.
In terms of what many investors would see as the ideal investment venue – affordable prices, strong rental returns and great future prospects, underpinned by a vibrant local economy – it doesn’t get much better than Toowoomba.
Construction company’s $80 million plan for beef and milk factory on Queensland’s Darling Downs
The new Wellcamp Airport that will create 1000’s of Jobs in many local industries. It also has direct flights from Toowoomba to Sydney and Melbourne, Townsville, Cairns as well as international freight to Asia to transport the fresh local produce.