Why People Love Toowoomba This Spring

There's a reason spring does something to this town. The jacarandas come out almost overnight, every second garden looks like it's trying to outdo the one next door, and for a few weeks the whole place seems to be quietly making its case for why you should stay. A lot of people fall for Toowoomba the first time they see it like this.

The number that surprised even us

236%

That's the jump in the number of people who moved to Toowoomba from the capital cities this year compared to last, the strongest increase recorded anywhere in Australia. According to the Regional Movers Index, run jointly by Commonwealth Bank and the Regional Australia Institute, no other local government area in the country grew its net inflow from the capitals faster over the March 2026 quarter.

It's part of a much bigger shift. Nationally, people leaving the capitals for regional life now outnumber those moving the other way by close to 30%, and Sydney and Melbourne alone account for the vast majority of that outflow. Toowoomba is simply catching more of that wave than anywhere else right now.

Source: Commonwealth Bank, Regional Movers Index, March quarter 2026.

It's not just this year

Toowoomba's population growth has climbed back to around 1.67% a year in the most recent figures, up from under 1% a few years ago and now roughly in line with the national average. Add that to the migration numbers above and it's a town that's genuinely filling up, not just having a moment.

Source: InvestorKit, Toowoomba Property Market in 10 Charts.

We're seeing it from the inside too

Across our own property management portfolio, vacancy sits at 0.38%, just five properties out of 1,312. When almost everything is occupied and enquiry keeps climbing, that's not a coincidence.

What this means if you're already here

If you're sitting on a property in Toowoomba right now, this is worth knowing rather than ignoring. The town is growing faster than it has in years, and that changes the picture for anyone who owns here, whether you're planning to sell soon or just keeping half an eye on the market.

We're not going to tell you it's the perfect time to sell, because that depends entirely on your situation, not a stat. But if you've been on the fence, it's worth finding out where your property actually sits before you decide either way. An appraisal costs you nothing, and what you do with the number afterwards is entirely up to you.