Australia: Melbourne Gains Most People

The population of all of Australia’s state capitals increased last year.

Melbourne added the most people, 49,000, almost 1,000 new faces per week. Tasmania’s capital, Hobart, added least, with 2,000 new people in the year.

In percentage terms, Perth’s population grew fastest, up 2 percent.

Outside the state capitals, coastal resorts in Queensland saw the fastest growth with the Gold Coast-Tweed (up 14,500 people), Sunshine Coast (up 5,100 people), Townsville (up 4,400 people) and Cairns (up 4,100 people).

Graeme Hugo of The University of Adelaide, said that although Queensland was continuing to show strong growth, “for the first time for a long time Western Australia has grown faster … It is clear the resources boom translates into growth in the capital city, rather than necessarily in regional areas.”

Between June 2001 and 2006 the centre of population moved around 8 kilometres north, as a result of population growth in northern Australia, especially in south-east Queensland.

Populations of Australia’s State Capitals

• Melbourne’s population is 3,684,500, an increase of 49,000 people (1.3%).
• Sydney’s population is 4,293,100, an increase of 37,200 people (0.9%).
• Perth’s population is 1,507,900, an increase of 29,900 people (2.0%).
• Brisbane’s population is 1,820,400, an increase of 29,500 people (1.6%).
• Adelaide’s population is 1,138,800, an increase of 9,700 people (0.9%).
• The ACT has a population of 328,800, an increase of 3,000 people (0.9%).
• Darwin’s population is 114,000, an increase of 2,800 people (2.5%).
• Greater Hobart’s population is 205,500, up 2,000 people (1.0%).

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics