Western Downs Regional Council is among the highest local government performers in Queensland and Australia. Traversed by national highways astride the headwaters of the Murray-Darling, the Western Downs region is a hive of activity and growth through continued agriculture, manufacturing and resource diversification.
The region’s population continues to reverse the trend of rural decline, increasing to 31,897 in June 2010, a 1.3 % increase on 2009.
The region’s economy also continues to grow, despite the negative global environment. Businesses in the region have diversified from traditional markets in the agricultural sector into components, parts and services for the energy sector. Gross Regional Product (GRP) was 1.875 billion up 17.4% in 2008/09, almost double the growth of Queensland. Mining led this extraordinary growth, increasing its GRP by over 400% to overtake Agriculture, Fishing & Forestry as the largest regional contributor to GRP.
The energy resources sector, which comprises coal, coal seam gas, coal seam gas water, ethanol and power station development, has the potential to more than triple the gross regional product.
Within this growing economy, increased pressures on the labour market are reflected in low unemployment figures that defy State and National averages. The region's unemployment rate was 3.3% in June 2010, still well below Queensland (5.4%) and Australia (5.2%). In the same period of time, the labour force has continued to grow at approximately 5% per annum, a result expected given the investment activity through the region.
The region's residents enjoy the benefits of relaxed country living, friendly and active communities without the pressures of time or traffic congestion experienced in city centres. The median house price was $225,000 in the year to June 2008, an increase of 7.7%. Despite increased median value of 176.3% over the past five years, the region's median house price is approximately 54.5% below those in the Brisbane metropolitan area and compare favourably with median house prices in Toowoomba, LockyerValley, Goondiwindi and South Burnett.
Dwelling approvals for the Western Downs increased by over 170% in the year ending December 2009. The majority of activity was for separate houses and came in the second half of the year, building towards record approvals for 2009/10 financial year.
As the region’s economy builds, residents are expected to benefit from the opportunities and development occurring within local communities and industry.
So why not discover the Western Downs region for yourself, where opportunity and lifestyle await you.
