Liam McNally
The Melton-Bacchus Marsh region has been revealed as having one of Australia’s fastest growing populations, according to new data from KPMG.
The data revealed the Melton-Bacchus Marsh area was the sixth fastest-growing in the country, and the third fastest growing in Victoria.
Melton-Bacchus Marsh’s estimated population has grown by 20,500 from 2019 to 2022, to a total of 204,000 people.
The area had an annual growth rate of 3.6 per cent.
Melton mayor Lara Carli said Melton’s growth rate is “unprecedented”.
“Council is working hard to make sure our infrastructure not only keeps up with population growth, but improves services and amenity for everyone,” she said.
Nearby Wyndham was Australia’s fastest-growing area between 2019 and 2022 with 34,500 additional residents. Wyndham covers almost 20 suburbs containing a significant number of greenfield developments.
KPMG demographics expert Terry Rawnsley said significant road and rail investments over the past 20 years, combined with development-ready land has resulted in strong population growth.
“The growth areas have offered new residents affordable housing compared to most established parts of Melbourne,” he said.
Brimbank recorded the fifth largest population decline in Australia, losing 8800 people since 2019, at a rate of 1.5 per cent a year.
Mr Rawnsley said despite the strict international border closures through the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia has added more than one million new residents since December 2019. Nearly a quarter of those new residents have settled in one of the top 10 fastest growing areas.
The 2022 growth rate nationally was 1.7 per cent, the highest since March 2017, and was driven by the opening of the international border. Australia’s population has now exceeded 26 million people for the first time.
Victoria made the largest contribution to population growth (127,000), although Queensland continues to have the highest population growth rate of 2.1 per cent.
