Changing Role of Regional Centres and Decline of Small Country Towns Patterns of growth and decline….

Australia’s Population Distribution

Hierarchy within Nations Within a nation a hierarchy of cities and towns usually develops related to the number and range of services and businesses it has The area influenced by a town or city is called its hinterland The further down the hierarchy the less services and functions offered and the smaller the hinterland

Example National city – SYDNEY Regional cities – Newcastle, Wollongong, Lismore, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Albury-Wodonga Hinterland towns of Dubbo – Wellington, Cobar, Bourke Small towns – Peak Hill, Trangie…..

Current Trends Booming cities Booming coastal towns Declining small inland towns Growing large regional centres Declining inner suburbs of major cities though now infilling with redevelopment Growing periphery or satellite suburbs of major cities

From Booming cities to Bust in small towns…… Australian cities are booming with major capital cities growing the fastest – with Melbourne fastest followed by Sydney About 86% of Australians live in cities or within 80 kilometres of the coast – growth or decline depends on proximity to the coast or large cities Coastal regions, such as Northern Rivers, the Mid North Coast, the Central Coast and the Illawarra have experienced substantial population growth, based largely on lifestyle choices, tourism and retirement. Improved transport has facilitated growth of ‘sponge cities’ – regional centres that over the last 20 years have continued to grow. Their economies have been able to diversify. They have become transport hubs and provide better infrastructure and access to increasingly diverse shopping and services. Meanwhile country towns with populations fewer than 11,000 have declined and face uncertain futures some 431 centres with populations less than 4000 will struggle to survive. , smaller Australian Country towns (with populations under 2000) have been in trouble since the coming of mass car ownership in the 1950s and 1960s. With the riseof supermarket chains and the rationalisation of banks – most marked in the 1980s and 1990s – many medium sized regional centres (4000 to 10 000+) have grown at the expense of smaller towns

Example: Coffs Harbour – Growth! Coffs Harbour's population currently is 67,000, and is expected to reach 100,000 by 2031. Coffs Harbour has good basic infrastructure such as our state-of-the-art sewerage system and waste recycling facility, a modern regional airport facility that is up there amongst the best of regional Australia, and the best sporting complex in regional Australia. It has the best year-round climate in Australia. Countless unspoilt beaches, the Solitary Island Marine Park and national parks all around us (including the World Heritage listed rainforest in Dorrigo National Park) there's something to do for everyone, 365 days a year.

Wagga Wagga – booming inland town Population 1996 56,100 Population 2001 56,700 Fifth largest Inland city growing at 0.2% pa 22 Primary Schools, Eight secondary schools, TAFE, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Base Hospital, Kapooka Army Base and RAAF base.

Coastal towns experiencing the most growth Gold Coast Tweed Heads Coastal Towns south of Perth eg. Mandurah and Bunbury. Coastal towns are booming especially ones in warmer climates as they attract large proportions of retirees

Growth of towns closest to big cities Have grown faster than those further away Are attractive to – retirees and younger households seeking lower land and house prices

Rural populations have continued to decline……due to: Farms more mechanised so require fewer labourers and even fewer family members to work the land Prices of farm products have remained depressed over the last 20 years Movement of youth to work and study in the cities and large towns Regular and prolonged drought Infrastructure bypasses – eg. Highways/Motorways Loss of banks, shops and services

Decline of populations in Large Industrial Centres…. Loss of major industries has reduced production and workforces in other areas: Burnie-Devonport Tas Rockhampton Qld Lismore NSW La Trobe Valley

Overall rural decline slowing… 1901 41% population living in rural areas 1933 37 1961 18 1976 14 1996 12

Small towns that have survived…. Due to unique resources such as historical sites and scenery that attract visitors or local resources such as timber or milk eg. Berrima pop 770

The Future Large farms worked by fewer people Places with limited education and health services will have limited power to attract new arrivals Towns with more than 5000 people will probably have a better chance of surviving than smaller centres Government and private services such as schools, hospitals will continue to be concentrated in medium sized towns rather than in smaller centres. Near large cities, smaller places may survive as commuters look for interesting living areas away from sprawling suburbs