The Block, artists and young families: Why everyone is flocking to tree-change towns

When artist Rosa Fedele embarked on her first tree change to the NSW countryside just before COVID, she was nervous she’d find herself in a bit of a backwater with a much older demographic.

But when she launched into her second tree change recently, this time to regional Victoria, she had no such fears.

“COVID changed everything!” she says. “There was an extraordinary exodus of young people, families and businesses from the cities and a great deal more infrastructure spending in the regions.

“And while the pandemic was hellish for many people, it really changed the regions for the better. They’re now much more developed, and the demographic change is amazing.

“The regions are absolutely buzzing and are so much more cosmopolitan, with young people, restaurants and bars. Now you can have wonderful country living with fabulous food and culture.”

Fedele, 58, originally moved from inner-Sydney’s Balmain to the Southern Highlands in 2018 for a change of lifestyle and to expand her art business so she could buy a larger studio to paint in.

Then, just six weeks ago, she and her husband, marine business executive Mike Garrett, 71, moved somewhere even smaller, the tiny town of Trentham, 25 kilometres east of Daylesford.

“We absolutely love it so far,” Fedele says.

“It’s a very inclusive, welcoming community, and people are super-friendly. You walk down the street and people ask how you are, and actually stop to hear your answer, unlike in Sydney and Melbourne.

“The area is thriving and bustling, and we have three amazing pubs nearby as well as wine bars and a hatted restaurant. Plus it’s such a gentler and easier life with less rush and pressure, and peace and trees and birds.”

The trend to embrace regional living today shows little sign of slowing, with capital-city-to-region relocations increasing by almost 11 per cent in the last quarter, and by 20.5 per cent from the pre-COVID average, according to the latest data from the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) and the Commonwealth Bank.

“Regional Australia is being reimagined,” says RAI chief executive Liz Ritchie. “There’s lifestyle, a buoyant jobs market and variety in communities now.

“In 2020, the top three drawcards for city-based people were a sense of space, overall improved wellbeing and affordability. In 2025, it’s more affordable housing, a cheaper cost of living and a closer connection to nature.”

While prices are rising steadily in the regions, most are still a long way behind those in the capital cities, according to the latest Domain House Price Report.

While Sydney has a new record house price of $1,722,400, the rest of NSW has a median house price of less than half that, at just $759,800. Melbourne’s median now sits at $1,063,700, while the rest of Victoria is just over half that, at $569,300.

It seems the perfect time for the TV show The Block to be renovating five homes in the tree-change hotspot of Daylesford, with its median house price of $820,000, and still attract plenty of potential buyers.

“The regions are still a compelling offer that enables people to buy a large house with a backyard and pool that they might not be able to afford in the city, and have a nice lifestyle,” says Domain senior economist Dr Joel Bowman.

The Victorian regional market is simply going from strength to strength, says Buxton Real Estate agent Briana Craig, who has just undergone her own tree change, moving from Melbourne’s Fitzroy to the city of Ballarat.

“The big thing that’s changed from the COVID tree-change days to now is the advances in technology,” she says. “That’s had a massive impact as now people can work from home, and maybe only need to go to the city a couple of days a week.

“There’s also the infrastructure that’s been put in place to make it easier to travel and live in the regions, as well as the affordability.”

Greater Geelong is now the country’s most popular destination for tree changers, and local buyers’ agent John O’Brien of Henning Property says he’s never been busier finding homes for emigres from Melbourne and Sydney.

“It was something of an artificial transition that happened during COVID, with no real understanding of what was happening or how long it might last,” he says.

“But now we’re seeing a genuine shift to the region, with people coming for the lifestyle and the fact you can buy a big home at a fraction of the price you’d pay in the cities.

“There are some great schools here, and you can go to Melbourne on the weekends for theatre and footie and the ballet, and people love it. We’re seeing a real shift.”

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