Four regional Queensland locations have broken into the state’s top 10 for house sales as rising borrowing costs push buyers to look beyond Brisbane and the major metropolitan centres for better value.
The shift comes as the Reserve Bank raised the cash rate to 4.6 per cent at the end of September, its fourth increase this year.
PropTech firm InfoTrack has released its latest Property Market Update, analysing Queensland property sales from 1 July to 30 September 2026.
Kirwan in Townsville ranked third, Maryborough fifth, Gracemere seventh, and Emerald eighth.
Kirwan last appeared in the top 10 in the last quarter of 2025, making this its first appearance of the year. Maryborough climbed from sixth in quarter two to fifth, while Emerald returned to the rankings for the first time in two years.
InfoTrack’s Chief Operating Officer Lee Bailie said the results showed buyers were increasingly prepared to look beyond major metropolitan centres as higher borrowing costs put pressure on household budgets.
Regional Queensland is becoming a much more compelling alternative for buyers under financial pressure. Median house prices are $565,000 in Maryborough, $570,000 in Emerald, $665,000 in Kirwan and $720,000 in Gracemere, all below the overall Queensland median of $890,000,” Mr Bailie said.
“Townsville has added almost 12,000 residents in five years and approved more than 1,200 new residential lots in the past financial year, while the Fraser Coast is also seeing strong housing development and record-low unemployment.”
The four locations are backed by established employment bases, from healthcare, defence and education in Townsville to manufacturing and construction in Maryborough, mining in Emerald, and transport and logistics in Gracemere.
Emerald’s $314 million Ensham Mine extension has secured the future of more than 700 workers and extended the mine’s operation by nine years.
“Lower prices are part of the appeal, but population growth, employment and new investment are also creating demand in their own right,” Mr Bailie said.
Brisbane’s outer growth corridors accounted for five of the top 10, with Morayfield, Caboolture, Redbank Plains, Springfield Lakes, and Pimpama all making the list, alongside Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast.
Houses remained the dominant property type across Queensland accounting for 59.66 per cent of all sales in Q3, more than double the share of unit sales at 24.75 per cent followed by vacant land at 15.59 per cent.
The full report can be viewed here.
