[category]
[title]
For many Australians, living by the ocean is the ultimate dream: sunrise strolls along the sand, lunchtime dips and falling asleep to the gentle crash of waves. But in recent years, that dream has felt increasingly out of reach, with coastal properties costing an arm and a leg.
Australia's top-tier coastal markets (we’re looking at you Byron Bay and Noosa) might command eye-watering price tags, but a cluster of lesser-known seaside spots provide that buying by the ocean is actually an achievable dream.
By tracking high-intent actions on realestate.com.au – such as agent enquiries, phone calls and contract downloads – new PropTrack data has revealed the affordable Australian coastal suburbs that experienced the biggest spikes in serious buyer demand over the past year.
Leading the charge is Tasmania, claiming eight out of the top ten most in-demand beachside spots for homebuyers. East Devonport topped the list, thanks to a 128 per cent year-on-year increase in enquiries – yet it still boasts a very affordable median house price of $534,000. Other quiet Tasmanian suburbs like Devonport, Old Beach, West Ulverstone and George Town rounded out the top five, with median prices ranging from $460,000 to $785,000.
Demand is also surging along the NSW coast, where holidaymakers and sea-changers are zeroing in on quiet seaside pockets. Sunshine Bay, a peaceful coastal town near Batemans Bay on the beautiful South Coast, saw house enquiries surge 82 per cent year-on-year. Yet despite its rising popularity, the suburb retains an inviting median house price of $854,000 – proving that sub-$1 million beachside living isn't entirely extinct in NSW.
You can check out the full list below or check out the full dataset here.
The 25 most in-demand affordable Australian coastal suburbs
- East Devonport, TAS – $534,000
- Devonport, TAS – $606,000
- Old Beach, TAS – $784,000
- George Town, TAS – $463,000
- West Ulverstone, TAS – $626,000
- Castletown, WA – $690,000
- Wynyard, TAS – $576,000
- Triabunna, TAS – $493,000
- Scamander, TAS – $648,000
- Sunshine Bay, NSW – $854,000
- Smithton, TAS – $448,000
- Solomontown, SA – $393,000
- Crescent Head, NSW – $1,318,000
- Indented Head, VIC – $760,000
- St Helens, TAS – $596,000
- Urunga, NSW – $858,000
- Booragul, NSW – $852,000
- Newcomb, VIC – $632,000
- Manyana, NSW – $919,000
- Port Hedland, WA – $862,000
- Surfside, NSW – $719,000
- Narooma, NSW – $841,000
- Dampier, WA – $927,000
- Dennington, VIC – $651,000
- Valla Beach, NSW – $947,000