Two Northside Canberra suburbs have been named in the top 10 hot spots for relocating Australians in the ACT and NSW.

Belconnen and Braddon both made the list, popular choices for people moving to the areas and relocating within them.

According to a research paper commissioned by removalist company Muval, Australians are on the move, with around half the population keen to relocate for a change of scenery.

“Since government restrictions began in March 2020, there have been over one million searches for ‘moving house’ COVID related questions,” said co-founder James Morrell.

Our fascination with property has held steady, too; more than 40% of people said they wanted to own their own home – something that’s becoming more and more difficult for some in the Nation’s Capital.

A similar amount said they would want to own their own home as well as an investment property.

As well, regional areas are looking like greener pastures for city dwellers. A survey of 1,000 people in Capital Cities by the Regional Australia Institute found 20% of residents considering a move to the regions.

According to ABS data, the number of interstate movers in December 2020 was the lowest in five years. However, capital cities saw a net loss of 10,600 people from internal migration to more regional locations, compared with a loss of 3,800 the previous year.

“Decentralisation of Australia’s population away from cities to regional Australia has been a longstanding government policy objective,” said University of Queensland senior lecturer in Human Geography, Dr Elin Charles-Edwards.

“Since March 2020, the pandemic has expedited what decades of decentralisation policy has aimed to achieve, namely Australians migrating internally to regional areas.”

Dr Charles-Edwards said this trend could mean lower congestion for cities and economic growth for the regions, however warned of an increase in demand for housing and services in regional areas, presenting the challenge of preserving the “very lifestyle that makes regional Australia attractive in the first place”.

Muval’s data on the top 10 most popular relocation suburbs across NSW and ACT shows loyalty to inner cities despite the tempting regional drawcard, with seven Sydney suburbs and Byron Bay rounding out the list.