From our love of avocado toast to ocean swims and early mornings, it’s safe to say that most Australians place a high value on their health and wellbeing.
While living with so much sunshine and fresh air already puts us at a wellbeing advantage against the rest of the world, some Aussie regions simply offer more than others.
So, where’s the best place to live for your overall wellbeing? Public policy adviser SGS Economics and Planning has revealed its analysis of 518 Australian local government areas (LGAs) and their wellbeing ratings.
To rate each area, regions were assessed on seven different areas, including:
- economy
- income and wealth
- employment, knowledge and skills
- housing
- health
- equality, community and work-life balance
- environment
Wondering where your region stacks up? See below.
The Area With The Highest Rating For Wellbeing In Australia
Sydney’s Northern Beaches came out with the highest wellbeing rating of everywhere in Australia, with the city’s regions, especially regions north of the city centre, dominating the top 10 places.
Only two regions from states made it into the top ten, these being the Australian Capital Territory and Brisbane, which came in at 10th place.
The city received its high rating for its “large, productive and diverse economy”, as well as its high levels of education and limited climate change risks.
- Northern Beaches (Greater Sydney)
- Australian Capital Territory
- North Sydney (Greater Sydney)
- Ku-ring-gai (Greater Sydney)
- Hornsby (Greater Sydney)
- Lane Cove (Greater Sydney)
- Mosman (Greater Sydney)
- Sutherland (Greater Sydney)
- Sydney (Greater Sydney)
- Brisbane (Greater Brisbane)
The Highest Rating Regions In Each State
South Australia
Mitcham, Burnside, Unley, Adelaide Hills, Prospect
Queensland
Brisbane, Redland, Moreton Bay, Noosa, Douglas
Northern Territory
Litchfield, Darwin, Palmerston, Alice Springs, Unincorporated NT
Tasmania
Hobart, Kingborough, Clarence, Meander Valley, Sorell
Victoria
Melbourne, Nillumbik, Yarra, Yarra Ranges, Port Phillip
Western Australia
Cambridge, Perth, Cottesloe, Nedlands, Vincent
New South Wales
Northern Beaches, North Sydney, Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby, Lane Cove
Australian Regions With The Lowest Wellbeing Rating
When it comes to the regions with the lowest rating, Yarrabah and Palm Island in north Queensland and West Daly in Northern Territory were rated the lowest.
However, different regions displayed different strengths and weaknesses.
For example, while Perth was one of the regions with the highest performing economy, the city was one of the lowest for housing affordability.