Regions set to soar

Townsville is forecast to become one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities, reaching a population of 340,000 by 2050, demographer Bernard Salt said.

In a recent article in the Townsville Bulletin, Tony Raggatt reported that in 2014, the urban area of Townsville ranked at No.13 in Australia with a population of 176,000. It is predicted to grow 90 per cent to 340,000 and move up to No.11 in Australia by 2050.

Cairns with a population of 145,000, is expected to remain at No.14 but grow more slowly at 53 per cent to 225,000.

Mackay is tipped to move into 17th place and grow by 127 per cent to 193,000, backed by its resources, agriculture and tourism sectors.

Hurst Constructions welcomes the news from Bernard Salt, citing regional Queensland population growth generally leads to economic growth, which is good for the entire region.

“A lot of Queenslanders have done it tough over the past 8 years with slow economic growth and pandemic impacts, but from my point of view there looks to be a good turn ahead” said Jarrod Hurst, Managing Director of Hurst Constructions Queensland.

“Business leaders around the region welcome the good news, and so do we, it's very exciting. It's important to note that not everything is about the economy, however it can contribute to a lot of stress and happiness” he added.