The Eyre Peninsula coastal town of Ceduna has claimed national fame as a destination for "sea-changers" and "tree-changers".
The town, known as the Gateway to the Nullarbor Plain, has achieved an increase in incoming residents, who are Commonwealth Bank customers, from capital cities of 114 per cent in the year ending 2022, compared with the previous year.
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This means it has had the biggest growth in country Australia from incoming capital city customers of the bank on a population basis in that time, according to the Regional Movers Index compiled by the Commonwealth Bank and the Regional Australia Institute.
It represents at least 100 more people moving to the town than in the previous year.
Some of the increased population has been attributed to a video promoting the town as a destination for graduating doctors - two trainees have arrived as a result of the promotion.
And there has been the Ceduna Waters residential development in the past five or six years that has involved at least 50 more houses being built.
Residents on six-month to three-year placements in the town include police, teachers, lawyers and nurses with the latter having their own fly-in-fly-out arrangements at the new hospital.
The analysis applies to the local government area of Ceduna compared with other such districts around Australia.
"It does feel as though there are more people around the place," said Ceduna Mayor Perry Will.
"There has to be more people, but the thing I cannot understand is it is not showing in the Census.
"We have only seen the Census as in postcodes and not council areas."
Mr Will was optimistic about the survey's result.
The town is on the national highway with a traffic flow of more than 240,000 vehicles yearly.
It has five caravan parks, four motels and one accommodating hotel amid a thriving tourism industry.
The institute is Australia's first national, apolitical, independent think-tank devoted to regional issues.
It conducts research for the regions.
Greg Mayfield
As editor, I am responsible for 11 mastheads around the state. I have more than 45 years' experience in newspapers and digital platforms. I am lucky to have an enthusiastic and dedicated team of journalists working with me.
As editor, I am responsible for 11 mastheads around the state. I have more than 45 years' experience in newspapers and digital platforms. I am lucky to have an enthusiastic and dedicated team of journalists working with me.
