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Where is everyone going?

Inner-city suburbs are the most densely populated, but new suburbs on the capital city fringes are gaining favour, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported this week.

The ABS publication Regional Population Growth, 2011-12 shows that the four most densely populated areas in the country all surround Sydney's central business district.

ABS Director of Demography, Bjorn Jarvis, said the four locations with the highest population density in Australia were Pyrmont-Ultimo, Potts Point-Woolloomooloo, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills.
“Each of these areas has a population density of over 13,000 residents per square kilometre,” Mr Jarvis said.

“Inner-city Melbourne had the next highest density, at 10,100 people per square kilometre.

“Inner Melbourne also had the country's largest increase in density in 2011-12, adding an extra 860 people per square kilometre over the year,” he added.

Outside the inner city areas, newly established suburbs also had large increases in population density. Population density in Bonner, on the northern fringes of Canberra, virtually doubled from 620 to 1,200 people per square kilometer, while Forde and Crace also had large increases.

Population growth in Sydney accounted for more than three-quarters of the total growth in New South Wales. Parklea-Kellyville Ridge, in Sydney's north-west growth corridor, had both the largest and fastest growth in the state (up 2,300 people or 10 per cent).

Melbourne had the largest growth of all capital cities in Australia, recording a rise of 77,200 people. The areas with the largest population increases in the country were all on the outskirts of Melbourne.

Growth in Brisbane (43,300 people) was almost matched by growth in the rest of the state (42,700). Outside of capital cities, the areas with the highest population densities in Australia were on Queensland's Gold Coast including Mermaid Beach-Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise (both 3,700 people per square kilometre).

Davoren Park in Adelaide's north had the largest population growth in South Australia, while neighbouring Munno Para West-Angle Vale had the fastest growth, increasing by 8.3 per cent.

Perth was the fastest-growing of all capital cities, up 3.6 per cent. Forrestdale-Harrisdale-Piara Waters in Perth's south-east was the fastest growing area in Western Australia, increasing by 24 per cent to reach 9,600 people.

Hobart grew by 680 people, while the remainder of Tasmania increased by just 140 people. In the Northern Territory, the Darwin suburbs of Rosebery-Bellamack (up 10 per cent) and Lyons (6 per cent) were the fastest-growing areas.