Qld Residential Tenancy Authority rental and bond data has been posted for the December quarter. There were some delays on this last year and September quarter data is still missing but it’s good to see this valuable data return.

The narrative hasn’t changed much in our tropical metropoles:

Well at least the Cairns rental premium over Townsville has stopped rising but can the gap close? Does the Mackay recovery have legs?

Comparison of 3 bedroom house rentals for larger councils:

3 bedroom houses have been used for comparison as the largest overlapping segment between regions. Cairns has a relatively higher proportion of units more comparable with metropolitan SEQ than other regional centres.

Mackay and Gladstone at opposite ends reflects different timing of the coal and LNG development rollercoasters.

Gladstone tops the table on growth over one year but still remains the cheapest rentals. I may check out Gladstone on my imminent annual southern sojourn. Accommodation rates remain dirt cheap for high quality locations. Menu prices on my last visit at the Gladstone Yacht Club (aka Port Curtis Sailing Club) had failed to adjust from boom levels. Worth a stop just to check this. I have given up hope that the spaghetti bolognese with chips on my initial visit many years ago will ever return to the menu.

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