New analysis from Ray White Group has identified 136,278 “inactive” dwellings across Australia, equivalent to 1.3 per cent of the nation’s 10 million homes.
The figures, compiled by Ray White Group economist Atom Go Tian using ABS data, show Sydney and Melbourne account for around one in three of these inactive homes nationally, giving them the highest raw counts of any cities.
But it’s regional areas that carry the highest rates. Regional NT has the highest share of inactive dwellings at 4.5 per cent, followed by regional WA at 3.2 per cent.
Among areas with at least 1,000 dwellings, Esperance Surrounds in regional WA – covering Condingup, Salmon Gums and Grass Patch – tops the list with an 11.4 per cent inactive rate.
Several of the other highest-rating areas are tied to mining, according to the analysis. Alligator in regional NT includes Jabiru, built in 1982 for the Ranger uranium mine that closed in January 2021.
Newman in regional WA is an iron ore town where BHP owns most of the housing, while Broadsound – Nebo in regional Queensland sits in coal country. Mukinbudin and Gnowangerup are wheatbelt areas, and Derby – West Kimberley is a remote area with a large share of social housing.
Three areas stand apart from that pattern: Lorne – Anglesea in regional Victoria, Civic in Canberra and Darwin City. Atom Go Tian described these as “modern ghost homes” rather than the industry ghost towns of Australian history – holiday houses left unused for long stretches, and dense apartment markets likely including investment properties waiting on tenants.
Ranking areas by the actual number of inactive homes, rather than the share, produces a very different list. Seven of the top 10 are in Victoria, split between coastal sea-change and holiday areas such as Point Nepean and Phillip Island, and dense inner-city markets including Melbourne CBD, Docklands, Southbank and Carlton.
Atom Go Tian noted that a busy street doesn’t always mean a lively home, with some of the areas where the most people live also recording high numbers of homes sitting empty.