Why Invest in Milton

In terms of position, it is tough to beat Milton, a beautiful suburb bordering the Brisbane River and the city, boasting shady streets, parks, abundant attractions, and magnificent old Queenslanders.

Milton is an urban enclave in Brisbane’s inner west, just two kilometres from the CBD. Steps to pristine parklands and fresh river breezes, it’s a location surrounded by a thriving local community with abundant dining options, transport and education.

1. A highly sought-after location

A restaurant and cafe precinct dominates Milton’s Park Road, including hip and friendly cafes, such as Bunker, and renowned restaurants, including the famous La Dolce Vita Ristorante and Arrivederci Pizza. Locals also enjoy craft beer at Newstead Brewery, The Milton Common or the iconic XXXX Brewery in Milton’s heart.

The rejuvenated former Milton Tennis Centre and Milton Bowl site is now 3.5 hectares of inner city parkland, named Frew Park, to be enjoyed by locals. With infrastructure at its doorsteps, Milton residents have the luxury of indulging in the atmosphere at Suncorp Stadium, which holds various concerts, sporting games, functions and more.

2. Proximity to world-class infrastructure & transport

With a direct link to the western train line, Coronation Drive and the Milton Ferry terminal, Milton is a transit hub like no other. Just two train stops from Central station and just a quick 2km or 25min walk to the city centre via the stunning Milton bike/walking path with breathtaking river and city views. Milton is also one stop on the city cat to West End and a 20min walk to South Bank.

With infrastructure at its doorsteps, Milton residents have the luxury of indulging in the atmosphere at Suncorp Stadium, which holds various concerts, sporting games, functions and more.

A development application has also been lodged for a market space, dining and entertainment venue, located at 32 Cribb Street Milton, bolstering the suburb profile even more.

3. Growing population driving demand

Milton’s residential population currently stands at around 12,300. Based on medium series forecasts from the Queensland Government Statisticians Office, this population is projected to increase by close to 20% by 2041.

4. Strong Employment

The 2021 Census statistics related to the number of local jobs within Milton will not be released until October 2022. Of note however, employment opportunities within the Milton local area recorded at the 2016 census exceeded the residential population by nearly 5,500 positions. With projected employment growth of 37% to 2031, job opportunities well in excess of local population numbers is set to become even more pronounced.

Milton’s most recently recorded unemployment rate of 2.7%, sits well below Brisbane’s overall rate of 5%. Interestingly, there is an even greater disparity between Milton’s unemployment rate and that of other inner-city apartment market locations such as South Brisbane and Fortitude valley.

5. Professional and prosperous demographic

Milton residents are typically well-educated white-collar professionals, and the population is relatively young compared to wider Brisbane. They demonstrate prosperous socio-economic status, with close to a quarter of the population earning over $150,000 per annum.

The number of young adults aged 20-25 has fallen notably, while the proportion of older residents aged 66+ has more than halved. Early aged mature adults between 26 and 35 and those aged 46 to 65 encompassing rightsizers/downsizers have been the key demographics contributing to population growth.

6. A desirable residential property market

Highlighting Milton’s status as an extremely desirable blue-chip location, houses sold during the year to March 2022 commanded an 85% or $600,000 premium above those sold across the Greater Brisbane area during the same period.

Milton retains a high proportion of free-standing homes along with a higher proportion of owner-occupiers relative to key comparable apartment markets. This provides a favourable differentiation for future investment performance of attached dwellings within this location.

7. Low vacancy rates and high yields

Vacancy rates are one of the best lead indicators of the underlying demand/supply balance in residential property. In this respect, the core fundamentals of the Milton property market have been consistently strengthening since December 2016.

With a current vacancy rate of 0.5%, the Milton rental market is considered substantially undersupplied. Strong rental growth has already resulted and is highly likely to persist.

After an initial spike in vacancy associated with the pandemic, resurgent demand for a limited number of rental properties has led to 21% growth in Milton apartment rents.

* Please view our disclaimer for more information on Mosaic Research.