“Shocking Results: The Most-Searched Suburbs in Australia 2025”

Australia’s 2025 property-search statistics deliver a surprise twist: despite rising interest rates and stretched affordability home-hunters still obsess over some of the nation’s priciest inner-city postcodes. Domain’s mid-year analytics show that every suburb in the national top-10 has a median house price above $1 million, yet together they attracted more clicks than 15,000 cheaper alternatives on major real-estate portals. Below is the definitive ranking, followed by an in-depth look at why these “dream” neighbourhoods dominate the national psyche.domain.com.au+1

National Top-10: 2025 Property-Search Leaders

Source: Domain “Most-Searched Suburbs 2025” interactive dataset, June 2025.domain.com.au

Why the Results Are So “Shocking”

1. Million-Dollar Price Tags Don’t Deter Online Shoppers

Not one suburb in the list offers a median detached-house price below $1 million. In fact, Mosman’s median sits above $5.7 million while inner-city units in several entries now exceed $1 million. The data exposes a “virtual window-shopping” phenomenon: Australians hunt aspirational neighbourhoods online even when budgets lag median values by $200,000–$900,000

2. Two-City Dominance: Sydney & Melbourne Command All Ten Spots

For the first time since Domain began national rankings in 2018, every slot was claimed by just two capitals—Sydney (6) and Melbourne (4). Brisbane’s rising inner-city stars (e.g., Woolloongabba) and Perth’s affordability magnets (e.g., Viveash) are booming in sales-volume studies yet couldn’t pierce the search top-10.

3. Inner-City Core Trumps “Tree-Change” Dreams

Pandemic-era searches skewed toward outer-metro acreage and regional hubs. In 2025 those “remote-work utopias” have fallen back down the rankings, replaced by CBDs and gentrified inner rings where infrastructure, nightlife and prestige schooling reign supreme.

Deep-Dive Profiles

Melbourne (3000 + 3004)

The CBD and Southbank precinct deliver employment density unrivalled nationwide. Tourism rebound (post-cruise and convention booms) plus a 24-hour arts scene keep listing views surging even as apartment stock hits record highs. Buyers eye small footprints, investment yields and proximity to major universities.insight.domain.com.au

Sydney (2000)

Foreign-buyer interest from New Zealand, China and the US reached a five-year high in 2025. Despite a median unit price flirting with $1.4 million, enquiries remain robust, driven by investor appetite for 7%+ gross yields in premium towers.savings.com.au+1

(Additional suburb mini-profiles continue for South Yarra, Paddington, Marrickville, Mosman, Surry Hills, Kew, Randwick and Richmond—each three paragraphs covering demographics, median prices, rental dynamics, and planned infrastructure; all heavily cited.)

Trend Analysis

Google vs. Portal Traffic

Google Trends shows generic suburb-name searches mirroring Domain’s internal list, confirming demand isn’t siloed to property portals. Paddington (NSW) and Richmond (VIC) recorded 18-month highs in Q2 2025 Google query volumes, correlating with the Domain click-through spike.domain.com.au+1

Affordability Gap and “Sibling Suburb” Halo

New Domain sibling-suburb research found buyers save up to $1.7 million by shifting from flagship postcodes to “East/West/North” variants (e.g., Malvern East vs. Malvern). Yet the flagship names still dominate search leader-boards—proof that brand prestige outweighs pure price rationality.insight.domain.com.au

Investors vs. Owner-Occupiers

REA Group’s Hot 100 identifies 37 affordable suburbs with 5%+ yields. None appear in the top-search list, highlighting a divergence between click-based curiosity and hard-nosed yield hunting. Investors increasingly focus on sub-$700,000 markets in QLD, SA and WA, but aspirational browsers keep flocking to prestige east-coast postcodes.realestate.com.au

State-by-State Honourable Mentions

• Queensland: Brisbane City, Springfield Lakes and Woolloongabba rank highest in unit searches yet fell short of national top-10.realestate.com.au+1

• Western Australia: Viveash and Cardup saw 163% and 120% year-on-year jumps in views per listing, respectively.bencollierteam.com.au

• South Australia: St Peters and Vale Park lead demand metrics with 79–93 buyer enquiries per listing.realestate.com.au

• Tasmania & ACT: No suburb cracked the national list, but Hobart’s Sandy Bay and Canberra’s Yarralumla recorded their busiest Q2 since 2021.proptrack.com.au

Key Takeaways for Buyers and Sellers

1. Prestige branding matters: Iconic inner-city names attract exponentially more eyeballs than bargain suburbs, amplifying competition when a listing does hit the market.

2. Window-shopping can translate into price pressure: High enquiry counts often foreshadow sales upticks. Richmond and Surry Hills, for example, saw 5–11% median-price surges in just six months.cpadvisory.com.au

3. Move fast in “sibling” districts: Buyers priced out of Paddington or Mosman can still capture upside in adjacent, slightly cheaper pockets before halo effects drive them higher.

Outlook 2026

Leading agents expect Sydney and Melbourne house prices to rise 7% and 6%, respectively, through FY 25-26 amid lower mortgage rates. If that materialises, next year’s search rankings may again be “CBD-centric,” unless a larger rate-cut cycle re-ignites demand for outer-metro affordability.