Regional Australia's million-dollar club has undergone a dramatic expansion, growing from just two areas five years ago to encompass 20 locations today. Leading this prestigious group is the Gold Coast's Surfers Paradise, where the geometric mean house price has reached an impressive $1.9 million, positioning it as the likely first regional area to breach the $2 million threshold. The Gold Coast's dominance is further reinforced by Broadbeach-Burleigh, which follows at $1.8 million, while the Sunshine Coast's Noosa rounds out the top three with properties averaging $1.5 million.

The concentration of $1 million areas in Queensland's coastal regions is unsurprising, with the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast collectively accounting for 14 of the 20 million-dollar areas. New South Wales contributes five locations to this exclusive group—Wollongong, Coastal Richmond Valley, Southern Highlands, Tweed Valley, and Kiama-Shellharbour—while Victoria's sole representative is the Surf Coast-Bellarine Peninsula in the Geelong region.

Looking ahead, four additional areas are poised to join this prestigious group within the next 12 months. The Sunshine Coast Hinterland, currently at $972,787, is projected to reach $1.05 million, supported by an impressive 8per cent average annual growth over the past decade. Both Ormeau-Oxenford in the Gold Coast and Newcastle in regional NSW, currently hovering around $960,000, are expected to reach $1.03 million, driven by consistent 7per cent annual growth rates. Lake Macquarie-East completes this emerging group, with current house prices of $955,128 expected to rise to $1.02 million in the coming year.

Beyond these imminent additions, seven more areas warrant attention, with current valuations ranging from $850,000 to $910,000 and decade-long growth rates between 5per cent and 8per cent. While these markets may not reach the million-dollar threshold in the next 12 months, they show strong potential for inclusion within 24-36 months. Notably, Augusta-Margaret River-Busselton in Western Australia's Bunbury region stands poised to become WA's inaugural entry into the regional million-dollar club. In contrast, Queensland continues to strengthen its position with emerging prospects in both the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast regions, while NSW demonstrates the most diverse regional spread, with million-dollar areas distributed across six distinct regions.

Coastal areas feature prominently throughout this list, confirming the premium that buyers place on waterfront and oceanside locations. Additionally, many of these high-value regions are satellite cities or areas within commuting distance of major metropolitan centres, suggesting that accessibility to urban amenities remains a key driver of property values. This combination of lifestyle appeal and practical connectivity appears to be a winning formula for regional property market success.