A mammoth family home in Mount Austin is still cheaper than a Mount Druitt shoebox.

Brendon Jones is one person who knows the shortcomings of Sydney all too well. Building new in the big smoke wasn’t an option for him.

He said the strangle of excessive mortgage repayments wasn’t worth the dubious result of “sitting on the neighbour’s fence”.

“Sydney is a madhouse - it’s a nice place to look at, but it’s a bugger of a place to live,” Mr Jones said.

“They are behind the eight ball in so many ways … it is virtually impossible to get into the market unless you come across some sort of windfall.”

The sales manager will soon make the Wagga tree change with his wife after the completion of his Brunslea Park home.

Local politicians are keen to welcome people like Mr Jones to Wagga – but they face an uphill battle convincing city slickers to come in scores.

Wagga’s median house price is just $345,000 compared with Sydney’s outrageous $1 million price tag. Despite that, the city’s population grew by 1 per cent last year.

And while agents say the city is attracting outside investment, it doesn’t necessarily mean people are moving here.

Mayor Rod Kendall – a fierce defender of Evocities regional relocation – said the “missing link” was jobs.

“We can match the lifestyle, but what we are missing is that absolute guarantee of jobs in the field of their choice,” he said. “The role of government – and state government in particular – is to be an incubator of jobs. If you are a rural adviser, why are you working in Macquarie Street?”

Cr Kendall’s pointed question harks back to the push for decentralisation, which is considered a key driver of regional growth.The latest relocation fight is for the Canberra-based Grains Research and Development Corporation. However, industry advocates privately concede its relocation is unlikely and its employees are reluctant to move.

That hesitation to move runs rampant with outsiders, according to PRD Nationwide’s Simon Freemantle, who said it’s a sell job to overcome Wagga stereotypes.

“They think it’s a long distance to everywhere, there’s a fear of change and they wonder what other people will say,” he said. 

“We offer lifestyle, affordability and the Wagga to Sydney drive is still less than most Sydneysiders’ commute to work each week. Awareness issues need to be quashed."

Story from the Daily Advertiser