Jakarta –
Australia’s largest city is no longer Sydney. The status was replaced after being held for the past 100 years.
Launch BBC, Wednesday (19/4/2023), Melbourne has overtaken Sydney as the most populous city in Australia. It’s the first time since the gold rush in the 19th century.
Melbourne’s thriving population has been to blame. The city limits have been extended to include the Melton area.
Latest government figures, as of June 2021, Melbourne’s population is 4,875,400. That’s 18,700 more than Sydney.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) defines an urban area to include all suburban areas connecting more than 10,000 people.
“With the merging of Melton to Melbourne in the latest classification, Melbourne has more residents than Sydney, it has since 2018,” said Andrew Howe of ABS.
The larger city area takes into account its functional area, said ABS. Those factors include populations that frequent or work within cities, but may live in smaller towns and surrounding rural areas.
The census reveals how Australia has changed. But the federal government predicts Greater Melbourne will overtake Greater Sydney in 2031-32.
Melbourne’s rapid growth is largely due to international migration, says Australian National University demographer Liz Allen.
He noted that unlike Sydney, which has a history-drenched side with a predominance of the white race, Melbourne has a reputation for being diverse.
It is also an attractive migration destination as it has comparable employment and educational opportunities to Sydney, but is historically more affordable.
This is not the first time Melbourne has been named the largest city in Australia.
As a result of the gold rush of the late 19th century, which sent migrants flocking to the state of Victoria, Melbourne grew rapidly and outnumbered Sydney until 1905.
Watch Video “Queen Victoria Market, A Historical Crowd Place For Australia“
(msl/msl)
