‘Don’t want to leave’: Dream mountain escapes and what it costs to buy there

Clean air and jaw-dropping scenery are two good reasons to consider moving to the mountains, but high-altitude escapes often offer another benefit: affordable homes.

While prices in some of Australia’s hottest sea-change communities are now on par with the big cities, mountain towns around the country still offer great value. Here are four elevated destinations where affordability and quality of life coexist happily.

Cooma, NSW

Cooma’s greatest asset is its location, says Kelly Bertossi from Belle Property Snowy Mountains.

“You can be on the ski fields within an hour, but you’re also only an hour from Canberra or 90 minutes from the coast.”

The town is large enough to support schools and a hospital yet small enough to feel close-knit, says Bertossi, whose children were born and raised there.

“It’s also a very multicultural town at the moment because the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project has brought in lots of different nationalities.”

The influx of temporary and long-term workers is buoying the median house price, which rose 9.4 per cent last year to $580,000, on Domain data.

That’s still less than half the median house price in Sydney, Bertossi points out.

“You get a lot for your money in Cooma. For $500,000 you could buy a three-bedroom house. At the top end, I’ve got a small acreage with a beautiful modern home that’s $1.8 million.”

Winters in the town are chilly, with frosty mornings, but Bertossi says locals swim in the river and hike the nearby slopes during the summer months.

“The warm days and crisp, clean mountain air are a lovely combination.”

Beechworth, VIC

“People never used to move to Beechworth, but they do now,” says Tony Stockdale, agent at First National Real Estate Bonnici & Associates.

For decades, the town’s main employers were Beechworth Gaol, where Ned Kelly was imprisoned, and Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. Few out-of-towners visited by choice.

But after the asylum closed in 1995 and the jail moved to new premises on the outskirts of town in 2005, the population began to swell.

Beechworth’s position at the foot of the Victorian Alps, surrounded by growers and wineries, and its burgeoning reputation as a mountain-biking mecca are drawing a mix of remote-working professionals and young families, says Stockdale.

“The town was established in 1858, so we’ve got a lot of beautiful heritage homes that were built between 1860 and 1900.”

Many of those homes are constructed from local granite, making them exceptionally durable, says Stockdale.

Beechworth’s median house price is $808,750, on Domain data. It fell by 4.1 per cent last year, but over the past five years it’s up 54 per cent.

Stockdale says $800,000 buys a family-sized heritage house in town, while small acreages further out start at about $1.5 million.

“No matter which part of town you live in, you can walk 15 minutes and be completely surrounded by nature.”

Tamborine Mountain, QLD

The Gold Coast hinterland town of Tamborine Mountain isn’t quite a secret.

In summer, day trippers from the Gold Coast and Brisbane arrive to stroll the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk and explore the verdant botanic gardens.

But the place retains a sleepy charm and is remarkably quiet outside of peak times, says Louis Bartle of Bartle Real Estate.

“Tamborine Mountain has everything that the Byron Bay hinterland or the Noosa hinterland have to offer, but compared to those places, we’re largely undiscovered.”

The town offers easy access to the waterfalls and bushwalks of Tamborine National Park and is about an hour’s drive from both Coolangatta and Brisbane Airports.

A temperate climate and charming streets lined with restaurants and shops enhance its liveability.

Bartle says property hunters can expect “great bang for your buck” and a wide range of properties in and around town.

“From about $900,000 to $1.2 million, you can buy a good-sized home for a family. High-end properties start at around $2.5 million.”

The median house price was $1,106,500 in December, on Domain data, rising 4.4 per cent in 2025.

Bartle says buyers are often tree-changers who visit the town for the day and fall in love.

“I grew up here, so I can understand why they don’t want to leave.”

Leura, NSW

With its historic cottages, boutique shopping strip and abundance of bushwalks, the misty Blue Mountains town of Leura has long drawn Sydneysiders in search of an upmarket weekend away.

But now, homes that once operated as short-stay accommodation are being bought up by transplants from the city, says Brenden Purcell of Purcell Property.

“Even with cost-of-living pressures and interest rates, a young family can afford a great-size home here within commutable distance of Sydney.”

Leura’s median house price was $1,220,000 in December, on Domain data. It rose a modest 2.3 per cent in 2025.

Purcell says a shortage of supply is creating competition this year, even as the Sydney market cools.

“At the same time, we’re seeing generational turnover, which is bringing some of Leura’s most tightly held properties to the market.”

Buyers can pick up “a quintessential mountains cottage that needs a little bit of work” for about $850,000 or a four-bedroom house for $1.2 to $1.3 million, says Purcell.

“At the other end of the spectrum, historic estates can change hands for up to $10 million.”

Purcell says the influx of city slickers has sent ripples of excitement through Leura.

“It’s an increasingly diverse mix, which makes for interesting living.”