Kiama is being heralded as the most liveable town in Australia, with Jamberoo also being counted in the top 36.

People in Kiama are happy and living is good, says social commentator and demographer Bernard Salt in his ranking in The Australian newspaper this weekend.

“This is a caring, co-operative, highly skilled, highly entrepreneurial, well-to-do community that pops up in a seachange area about one hour and a half south of Sydney. It ticks all the buttons,” he says.

Mayor Neil Reilly has welcomed the news and says he is surprised that it’s taken so long for other people to find out how good it is here.

“This is just further confirmation of what our residents and regular visitors have known for a long time.”

Mr Salt crunched the 2021 Census numbers to look at 752 small towns (of between 1,000 and 50,000 residents) across.

He says that Kiama stands out in the considered 10 metrics which include wellness, above average income, low unemployment, entrepreneurship, a highly skilled workforce, a diverse population with lots of people born overseas, signs that people care about each other such as high volunteer numbers.

“I hit each town with these 10 metrics and thought no town will survive this. But Kiama gets through to the end. And it struck me immediately that this makes sense.

“Kiama has above average entrepreneurship, below average unemployment, higher than average income, higher than average volunteers, a higher proportion of people who give care to family member and low levels of long-term health conditions.”

Salt wanted to assess how families got along with each other - do they have respect for each other - so he measured the average contribution to domestic housework, both inside and outside the home. And Kiama got flying colours. He says you only get a high average proportion of this measure when both parties (male and female) cooperate.

He says that affluence is an important measure but is not just about money.

Sport is the basis on which most country towns exist, he says, the basis on which social conscious and connectivity comes together.

Matt Brown, chair of Destination Kiama, says the results confirm what he's been saying for years.

“I say all the time Kiama is the best place to live. And that’s why we are getting a record number of visitors and we see our population increase.

“The trick is to keep our place special,” he says.

The community gathering at the Kiama Farmers Market

“It is a balancing act and we are getting the balance right. I encourage people to keep volunteering their time, continue to be community spirited and support our events and celebrate our increasingly diverse population.”

Salt, who hit the headlines with his idea that young people couldn’t afford real estate because of their predilection for ‘smashed avocado on toast’, says that property prices in these attractive small towns will become limiting.

 He says that these small towns need to develop a “more muscular proactive plan” to make sure that all people get to live in these towns, those with high salaries and baristas, alike.

“Everyone gets a shot, no-one is excluded,” he says.

Other nearby towns in the top 36 are Moss Vale, Robertson and Cambewarra Village.

Further information: www.theaustralian.com.au