They, like everyone else, had to mange the difficulties of lockdown but it seems the interest in regional and rural property has barely abated and now continues to grow.

The industry appears to have bounced back post-virus in Ballarat with vigour, as yesterday's bumper eighty page Domain testifies.

The overinflated prices of top metropolitan suburbs take the biggest falls in a recession but the more modest and steady growth of the regions might just be withstanding the worst.

Perhaps this is because while investors have shown a lot of interest, property purchases here are so much more about where you want to live.

And livability never goes out of fashion.

This city and its region has a lot to recommend it.