The suburb of Paget in Mackay topped the fastest-growing regional suburbs list after the median unit price there grew 49.67% to $613,800 over the past 12 months according to RP Data.

Whyalla in South Australia also made a strong showing with its median unit price surging by 47.9% to $182,000. Geraldton in WA jumped 46.21% to $211,000 while Prospect in Tasmania rose by 46.14% to $232,000.

The list of 50 top regional growth areas compiled by RP Data found that only 17 are on the coast. The results revealed that despite Australia's coastal population being in the majority, there are plenty of better investment opportunities inland as well, especially where values are considered affordable.

The most affordable was the mining township of Coober Pedy where the median house price was $85,000, and prices gained 45.30% over 12 months, according to RP Data.

No regions in the NT or ACT made the top 50, whereas Queensland had the most entries at 34% of the total. The country's major population centres such as many of the capital cities were excluded from the study.

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