Australia’s Covid recovery: which capital cities have bounced back best?

Visits for retail and recreation have boosted activity in Sydney and Melbourne, but work from home preferences are keeping office trips low

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Activity across Sydney and Melbourne's central business districts is still below pre-Covid levels as work from home preferences keep office vacancies high - however, the business community is heartened by a surge in recreational visits that is expected to rebalance" Australian cities.

Melbourne's CBD was 33% less busy from mid-September to mid-November this year compared with the same period in 2019, with Sydney's CBD slightly more active, down by 30% on pre-Covid levels, according to movement data drawn from anonymous mobile phone activity and analysed by research firm Roy Morgan.

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