The latest overseas property hotspots league produced by currency specialist HIFX has shown enquiries about switching house cash into Australian dollars trebling from November to December.
The firm, which deals with currency transactions for 25,000 clients per year buying homes outside Britain, compiles its monthly list from countries' share of enquiries for cash.
It said thoughts of slipping across the Channel to France or sipping sangria in Spain still dominate most Britons' ideas of life abroad, but interest in the two slipped from December to January – down 4% each to 20% and 22% respectively.
Meanwhile, requests for Australia rose 12% to 18%, interest in New Zealand rose 1% to 5% and the number of people asking about cash to purchase property in Dubai continued its steady rise – up 1% to 7% of enquiries.
Elsewhere, interest in buying homes in the US and Canada fell substantially – by 3% to 3.5% and 2.25% to 1.25% respectively. Interest in Bulgaria remained strong at an unchanged 8%.
Alex Wright, of HIFX, said: 'Last month we reported on the recent interest in buying property in Dubai. This month we have seen a lot of interest in Australian property triple in one month.
'January is a very popular month for the British to buy abroad, as they start to think of their holidays for 2006 and feel disenchanted with the British winter weather.'
Traditionally attractions such as the weather, same language and family living there have drawn British buyers to Australia and New Zealand.
But Xavier Wiggin, of foreign property website newskys.co.uk said recent strong price growth has tempted British investors.
He said: 'For longer term buyers in new Zealand there are no property taxes and the suburbs of Australia's main cities have seen phenomenal growth. For example, Kent Town, in Adelaide, saw a 29% growth last year, Red Hill, in Canberra, rose by 33%, and Viveash, in Perth, increased by 27%.'
