Rural communities in Australia have long felt concern about the rate at which young people leave home to head for major cities, many never to return. Kylie Hillman explores the extent of this problem. The latest results from the long-running Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), published in late February, show that more than one third of young Australians from non-metropolitan areas relocate to a major city in the years immediately after leaving school. Although some return in the years to come, non-metropolitan areas experience a net loss of a quarter of their young people.