Three years ago south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia had the nation's lowest retention rate for trainee GPs and country towns struggled to find medicos who wanted to stay.

Now there's a growing interest from metropolitan and international candidates looking to finish their training in the region and find permanent positions.

Take Warrnambool Medical Clinic for instance, where four young registrars started a 12-month training placement this week.

One is a former Warrnambool woman keen to return to her home territory, another a former India resident keen to stay longer in the south-west with her dentist husband, one a Vietnamese-born man who loves our ocean and friendly community and the other a Sri Lankan man born in Nigeria and raised in London who likes rural Australian communities.

"We are managing to turn it around," said Greg McMeel, the acting chief executive of Southern GP Training which co-ordinates placements.

"They are developing relationships in rural communities. In the Warrnambool area about five have stayed on for more permanent work in the past two years.

"Before that they would train here, but we couldn't hold them after they graduated."

He said Deakin University's medical school played a major role in reversing the trend with the first batch of students now in their last year of training and expected to go into general practice in 2013.

Nine years ago Mr McMeel's group started with an intake of 12 registrars. Last year it was 24 with each of the trainees undergoing two years in rural GP practices and one year in hospitals.

Warrnambool Medical Clinic practice manager Alistair Ross said the training system gave an appreciation of life in a rural community. "We have struggled in the past to get trainees to stay on ? that's always the challenge," he said.

He probably has a fair chance with Dr Joanne Ryan, who left home after education at Warrnambool High School and studied science and medicine in Melbourne and South Australia before working stints in Tasmania, Alice Springs and NSW.

"I've pretty much been everywhere with study and work," she said.

"It's nice to be back near family and friends."

Dr Veemarajah Vernugopalan moved to Australia in 2001 and has studied in Tasmania, worked in Mildura, Millicent and Hamilton before starting a stint in Warrnambool.

"I like rural communities and to escape from the big cities," he said.

Dr Chandanvir Saini trained in southern India and moved to Australia in 2008 to be closer to her sister in Melbourne.

So far she has worked in Toowoomba, Mount Gambier and Portland from where she moved with her husband recently after he secured a position with a Warrnambool dental practice.

"I would like a longterm stay in Warrnambool. It has very welcoming people," she said.

Dr Thinh Duy Nguyen moved from Vietnam with his family in 2000, studied at Melbourne University and has worked at Bendigo hospital and Casterton.

"I was looking forward to coming to Warrnambool," he said.

"It has a nice community and I like the water."