Wellington vs Orange

Wellington and Orange are both regional New South Wales areas, but they offer very different levels of accessibility. Orange is far more walkable, with a score of 5.5 (somewhat walkable) compared to Wellington's 4.0 (mostly car-dependent). This is seen in the layout of the towns; 87.8% of Orange homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport, while only 52.9% of Wellington homes have that access. Orange also has far more homes within a 15-minute walk of parks (89.2% versus 65.9%) and schools (74.0% versus 59.1%).

Both areas share a very similar terrain slope, though the gap in walkability and infrastructure has widened over time. This divide extends to First Nations outcomes; for example, Year 12 completion is well higher in Orange at 31.1%, compared to 22.5% in Wellington. The First Nations population is also noticeably older in Wellington, where the typical age is 27, while the typical age in Orange is 21.