Lismore vs Gold Coast

Lismore and Gold Coast are two large regions separated by about 76 km, but they offer very different living environments. Gold Coast is very walkable, with 70.5% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries and 94.5% near a park. In contrast, Lismore is mostly car-dependent, with only 38.5% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries and 58.9% near a park. Gold Coast also has a much larger First Nations population, with 13,593 people compared to 2,596 in Lismore, and a far higher rate of Year 12 completion for First Nations students at 52.0% compared to 37.9% in Lismore.

Both areas have tracked similarly since 2011 in terms of their young First Nations populations, as the typical age for this group is 24 in both places. While Lismore has a little higher rate of First Nations people speaking a traditional language (7.4% compared to 4.8%), Gold Coast sees much higher household incomes for First Nations families, at $1,825 compared to $1,427 in Lismore.