Maitland vs Port Stephens

Maitland and Port Stephens are nearby New South Wales areas with very different layouts. Maitland is far more connected, with 29 intersections per square kilometre compared to just 9 in Port Stephens. This makes a big difference for daily trips; in Maitland, 72.8% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of a school, while in Port Stephens only 42.6% are. Access to health services is also far higher in Maitland, where 42.5% of homes are within a short walk of these services, compared to 24.8% in Port Stephens.

Both areas have very similar access to public transport, with about 84% of homes within a 10-minute walk. This shared convenience sits alongside a similar trend for First Nations residents, who have nearly identical rates of finishing Year 12 in both places. While Maitland is a little more walkable overall, both areas are described as somewhat walkable. The gap in school and health access has grown by 30 and 18 percentage points respectively since the last census.