# Central Murray vs Bendigo — 2021 Census comparison

Indigenous Area comparison · about 218 km apart

Central Murray and Bendigo are two distinct regional areas located in different states. Bendigo is far more walkable, with a score of 5.1 (somewhat walkable) compared to Central Murray's 3.7 (mostly car-dependent). This is reflected in the local infrastructure, as 79.1% of Bendigo homes are within a 10 minute walk of public transport, while only 25.9% of homes in Central Murray have the same access. Bendigo also has a far larger First Nations population of 2,740 people, and a well higher First Nations Year 12 completion rate of 37.9%, compared to 29.9% in Central Murray.

Both areas sit near the national figure for the share of homes within a 15 minute walk of health services, which is about 45%. They also share very similar levels of First Nations personal income and the proportion of people who speak a First Nations language. While the two areas are quite different in their layout, the gap in their 15-minute-city walkshed shares is relatively small, with Bendigo at 56.8% and Central Murray at 52.5%.

## First Nations

| Statistic | Central Murray | Bendigo | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First Nations people | 715 | 2,740 | 2,025 larger in Bendigo |  |
| Median age | 24 yrs | 22 yrs | 2 yrs older in Central Murray |  |
| Year 12 | 29.9% | 37.9% | 8.0 pts higher in Bendigo |  |
| Unemployment | 8.2% | 9.7% | 1.5 pts higher in Bendigo |  |
| Median income | $586 | $595 | $9 higher in Bendigo |  |
| Household income | $1,294 | $1,409 | $115 higher in Bendigo |  |
| Indigenous language | 3.2% | 3.9% | 0.7 pts higher in Bendigo |  |

## Walkability

| Statistic | Central Murray | Bendigo | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 3.7 | 5.1 | 1.4 higher in Bendigo |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 4.2 | 5.0 | 0.8 more in Bendigo |  |
| 15-min city | 52.5% | 56.8% | 4.3 pts higher in Bendigo |  |
| Walk to shops | 52.2% | 49.8% | 2.4 pts higher in Central Murray |  |
| Walk to transit | 25.9% | 79.1% | 53.2 pts higher in Bendigo |  |
| Walk to school | 54.7% | 66.4% | 11.7 pts higher in Bendigo |  |
| Walk to a park | 63.2% | 88.1% | 24.9 pts higher in Bendigo |  |
| Walk to health | 45.1% | 44.4% | 0.7 pts higher in Central Murray |  |
| Intersections/km² | 0 | 8 | 8 higher in Bendigo |  |
| Mean slope | 2.8% | 4.7% | 1.9 pts higher in Bendigo |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/iare/IARE105006/central-murray/vs/IARE202003/bendigo