Cowra vs Forbes

Cowra and Forbes are two regional New South Wales areas with distinct differences in accessibility and First Nations outcomes. In Forbes, residents are far more likely to live within a 15-minute walk of health services (40.5%) and groceries (35.4%) compared to Cowra, where only 18.3% can walk to health services and 23.7% can walk to groceries. First Nations residents in Forbes also have a typical personal income that is well higher than in Cowra, with a gap of $153. This is consistent with the First Nations unemployment rate being well higher in Cowra at 14.4%, compared to 8.2% in Forbes.

Since 2011, the gaps between these two areas have continued to change, though they share some basic similarities. Both areas have roughly the same share of homes within a 15-minute walk of a school, sitting around 53% to 54%. They are also alike in their First Nations household incomes and the proportion of homes that have a 15-minute-city walkshed. Despite these shared traits, both remain mostly car-dependent, with walkability scores of 3.2 for Cowra and 4.0 for Forbes.