# Bega Valley vs Shoalhaven — 2021 Census comparison

Indigenous Area comparison · about 193 km apart

Bega Valley and Shoalhaven are both large regional areas in New South Wales, but they offer different levels of accessibility. Shoalhaven is more walkable, with a walkability score of 4.2 (somewhat walkable) compared to Bega Valley's 3.6 (mostly car-dependent). This is seen in the fact that 82.7% of Shoalhaven homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport, which is far higher than the 51.9% in Bega Valley. Shoalhaven also has a far larger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, with 7,060 people compared to 1,386 in Bega Valley.

Both areas share very similar access to basic needs, as around 41% of homes in each place are within a 15-minute walk of groceries. They also have almost identical rates of First Nations people completing Year 12, at about 30%. While Bega Valley has more homes within a 15-minute walk of health services (34.9% compared to 29.8% in Shoalhaven), Shoalhaven has seen its gap in public transport and park access widen since the last census.

## First Nations

| Statistic | Bega Valley | Shoalhaven | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First Nations people | 1,386 | 7,060 | 5,674 larger in Shoalhaven |  |
| Median age | 22 yrs | 24 yrs | 2 yrs older in Shoalhaven |  |
| Year 12 | 30.6% | 30.0% | 0.6 pts higher in Bega Valley |  |
| Unemployment | 8.6% | 11.1% | 2.4 pts higher in Shoalhaven |  |
| Median income | $492 | $545 | $53 higher in Shoalhaven |  |
| Household income | $1,347 | $1,332 | $15 higher in Bega Valley |  |
| Indigenous language | 3.9% | 3.3% | 0.6 pts higher in Bega Valley |  |

## Walkability

| Statistic | Bega Valley | Shoalhaven | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 3.6 | 4.2 | 0.5 higher in Shoalhaven |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 3.6 | 4.1 | 0.5 more in Shoalhaven |  |
| 15-min city | 39.9% | 43.6% | 3.7 pts higher in Shoalhaven |  |
| Walk to shops | 41.3% | 40.8% | 0.5 pts higher in Bega Valley |  |
| Walk to transit | 51.9% | 82.7% | 30.8 pts higher in Shoalhaven |  |
| Walk to school | 37.5% | 38.2% | 0.7 pts higher in Shoalhaven |  |
| Walk to a park | 65.8% | 83.3% | 17.5 pts higher in Shoalhaven |  |
| Walk to health | 34.9% | 29.8% | 5.1 pts higher in Bega Valley |  |
| Intersections/km² | 1 | 3 | 2 higher in Shoalhaven |  |
| Mean slope | 10.1% | 6.0% | 4.1 pts higher in Bega Valley |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/iare/IARE106001/bega-valley/vs/IARE106003/shoalhaven