Maroondah vs Yarra Ranges

Maroondah and Yarra Ranges are two Victorian areas with very different layouts. Maroondah is far more walkable, with 94.1% of homes in a 15-minute-city walkshed and 95.3% within a 10-minute walk of public transport. In contrast, Yarra Ranges is more spread out, with only 56.9% of homes in such a walkshed and 71.5% near public transport. This difference is clear in their street connectivity, which is far higher in Maroondah with 225 intersections per square kilometre compared to just 8 in Yarra Ranges.

These differences in accessibility are widening, as the gap in walkability scores has grown by 2.2 points. Despite these distinct urban shapes, the two areas are very similar in other ways. First Nations residents in both places earn a typical personal income of around $670 and experience similar unemployment rates. They also share a similar proportion of people who speak a First Nations language, around 5%.