Noosa vs Cooloola - Gympie

Noosa and Cooloola - Gympie are nearby Queensland areas with very different layouts. Noosa is more developed for pedestrians, with a walkability score of 4.5 (somewhat walkable), while Cooloola - Gympie is 2.6 (mostly car-dependent). This is seen in the access to basics; for example, 56% of Noosa homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries compared to only 28% in Cooloola - Gympie. There are also notable differences for First Nations people; in Noosa, the typical household income is $1,753, which is well higher than the $1,279 typical income in Cooloola - Gympie.

These gaps in accessibility and income are stark, though the two areas share some similarities in how their residents access schools. Most homes in both areas are within a 15-minute walk of a park, and the share of homes near a school is actually well higher in Cooloola - Gympie by 3 percentage points. While Noosa has a far higher rate of First Nations Year 12 completion at 51.8%, both areas sit above the national figure for this measure.