Toowoomba - South vs Western Downs

Toowoomba - South and Western Downs are both regional Queensland areas with distinct profiles. Toowoomba - South is more walkable, with 46.4% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a park and 36.8% near a school, compared to 34.9% and 29.4% in Western Downs. There are also significant differences for First Nations people; the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is far larger in Western Downs with 1,669 people, while First Nations Year 12 completion is well higher in Toowoomba - South at 41.2%.

Both areas have tracked similarly since 2011, remaining largely car-dependent with very similar walkability scores. They share a nearly identical level of access to health services and public transport, with neither area seeing any homes within a 10-minute walk of transit. Both areas also have a similar proportion of people who speak a First Nations language, sitting around 2.4% to 2.9%.