Burdekin - Ayr vs Mackay - Surrounds

Burdekin - Ayr and Mackay - Surrounds are two regional Queensland areas that differ sharply in how people get around. Burdekin - Ayr is far more walkable, with a score of 2.6 (mostly car-dependent) compared to 0.5 (car-dependent) in Mackay - Surrounds. This is reflected in the homes; for example, 50.6% of homes in Burdekin - Ayr are within a 15-minute walk of a school, while only 5.0% are in Mackay - Surrounds. Burdekin - Ayr also has a much larger First Nations population, with 1,097 people compared to 482 in Mackay - Surrounds.

Both areas see First Nations unemployment rates sit near the national figure, though it is well higher in Burdekin - Ayr at 13.0% than in Mackay - Surrounds at 5.7%. There are also notable gaps in First Nations household income, which is far higher in Mackay - Surrounds at $2,130 than the $1,253 found in Burdekin - Ayr. In contrast, First Nations residents are noticeably older in Mackay - Surrounds, with a typical age of 28 compared to 23 in Burdekin - Ayr.