Charters Towers vs Townsville

Charters Towers and Townsville are two Queensland areas with very different levels of accessibility. Townsville is very walkable, with a walkability score of 6.0, while Charters Towers is mostly car-dependent with a score of 3.5. This is reflected in the infrastructure; 90% of Townsville homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport, compared to 0% in Charters Towers. Townsville also has a much larger First Nations population, with 7,375 people compared to 916 in Charters Towers, and a far higher share of First Nations people who speak a First Nations language (13.5% versus 4.3%).

Both areas have tracked similarly since 2011 in terms of First Nations economic outcomes. They share a very similar typical First Nations household income, at $1,397 in Charters Towers and $1,395 in Townsville, and nearly identical unemployment rates for First Nations people, sitting at 16.5% and 15.9%. While Townsville has a far higher rate of First Nations Year 12 completion at 47.5% compared to 37.1% in Charters Towers, both areas have maintained a steady pattern of shared economic challenges.