Mackay - Surrounds vs Townsville - Surrounds

Mackay - Surrounds and Townsville - Surrounds are both large, rural regions in Queensland. Townsville - Surrounds is more walkable, with 17.6% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries compared to just 5.6% in Mackay - Surrounds. Other amenities are also more accessible in Townsville - Surrounds, where 42.9% of homes are near a park and 11.3% are near health services, while Mackay - Surrounds has 25.7% of homes near parks and no homes within walking distance of health services. Education outcomes for First Nations people are far higher in Mackay - Surrounds, where 37.3% finished Year 12, compared to 21.6% in Townsville - Surrounds.

Both areas are similar in the proportion of people who speak a First Nations language. Life in both places remains heavily reliant on cars, as both are rated as car-dependent. While Townsville - Surrounds has a far larger First Nations population, the unemployment rate for this group is well higher in Townsville - Surrounds at 9.6% than the 5.7% seen in Mackay - Surrounds.