# Central West Coast vs Cocos (Keeling) Islands — 2021 Census comparison

Indigenous Area comparison · about 2,594 km apart

Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Central West Coast are two very different places separated by over 2,500 km. Residents in Cocos (Keeling) Islands have much easier access to daily essentials, with 94.5% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries compared to only 41.7% in Central West Coast. However, Central West Coast has far more people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, with 337 people compared to none in Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Access to services also varies, as health services are within a 15-minute walk for 25.8% of Central West Coast homes, while no homes in Cocos (Keeling) Islands have this access.

Both areas are mostly car-dependent, with walkability scores that are nearly identical. Despite this, the layout of the two areas differs; Cocos (Keeling) Islands has a little more street connectivity with 16 intersections per square kilometre, while Central West Coast has none. This helps explain why Cocos (Keeling) Islands has a far higher share of homes within a 15-minute walk of a park (66.0%) than Central West Coast (52.8%).

## First Nations

| Statistic | Central West Coast | Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First Nations people | 337 | 0 | 337 larger in Central West Coast |  |
| Median age | 29 yrs | — |  |  |
| Year 12 | 23.1% | — |  |  |
| Unemployment | 22.0% | — |  |  |
| Median income | $426 | — |  |  |
| Household income | $1,205 | — |  |  |
| Indigenous language | 8.9% | — |  |  |

## Walkability

| Statistic | Central West Coast | Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.5 higher in Cocos (Keeling) Islands |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 2.9 | 3.4 | 0.5 more in Cocos (Keeling) Islands |  |
| 15-min city | 37.5% | 29.2% | 8.3 pts higher in Central West Coast |  |
| Walk to shops | 41.7% | 94.5% | 52.7 pts higher in Cocos (Keeling) Islands |  |
| Walk to transit | 23.3% | 0.0% | 23.3 pts higher in Central West Coast |  |
| Walk to school | 37.0% | 29.2% | 7.8 pts higher in Central West Coast |  |
| Walk to a park | 52.8% | 66.0% | 13.2 pts higher in Cocos (Keeling) Islands |  |
| Walk to health | 25.8% | 0.0% | 25.8 pts higher in Central West Coast |  |
| Intersections/km² | 0 | 16 | 16 higher in Cocos (Keeling) Islands |  |
| Mean slope | 4.9% | 2.8% | 2.1 pts higher in Central West Coast |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/iare/IARE502003/central-west-coast/vs/IARE901002/cocos-islands