Bassendean vs Northam

Bassendean and Northam are two Western Australian areas with very different layouts. Bassendean is far more walkable, with a score of 5.9 (somewhat walkable), while Northam is 3.3 (mostly car-dependent). This is clear in the access to basics: 98.1% of Bassendean homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport compared to just 13.4% in Northam. There are also stark differences for First Nations residents; in Bassendean, 40.2% of First Nations people finished Year 12 and the typical household income is $1,597, while in Northam, only 21.1% finished Year 12 and the typical household income is much lower at $1,098.

Both areas have tracked similarly since 2011 in terms of their physical landscape, as they share almost identical terrain slopes of around 5.6%. While they sit in different parts of the state, they both have First Nations populations that are younger than the national figure. Northam has a larger First Nations community overall, with 557 people compared to 399 in Bassendean.