Parkes vs Peak Hill

Parkes and Peak Hill are nearby New South Wales towns with very different layouts and outcomes for First Nations people. Peak Hill is very walkable, with 93.7% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries and 98.5% near health services. In contrast, Parkes has far fewer homes with easy access to these needs, with only 51.7% near groceries and 50.6% near health services. There is also a significant gap in First Nations employment and income; unemployment for this group is far higher in Peak Hill at 26.7%, while typical First Nations household income is well higher in Parkes at $1,422 compared to $1,028 in Peak Hill.

Both areas share a similar landscape, with very similar average terrain slopes. This common ground exists alongside a widening gap in how people get around. While both are relatively accessible, Peak Hill has a very walkable score of 7.3, whereas Parkes is only somewhat walkable at 5.6. This is partly because Parkes has far higher street connectivity with 74 intersections per square kilometre, compared to just 34 in Peak Hill.