Ballina vs Goonellabah

Ballina and Goonellabah are two nearby New South Wales areas with very different layouts. Ballina is very walkable, with 77.4% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries and 62.8% within a 15-minute walk of a school. In contrast, Goonellabah is only somewhat walkable, with just 40.5% of homes near groceries and 42.5% near a school. Ballina also has far higher street connectivity and more amenity types within a short walk, while Goonellabah has a well higher average terrain slope of 11.2% compared to 3.3% in Ballina.

Both areas have tracked similarly since 2011, maintaining a close match in the typical personal income of First Nations residents, which is $517 in Ballina and $547 in Goonellabah. Other differences are more pronounced, as First Nations Year 12 completion is well higher in Goonellabah at 38.3%. At the same time, the First Nations unemployment rate is well higher in Goonellabah at 12.3%, whereas Ballina is much lower at 8.5%, which is well below the national figure.