Batemans Bay vs Shoalhaven

Batemans Bay and Shoalhaven are two regional New South Wales areas with very different layouts. Batemans Bay is much more compact, with 17 intersections per square kilometre compared to just 2 in Shoalhaven. This makes Batemans Bay more accessible, as 44.2% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of health services, while only 23.3% of homes in Shoalhaven have that same access. Shoalhaven has a far larger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, with 3,818 people compared to 1,206 in Batemans Bay.

Both areas have seen their First Nations household incomes stay at a similar level, around $1,350 to $1,430. While Batemans Bay is somewhat walkable and Shoalhaven is mostly car-dependent, both have tracked similarly since 2011 in how their residents access local services. In both places, the share of First Nations people finishing Year 12 remains well below the national figure.