Nerang vs Surfers Paradise

Nerang and Surfers Paradise are neighbouring areas with very different layouts. Surfers Paradise is very walkable, with 95.6% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries and 82.3% near health services. In contrast, Nerang is mostly car-dependent, where only 38.4% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries. Nerang does have a much larger First Nations population, with 1,759 people, compared to 528 in Surfers Paradise.

Since 2011, the two areas have followed different paths in their accessibility and demographics. While Surfers Paradise has far more street intersections and a much higher share of homes in a 15-minute-city walkshed, Nerang is far higher for homes within walking distance of a school. Both areas share a similar terrain slope and have roughly the same percentage of people who speak a First Nations language, at about 4.4% to 5.0%.