Barron vs Cairns - West

Barron and Cairns - West are two nearby areas in Queensland with very different layouts. Cairns - West is much more convenient for pedestrians, with far more homes within a 15-minute walk of schools (62.3%), groceries (61.5%), and health services (31.3%) than in Barron. This accessibility is linked to the street layout, as Cairns - West has far more street intersections per square kilometre. In contrast, Barron has a well larger population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (1,586) and a typical First Nations household income that is well higher than in Cairns - West by $400.

Both areas sit near the national figure for the share of homes with a 15-minute-city walkshed, which is around 45%. They also share similar outcomes for First Nations residents, such as typical personal incomes and Year 12 completion rates. While both are considered somewhat walkable, the gap in accessibility to health services and groceries has remained significant.