Roxby Downs vs Port Augusta - West

Roxby Downs and Port Augusta - West are two distinct South Australian hubs separated by 240 km. There are stark differences in outcomes for First Nations people; in Roxby Downs, typical household income for this group is $3,024, which is far higher than the $1,170 in Port Augusta - West. Education levels are also far higher in Roxby Downs, where 41.3% of First Nations residents finished Year 12, compared to 21.0% in Port Augusta - West. In contrast, Port Augusta - West is much more walkable, scoring 5.7 (somewhat walkable) against 3.0 (mostly car-dependent) for Roxby Downs, and almost all its homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport.

These two areas have tracked differently since 2011, particularly as the gap in First Nations unemployment has remained wide, with the rate well higher in Port Augusta - West at 19.5%. Both places share a similar flat landscape, with very little difference in their mean terrain slope. While Port Augusta - West has a larger First Nations population and more people speaking a First Nations language, Roxby Downs has more homes within a 15-minute walk of health services.