Merredin vs Kulin

Merredin and Kulin are two rural Western Australian areas with different levels of accessibility. Merredin has much better access to essential services, with 50.7% of homes within a 15-minute walk of health services compared to just 19.7% in Kulin. Walking to a park is also far more common in Merredin, where 65.8% of homes are close to one. In contrast, Kulin has a far higher share of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport, at 33.0% compared to 11.6% in Merredin.

Both areas have tracked similarly since 2011, remaining mostly car-dependent. They share some common ground in their First Nations communities, where typical personal incomes are almost identical at around $512 to $531. They also both have about 42% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries. While Merredin has a larger First Nations population and higher household incomes for this group, the national figure for such incomes remains well above the levels seen in both places.