Cairns - Atherton vs Jervis Bay

Cairns - Atherton and Jervis Bay are very different regions separated by over 2,000 kilometres. Cairns - Atherton is more walkable, with 46.9% of homes in a 15-minute city walkshed compared to 0.0% in Jervis Bay. The two areas differ sharply in their First Nations populations; for example, 22.1% of First Nations people in Cairns - Atherton speak a traditional language, compared to 7.0% in Jervis Bay. Education and employment also diverge, with Year 12 completion far higher in Cairns - Atherton at 41.4% and the First Nations unemployment rate far higher there at 18.2%, while Jervis Bay's rate is much lower at 7.9%.

Both areas see First Nations people earning less than the national figure, though this gap is wider in Jervis Bay. The difference in First Nations household income is well higher in Cairns - Atherton, with a typical income of $1,338 compared to $1,020 in Jervis Bay. This gap in income has widened since the last census, reflecting the increasing contrast between these two distant regions.