Geraldton vs South-Western WA

Geraldton and South-Western WA are both large, mostly car-dependent regions in Western Australia, though they differ in their accessibility and demographics. Geraldton is much more walkable for its residents, with 41.8% of homes within a 15-minute walk of health services compared to 28.6% in South-Western WA. Geraldton also has a higher share of homes near public transport, schools and groceries. In contrast, South-Western WA has a far larger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, numbering 14,355 people compared to 6,114 in Geraldton.

These two areas have tracked similarly since 2011, remaining mostly car-dependent with walkability scores of 3.9 and 3.5. They also share a similar terrain slope and a typical personal income for First Nations residents, which sits around $464 to $497. While Geraldton has a noticeably older First Nations population, South-Western WA shows a well higher Year 12 completion rate for First Nations people at 30.2%.