Geraldton vs Darwin

Geraldton and Darwin are both regional hubs, but they offer very different levels of accessibility. Darwin is more walkable, with 68.7% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries and 70.4% within 15 minutes of a school. Geraldton is more car-dependent, with only 44.7% of homes near groceries and 51.2% near schools. These differences extend to public transport, which is far higher in Darwin, where 82.3% of homes are within a 10-minute walk compared to 59.5% in Geraldton.

Both areas have tracked similarly since 2011 in terms of their First Nations populations, who share an identical typical age of 26. However, outcomes for First Nations people differ. Darwin has a much larger population of 15,082 and typical household incomes are well higher at $1,817, compared to $1,207 in Geraldton. This is consistent with a lower unemployment rate in Darwin at 11.3%, while Geraldton's is well higher at 18.2%.