Central Desert · Council (LGA)
How much of daily life sits within a walk of home — a transparent 0–10 walkability score and the everyday destinations you can reach on foot: shops, public transport, schools, parks and health services, plus the streets and terrain in between.
A flat terrain of 3.1% slope defines Central Desert, yet the area remains mostly car-dependent with a walkability score of 2.2. While many homes are close to health services and schools, very few residents can reach a wide variety of amenities on foot. Only 16.4% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed, which is far below the Territory figure.
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Central Desert — mostly car-dependent of areas.
| Central Desert | 2.2 |
|---|---|
| Rest of NT | 3.6 |
| Northern Territory | 5.1 |
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in Central Desert by walking time to the nearest amenity of each type, on an elevation-aware pedestrian network. How we calculate this →
The overall walkability score and how much of daily life is a short walk away.
The walkability score of 2.2 means the area is mostly car-dependent, far below the Northern Territory's 5.1. On average, there are only 2.7 amenity types within a 15-minute walk, which is also far below the Territory average.
2.2
Mostly car-dependent of council (lga) areas.
A 0–10 score for how much of daily life sits within an easy walk of the average home — weighing how close groceries, public transport, cafés, parks, health services, schools, culture and everyday services are, and how many of each. Walking times are measured on an elevation-aware pedestrian network, so hills count against reach. The methodology page describes how the score is put together.
2.7
Lower than 80% of council (lga) areas.
How many of the eight everyday amenity types — groceries, food & drink, health, schools, parks, culture, everyday services and public transport — the average home can reach on foot within 15 minutes, out of 8.
16.4%
Lower than 91% of council (lga) areas.
Share of local homes that can reach at least five of the eight everyday amenity types within a 15-minute walk — the "15-minute city" test. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
How many homes can walk to groceries, transport, schools, parks and health services.
Access varies wildly; while health services and schools are often nearby, no homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport. About 69.6% of homes are within 15 minutes of health services, but only 24.1% can reach a park in that time.
50.2%
Higher than 55% of council (lga) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or everyday shopping. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
0.0%
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
Share of local homes within a 10-minute walk of a public-transport stop — bus, train, tram or ferry. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
79.8%
Higher than 80% of council (lga) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a school. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
24.1%
Lower than 92% of council (lga) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a park or area of open space. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
69.6%
Higher than 85% of council (lga) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of health services such as a GP, pharmacy or hospital. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
Amenity density, how well the streets connect, and how hilly the walk is.
There are 18.1 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, which is about the same as the Northern Territory's 19.0. Street connectivity is recorded at 0 intersections per square kilometre.
18.1
Lower than 53% of council (lga) areas.
Walkable amenities — shops, cafés, parks, health services, schools, cultural and community places, everyday services and public-transport stops — per 1,000 residents. Measures how much is around, apart from how far it is to walk there.
0
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
Walkable street intersections per square kilometre. Denser, better-connected street grids give more direct routes on foot than winding, cul-de-sac layouts.
3.1%
Lower than 82% of council (lga) areas.
Average terrain slope across the area, as a percent grade. Steeper ground shortens how far people will walk; it is already folded into the walkability score through the elevation-aware pedestrian network, and is shown here on its own for context.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Walkability in Central Desert [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA70620/central-desert/topic/walkability
