Southern Highlands · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
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.
Far fewer people can reach local services on foot in the Southern Highlands compared to other parts of New South Wales. The area is mostly car-dependent, with only 30.5% of homes within a 15-minute walk of the basic amenities that make up a 15-minute city.
All statistical area 2 (sa2) areas, 2021. The marker is Southern Highlands — mostly car-dependent of areas.
| Southern Highlands | 2.6 |
|---|---|
| 2575, NSW | 3.7 |
| New South Wales | 6.2 |
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in Southern Highlands 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.
A walkability score of 2.6 marks the area as mostly car-dependent, which is far below the state figure of 6.2. On average, residents have access to only 2.8 amenity types within a 15-minute walk, while the New South Wales average is 5.8.
2.6
Mostly car-dependent of statistical area 2 (sa2) 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.
2.8
Lower than 82% of statistical area 2 (sa2) 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.
30.5%
Lower than 79% of statistical area 2 (sa2) 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 to essentials is limited, with only 26.5% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a school and just 23.2% near health services, both far below state figures. Public transport is the most accessible amenity for 41.3% of homes, but 62% of residents live more than 30 minutes away from health services.
25.6%
Lower than 83% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or everyday shopping. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
41.3%
Lower than 78% of statistical area 2 (sa2) 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.
26.5%
Lower than 86% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a school. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
48.7%
Lower than 87% of statistical area 2 (sa2) 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.
23.2%
Lower than 73% of statistical area 2 (sa2) 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.
The terrain is a little steeper than the state average, with a mean slope of 8.3%. There is 1 intersection per square kilometre, and there are 18.1 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, which is a little above the New South Wales figure of 14.7.
18.1
Higher than 68% of statistical area 2 (sa2) 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.
1
Lower than 88% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Walkable street intersections per square kilometre. Denser, better-connected street grids give more direct routes on foot than winding, cul-de-sac layouts.
8.3%
Higher than 84% of statistical area 2 (sa2) 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 Southern Highlands [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/114021289/southern-highlands/topic/walkability
