South Melbourne · 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.
A 100% walkability rate for essential services makes South Melbourne a walker's paradise. While every single home is within a short stroll of shops and health care, the local area is far more accessible than the state average. This high level of convenience is reflected in a walkability score of 9.5.
All statistical area 2 (sa2) areas, 2021. The marker is South Melbourne — a walker's paradise of areas.
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in South Melbourne 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.
Every home in the area falls within a 15-minute-city walkshed, a figure far above the 74.3% seen across Victoria. Residents have access to 8 different types of amenities within a 15-minute walk, which is well above the state figure of 6.0.
9.5
A walker's paradise 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.
8.0
Higher than 99% 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.
100.0%
Higher than 99% 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 is exceptional, with 100% of homes within a 15-minute walk of schools, parks, groceries, and health services. Most people can reach food, drink, and parks in just five minutes, though fewer residents—44%—have a five-minute walk to general services.
100.0%
Higher than 99% 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.
100.0%
Higher than 99% 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.
100.0%
Higher than 99% 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.
100.0%
Higher than 99% 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.
100.0%
Higher than 99% 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 area has 666 intersections per square kilometre and 22.2 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, which is well above the Victorian average. The terrain is a little steeper than across the state, with a typical slope of 6.4%.
22.2
Higher than 77% 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.
666
Higher than 99% 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.
6.4%
Higher than 66% 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 South Melbourne [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/206051512/south-melbourne/topic/walkability
