Lower Hunter · Sub-region (SA3)
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.
Only 16% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of health services in Lower Hunter, a massive gap compared to the state. This area is mostly car-dependent, with just 33% of households able to reach a variety of daily needs on foot. Most residents will need a vehicle for basic errands.
All sub-region (sa3) areas, 2021. The marker is Lower Hunter — mostly car-dependent of areas.
| Lower Hunter | 3.3 |
|---|---|
| Rest of NSW | 4.6 |
| New South Wales | 6.2 |
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in Lower Hunter 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 for Lower Hunter is 3.3, which means it is mostly car-dependent. This is far below the New South Wales figure of 6.2, and only 3.2 types of amenities are typically found within a 15-minute walk.
3.3
Mostly car-dependent of sub-region (sa3) 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.
3.2
Lower than 83% of sub-region (sa3) 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.
33.0%
Lower than 86% of sub-region (sa3) 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.
Public transport and parks are the easiest to reach, with 60.5% of homes near transport and 69.5% near a park. In contrast, access to essentials is much lower, as only 24.5% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries.
24.5%
Lower than 93% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or everyday shopping. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
60.5%
Lower than 67% of sub-region (sa3) 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.
46.4%
Lower than 75% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a school. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
69.5%
Lower than 74% of sub-region (sa3) 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.
16.0%
Lower than 91% of sub-region (sa3) 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 average terrain slope is 6.4%, which is about the same as the state average. There is one intersection per square kilometre, and there are 11.8 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, a little below the New South Wales figure.
11.8
Lower than 78% of sub-region (sa3) 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 73% of sub-region (sa3) 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 67% of sub-region (sa3) 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 Lower Hunter [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/10601/lower-hunter/topic/walkability
