Lake Macquarie - West · 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 23.2% of homes in Lake Macquarie - West are within a 15-minute walk of health services, a gap far below the state figure. This reflects a broader trend where the area is mostly car-dependent, with only 36.9% of households having a variety of amenities within a short walk.
All sub-region (sa3) areas, 2021. The marker is Lake Macquarie - West — mostly car-dependent of areas.
| Lake Macquarie - West | 4.0 |
|---|---|
| Rest of NSW | 4.6 |
| New South Wales | 6.2 |
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in Lake Macquarie - West 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 is 4.0, which means the area is mostly car-dependent. This is well below the New South Wales figure of 6.2, as the typical home has far fewer amenity types within a 15-minute walk than the state average.
4.0
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.
3.9
Lower than 69% 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.
36.9%
Lower than 81% 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 is the most accessible amenity, with 83% of homes within a 10-minute walk. In contrast, access to basics is much harder; only 32.9% of homes are within 15 minutes of groceries, which is far below the state average.
32.9%
Lower than 87% 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.
83.0%
Higher than 52% 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.
50.7%
Lower than 70% 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.
77.5%
Lower than 65% 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.
23.2%
Lower than 86% 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 area has 18 intersections per square kilometre and a mean terrain slope of 7.9%, which is a little above the New South Wales figure. There are 11.1 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, well below the state average.
11.1
Lower than 83% 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.
18
Lower than 56% 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.
7.9%
Higher than 81% 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 Lake Macquarie - West [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/11102/lake-macquarie-west/topic/walkability
