Southern Highlands · 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.
Far fewer homes in the Southern Highlands are within walking distance of daily needs compared to the rest of New South Wales. The area is mostly car-dependent, with only 38.2% of households located within a 15-minute walk of local amenities. This means a majority of residents rely on vehicles to get around for their basic needs.
All sub-region (sa3) areas, 2021. The marker is Southern Highlands — mostly car-dependent of areas.
| Southern Highlands | 4.0 |
|---|---|
| Rest of NSW | 4.6 |
| 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 4.0 marks the Southern Highlands as mostly car-dependent, which is well below the state figure of 6.2. On average, there are only 3.9 amenity types within a 15-minute walk, compared to 5.8 across New South Wales.
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.
38.2%
Lower than 79% 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 71.4% of homes within a 10-minute walk. In contrast, health services are the hardest to reach, as only 31.6% of homes are within a 15-minute walk, far below the state average of 57.1%.
37.0%
Lower than 82% 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.
71.4%
Lower than 58% 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.
47.2%
Lower than 74% 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.
70.4%
Lower than 72% 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.
31.6%
Lower than 72% 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 3 intersections per square kilometre and a typical terrain slope of 6.7%, which is about the same as the state average. There are 16.5 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, a little above the New South Wales figure of 14.7.
16.5
Higher than 58% 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.
3
Lower than 70% 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.
6.7%
Higher than 72% 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 Southern Highlands [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/11402/southern-highlands/topic/walkability
