Blue Mountains · 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.
Fewer homes in the Blue Mountains are within a 15-minute walk of city amenities compared to the state average, with only 60.2% meeting this mark. While the area is considered somewhat walkable, residents often find it much harder to reach shops or schools on foot than people in other parts of New South Wales.
All sub-region (sa3) areas, 2021. The marker is Blue Mountains — somewhat walkable of areas.
| Blue Mountains | 5.5 |
|---|---|
| Greater Sydney | 7.2 |
| New South Wales | 6.2 |
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in Blue Mountains 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 the area is 5.5, which is a little below the New South Wales figure of 6.2. On average, there are 5.3 types of amenities within a 15-minute walk, slightly fewer than the state average of 5.8.
5.5
Somewhat walkable 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.
5.3
Higher than 58% 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.
60.2%
Higher than 53% 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.
Walking to a park is very easy, with 92.4% of homes nearby, which is well above the state figure. However, access to essentials is much lower, as far fewer homes are within 15 minutes of schools (60.7%) and groceries (52.9%) compared to the rest of the state.
52.9%
Lower than 57% 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.
86.5%
Higher than 55% 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.
60.7%
Lower than 57% 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.
92.4%
Higher than 53% 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.
46.6%
Higher than 55% 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 terrain is much steeper here than in the rest of New South Wales, with a mean slope of 10.8%. There are 14 intersections per square kilometre and a far higher number of walkable amenities per 1,000 residents (32.5) than the state average of 14.7.
32.5
Higher than 90% 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.
14
Lower than 57% 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.
10.8%
Higher than 97% 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 Blue Mountains [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/12401/blue-mountains/topic/walkability
