North West · Region (SA4)
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 58.5% of homes in North West meet the 15-minute-city test, which is far below the Victorian figure of 74.3%. This makes the area somewhat walkable, but it generally lacks the variety of local services found elsewhere in the state. While many people can reach a park on foot, other essential services are much harder to access without a car.
All region (sa4) areas, 2021. The marker is North West — somewhat walkable of areas.
| North West | 4.8 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Vic. | 4.5 |
| Victoria | 6.4 |
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in North 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 4.8, which is well below the Victorian average of 6.4. On average, people here have access to 4.8 different types of amenities within a 15-minute walk, compared to 6.0 across Victoria.
4.8
Somewhat walkable of region (sa4) 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.
4.8
Lower than 51% of region (sa4) 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.
58.5%
Higher than 50% of region (sa4) 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 to local needs is generally poor, with health services being the hardest to reach—only 42.6% of homes are within a 15-minute walk, far below the state's 64.2%. Parks are the most accessible, with 83.2% of homes within a short walk, though this is still well below the Victorian average.
56.8%
Lower than 51% of region (sa4) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or everyday shopping. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
65.5%
Lower than 61% of region (sa4) 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.
61.7%
Lower than 54% of region (sa4) areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a school. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
83.2%
Lower than 57% of region (sa4) 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.
42.6%
Lower than 51% of region (sa4) 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 in North West is a little flatter than the state average, with a mean slope of 3.1%. There is one intersection per square kilometre, and the area has 41.1 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, which is far above the Victorian figure of 15.7.
41.1
Higher than 99% of region (sa4) 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 80% of region (sa4) areas.
Walkable street intersections per square kilometre. Denser, better-connected street grids give more direct routes on foot than winding, cul-de-sac layouts.
3.1%
Lower than 96% of region (sa4) 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 North West [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/215/north-west/topic/walkability
