Townsville · 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.
Far fewer people can walk to a grocery store in Townsville than in other Queensland areas, with only 46.6% of homes within a 15-minute walk. This makes the region somewhat walkable overall, though it sits a little below the state average. While many residents live near parks, access to health services and shops is much more limited.
All region (sa4) areas, 2021. The marker is Townsville — somewhat walkable of areas.
| Townsville | 4.1 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Qld | 4.2 |
| Queensland | 5.0 |
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in Townsville 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.
Townsville is rated as somewhat walkable with a score of 4.1, which is a little below the Queensland figure of 5.0. Only 48.4% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed, a result far below the state average of 59.1%.
4.1
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.
4.1
Lower than 73% 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.
48.4%
Lower than 71% 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 basic needs is varied, with parks being the easiest to reach at 77.5% of homes within 15 minutes, while grocery stores are the hardest at 46.6%, far below the state figure. Other services like schools, transport, and health are also well below Queensland averages for walking distance.
46.6%
Lower than 73% 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.
55.7%
Lower than 74% 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.
53.8%
Lower than 71% 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.
77.5%
Lower than 66% 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.
38.6%
Lower than 61% 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 Townsville is a little flatter than the state average, with a mean slope of 3.9%. There are 10 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, which is well below the 13.4 found across Queensland, and there are 0 intersections per square kilometre.
10.0
Lower 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.
0
Lower than 88% 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.
3.9%
Lower than 86% 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 Townsville [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/318/townsville/topic/walkability
