Blue Mountains · State Electorate
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.
Public transport and parks are within easy reach for most people in the Blue Mountains, though other daily needs often require a car. The area is described as somewhat walkable, but only 59.2% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed, which is far below the New South Wales figure of 71.9%. This means while nature is close, essential services are often a longer trip away.
All state electorate 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 is 5.5, which is a little below the New South Wales figure of 6.2. On average, residents have 5.2 amenity types within a 15-minute walk, also a little below the state average of 5.8.
5.5
Somewhat walkable of state electorate 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.
5.2
Lower than 54% of state electorate 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.
59.2%
Lower than 59% of state electorate 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.
Most homes are close to parks and public transport, with 91.6% within 15 minutes of a park. However, access to other basics is much lower than across the state, with only 58.6% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a school and 51.9% near groceries.
51.9%
Lower than 66% of state electorate areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or everyday shopping. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
85.6%
Lower than 55% of state electorate 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.
58.6%
Lower than 69% of state electorate areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a school. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
91.6%
Lower than 61% of state electorate 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.
45.8%
Lower than 53% of state electorate 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 than across the state, with a mean slope of 11.0% compared to 6.8%. There are 9 intersections per square kilometre and 31.6 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, which is far above the New South Wales figure of 14.7.
31.6
Higher than 98% of state electorate 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.
9
Lower than 72% of state electorate areas.
Walkable street intersections per square kilometre. Denser, better-connected street grids give more direct routes on foot than winding, cul-de-sac layouts.
11.0%
Higher than 99% of state electorate 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/sed/SED10011/blue-mountains/topic/walkability
