Mackay · Urban Area
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.
Health services are a weak point for pedestrians in Mackay, while almost every other local amenity is easy to reach. The area is considered somewhat walkable, with 96.5% of homes located within a 15-minute walk of a park. This high level of accessibility to green space and transport makes it a convenient place for many residents to get around on foot.
All urban area areas, 2021. The marker is Mackay — somewhat walkable of areas.
| Mackay | 5.2 |
|---|---|
| 4740, QLD | 4.9 |
| Queensland | 5.0 |
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in Mackay 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 5.2 means Mackay is somewhat walkable, which is about the same as the Queensland figure. Around 56.6% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed, a result a little below the state average of 59.1%.
5.2
Somewhat walkable of urban area 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.
5.0
Higher than 60% of urban area 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.
56.6%
Higher than 57% of urban area 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 access is strongest for parks and public transport, with 81.5% of homes near transport—far above the Queensland figure. In contrast, health services are the hardest to reach, with 43.4% of homes within a 15-minute walk, which is well below the state average.
63.9%
Higher than 75% of urban area areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or everyday shopping. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
81.5%
Lower than 56% of urban area 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.
64.5%
Higher than 52% of urban area areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a school. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
96.5%
Higher than 91% of urban area 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.
43.4%
Higher than 61% of urban area 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 Mackay is a little flatter than the Queensland average, with a mean slope of 3.8%. There are 43 street intersections per square kilometre and 14.3 walkable amenities for every 1,000 residents, which is about the same as the state figure.
14.3
Lower than 54% of urban area 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.
43
Higher than 81% of urban area areas.
Walkable street intersections per square kilometre. Denser, better-connected street grids give more direct routes on foot than winding, cul-de-sac layouts.
3.8%
Lower than 75% of urban area 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 Mackay [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sua/3011/mackay/topic/walkability
