Townsville · Urban Centre
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.
A gentle terrain with a slope of 3.9% helps make Townsville somewhat walkable. While 60.9% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed, the experience varies wildly depending on what you need. It is very easy to reach a park or bus stop on foot, but far harder to walk to the shops.
All urban centre areas, 2021. The marker is Townsville — somewhat walkable of areas.
| Townsville | 5.2 |
|---|---|
| 4814, QLD | 5.6 |
| 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.
The walkability score for the area is 5.2, which is considered somewhat walkable. This is about the same as the Queensland figure, and about 61% of homes have a range of amenities within a 15-minute walk.
5.2
Somewhat walkable of urban centre 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.
5.1
Higher than 58% of urban centre 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.
60.9%
Higher than 51% of urban centre 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 nature and transport is a highlight, with 93.4% of homes near a park and 85.4% near public transport, both well above the state average. In contrast, grocery stores are harder to reach, as only 55.9% of homes are within a 15-minute walk, which is well below the Queensland figure.
55.9%
Lower than 52% of urban centre areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or everyday shopping. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
85.4%
Higher than 77% of urban centre 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.
63.6%
Lower than 55% of urban centre areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a school. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
93.4%
Higher than 52% of urban centre 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.
46.3%
Higher than 59% of urban centre 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.
There are 71 intersections per square kilometre across the city. Despite the flat land, there are only 9.9 walkable amenities per 1,000 residents, which is well below the state average.
9.9
Lower than 77% of urban centre 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.
71
Higher than 86% of urban centre 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 62% of urban centre 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/ucl/UCL303003/townsville/topic/walkability
