How walkable is Sunshine Coast, Queensland?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Sunshine Coast, Queensland has a walkability score of 49 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it car-dependent: most errands require a car. It is the least walkable of the 10 cities ranked in Australia.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,131 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Sunshine Coast, Queensland. The nearest grocery is about 6 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, shopping, coffee and parks. It is weakest for banks.
Groceries
- Aldi, 13 min
- Switch Nutrition, 14 min
Restaurants & bars
- Sushi Ari Maroochydore, 7 min
- FINCH AVE., 11 min
Shopping
- Pro Computers Maroochydore - Computer Repairs And Sales, 3 min
- Rescue Recycle Reuse, 4 min
Coffee
- Hello Cafe, 7 min
- You Had Me at Hello, 7 min
Banks
- Suncorp Bank, 19 min
- Commonwealth Bank Maroochydore Branch, 19 min
Parks
- Dalton Drive Drainage Reserve, 5 min
- Pepper Tree Park, 6 min
Schools
- The Training Collective, 18 min
- Maroochydore State School, 22 min
Books & libraries
- Angus & Robertson, 18 min
- Harry Hartog, 18 min
Culture & entertainment
- Beats Per Minute Performing Arts, 10 min
- Event Cinemas, 14 min
Further than usual
- The nearest restaurant is 6 minutes from the centre on foot, against 1 minute for the median city ranked.
- The nearest bank is 18 minutes from the centre on foot, against 4 minutes for the median city ranked.
- The nearest school is 15 minutes from the centre on foot, against 4 minutes for the median city ranked.
Measured from the centre at -26.6646, 153.0896, the point near Sunshine Coast, Queensland's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 89 street intersections per km², and blocks average 73 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Sunshine Coast, Queensland's score of 49 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 83 within 1 km of the centre, 49 from 1 to 3 km out and 41 from 3 to 5 km out. 42 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 24% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the centre, so check a specific address on the map.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 79 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 83 | 86% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 49 | 22% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 41 | 8% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane, Australia | 90 km | 82 |
| Logan City, Australia | 109 km | 50 |
| Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | 154 km | 61 |
| Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia | 709 km | 62 |
Questions about walking in Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Is Sunshine Coast, Queensland a walkable city?
Not very. Sunshine Coast, Queensland has a walkability score of 49 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it car-dependent: most errands require a car. Its centre scores 79. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks 10th of 10 cities in Australia and joint 605th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Australia?
Melbourne is the most walkable of the 10 cities ranked in Australia, with a score of 87. Sunshine Coast, Queensland ranks 10th with 49.
How does Sunshine Coast, Queensland compare with nearby cities?
Sunshine Coast, Queensland is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 49, against Brisbane (82, 90 km away), Logan City (50, 109 km away) and Gold Coast, Queensland (61, 154 km away).
Which part of Sunshine Coast, Queensland is most walkable?
The streets just around Sunshine Coast's centre are its most walkable, averaging 83 within 1 km. The centre itself, the point with the most places in walking range, scores 79. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-east (averaging 58) and falls most to the north (22).
How is Sunshine Coast, Queensland's walkability score calculated?
For Sunshine Coast, Queensland it is the average of 49 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 12 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
Ask about walking anywhere in ChatGPT with the How Walkable app, for example "How walkable is Sunshine Coast, Queensland?"