It’s February, and if you’re still following your New Year’s resolution of staying active, you’re doing amazing! And a lot better than this author. And if you feel like you’re surrounded by eager morning joggers or passionate gym junkies, you’re not alone. Net World Sports took a deep dive into the state of fitness around Australia, and found that Melbourne was the second fittest city in the country, and the most fit city in the state. They used metrics like health outcomes, fitness behaviours and access to gyms and recreation spaces to determine the rankings of the 50 most populated cities in Australia.
They used data from sources like the Australian Bureau of Statistic (ABS), the National Health Survey (NHS) and Open Street Maps. The scores were normalised on a scale from 0-100, with higher scores for cities that were healthier and more active.
Top 10 Fittest Cities in Australia, according to Net World Sports
- Darwin (NT) – 68.6 total fitness score
- Melbourne (VIC) – 68
- Brusselton (WA) – 65.8
- Sydney (NSW) – 63.6
- Canberra – Queanbeyan (ACT) – 63.1
- Warrnambool (VIC) – 61.9
- Geelong (VIC) – 60.1
- Bunbury (WA) – 58.9
- Kalgoorlie-Boulder (WA) – 58.2
- Bathurst (NSW) – 57.5
Melbourne performed strongly across the board. Looking at health in the long-term, this city received a score of 87.3/100, with low rates of heart disease (1.6%), lung conditions (0.6%) and long-term health conditions (8%). We also had relatively low rates of smoking (9.6%) and vaping (4%) once a week. We also had a strong participation rate in sport or exercise of 71.8%. In the report, Melbourne was praised for its ‘wide variety of gyms and boutique fitness studios’.
With plenty of beaches, walking trails and gyms, Warrnambool also appeared high in the rankings. Geelong followed closely behind, with high sport participation and fitness scores.
To read the full report, click here.
Feeling inspired? Get started with some of these easy walks near Melbourne, or these 1-hour hikes.