The Darling Downs region in Queensland's south-east is known for producing exquisitely marbled beef, from cattle fattened on the pasture grown in its rich black soils. Statistics released by the Heart Foundation on Monday show many of its human inhabitants are similarly far from lean.

According to the Heart Foundation analysis, based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, the Darling Downs, which includes towns such as Dalby and St George, is the most obese part of Australia. More than 44 per cent of its residents are obese, and almost three-quarters do not get enough physical activity to be healthy.

In NSW, the Riverina region, which includes Griffith and Wagga Wagga, has the dubious distinction of the highest proportion of obese residents. There, a third of residents are obese, and 81 per cent do not complete the two and half hours a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity considered necessary for good health.

City of Wagga Wagga mayor Rod Kendall said he was surprised by the finding, and suggested that the convenience of the car and the abundance of free parking in country areas could be a contributing factor.