QLD · Cairns Council
Cairns City, 4870
Current weather
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85% humidity · 8.1 km/h wind · 25.6° / 17.9° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Café precinct
- Heritage area
- Green suburb
- Cycling
Suburb profile
Cairns City wears its coastal identity openly, a mid-sized suburb built around sand, sea and an easy outdoor rhythm. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. There is a lightness to the air here, with the coast never far from mind.
The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a healthy mix of renters and owner-occupiers. Coffee, casual meals and neighbourhood eateries give the suburb a lived-in social scene. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area. Period homes and heritage streetscapes give the area a character that newer suburbs rarely match.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker housing affordability and safety against similar coastal suburbs, even with schools and education and transport and access holding up better.
Population
- Population
- 3,616
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $1,627
- Dwelling vacancy
- 35.6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 477 of 1,340
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 37.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 130 / 50 / 696
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $485
Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Period: Mar 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 472
- Against the person
- 121
- Against property
- 220
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 130.5
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 30 residents
- State safety percentile
- 93.9th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +1.1%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault1152
- Drug Offences1431
- Good Order Offences1187
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)2349
- Unlawful Entry891
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 3
- Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
- 1,058
- St Augustine's CollegeSecondary
- St Monica's CollegeSecondary
- The BUSY SchoolSecondary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Amenities
459 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- BottlemartAlcohol
- BWSAlcohol
- CellarbrationsAlcohol
- First Choice LiquorAlcohol
86-98 Sheridan Street
- Kennedy's Betta Home LivingAppliance
- ANZATM
- ATM
- atmxATM
- NABATM
- SuncorpATM
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
5 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Anzac ParkPark
- CCLT ParklandPark
- Fogarty ParkPark
- Munro Martin ParkPark
- Rotary ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 19
- Emergency department
- On site
- Breast Screen Queenslandbreast_screening
- Cairns Dental Aesthetic Centreclinic
- Cairns GP Super ClinicGrafton Streetclinic
- Cairns Oral & Maxillofacial SurgeryLake Streetclinic
- Cairns Private Hospitalhospital
- Cairns Private hospitalhospital
- Chemist Warehousepharmacy
- Chiropratic WorksSheridan Streetalternative
- Coral Sea ENTclinic
- Diabetes And Health Solutionscentre
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 8/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
22 state heritage places
- 99 Grafton StState heritage place
- Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd (former)State heritage place
- Barrier Reef HotelState heritage place
- Bishop's HouseState heritage place
- Bolands CentreState heritage place
- Cairns City Council ChambersState heritage place
- Cairns Court House ComplexState heritage place
- Cairns Customs House (former)State heritage place
- Cairns Masonic TempleState heritage place
- Cairns School of Arts (former)State heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 6
- Parks (OSM)
- 6
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 54.3/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 22% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1461st in Australia
- State rank
- 327th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #27 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #46 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- 3 Black Bears Pizza Cairnsamenities16 Shields Streetrestaurant
- A1 Car Rentalsamenitiescar_rental
- AAFN Battery Wholesalersamenitieselectronics
- ANZamenitiesatm
- ANZamenitiesbank
- ATMamenitiesatm
- Abbott Street Taxi Rankamenitiestaxi
- Adventure EquipmentamenitiesUnit 1 53 Grafton Street, Cairns Cityoutdoor
- All Day Car Rentalsamenities72 Abbott Streetcar_rental
- All Day Carrantalamenitiescar_rental
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Cairns Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.